Abandoned coronation of Edward VIII Abandoned coronation of Edward VIII The coronation of Edward VIII as King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth and as Emperor of India was due to take place at Westminster Abbey on 12 May 1937. Preparations had already begun and souvenirs were on sale when he abdicated on 11 December 1936. To keep everything from going to waste, it was decided to hold the coronation of his brother and successor George VI on the same date. In January 1936, King George V died and his eldest son, Edward VIII, succeeded him as king-emperor of the
George VI Libération by the French government in 1960, one of only two people (the other being Churchill) to be awarded the medal after 1946. A number of geographical features, roads, and institutions are named after George VI. These include King George Hospital in London; King George VI Reservoir in Surrey, United Kingdom; King George VI Highway and King George Boulevard in Surrey, British Columbia; Kingsway in Edmonton; George VI Sound in Antarctica; and the King George VI Chase, a horse race in the United Kingdom. Colin Firth won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as George VI in