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
2011 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2011 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The 2011 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 23 July 2011. It was the 61st King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The winner was Lady Rothschild's Nathaniel, a three-year-old bay colt trained at Newmarket, Suffolk by John Gosden and ridden by William Buick. Nathaniel's victory was the first for his jockey, trainer and owner. Before the race, Nathaniel had contested five races, bypassing the Epsom Derby before recording his most important success when winning the Group Two King Edward VII