George VI the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, J. H. Thomas. King George V had severe reservations about Prince Edward, saying "After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months" and "I pray God that my eldest son will never marry and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne." On 20 January 1936, George V died and Edward ascended the throne as King Edward VIII. In the Vigil of the Princes, Prince Albert and his three brothers took a shift standing guard over their father's body as it lay in state, in a closed
Coronation March (Edward German) Mary were presented as Emperor and Empress of India, and again in 1937 during the coronation service of George VI of the United Kingdom for the entrance of Queen Mary, by then the Queen Mother. Coronation March (Edward German) The Coronation March is a piece for full orchestra composed by Edward German in 1911 upon invitation for the coronation ceremonies of King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary. The march and its accompanying hymn, "Veni Creator Spiritus," were partly derived from the composer's incidental music to Henry Irving's 1892 production of Henry VIII. In addition to serving