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
1981 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 1981 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The 1981 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 25 July 1981. It was the 31st running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The winner was Aga Khan's Shergar, a three-year-old bay colt trained at Newmarket, Suffolk by Michael Stoute and ridden by Walter Swinburn. Shergar's victory was the first in the race for his owner, trainer and jockey. The race attracted a field of seven runners, all of whom were trained in the United Kingdom. The favourite was