The 2022 King George VI Tribute Gold Sovereign range has now reached a complete sell out. A massive congratulations to all of those clients who have managed to secure such a fantastic series of sovereign coins.

Alongside these beautiful sovereigns, we have sent our clients an 8pp replica newspaper from the Daily Graphic, dated the 7th February 1952; the day after King George VI’s sad passing. Here, we will be dissecting the content from the newspaper and looking at his life in the eyes of his people.

First Page

Titled ‘the man of service’, the newspaper article starts off with an obituary for King George VI. It discusses the shock of the news, especially when it was thought that the King was on his way to recovery. It also offers condolences to the royal family, and discusses in brief detail how much of a positive impact the King had on the public.

‘This was a King indeed’ by Arthur Bryant is the second article on this page, which analyses the King’s life and reign from the First World War up until his death. This article focuses on his duties as Duke of York and also highlights his efforts in becoming King and leading his country through the Second World War.

Second Page

Featured on the second page are two images of King George VI and his daughter Elizabeth waving farewell to each other as she leaves for her journey to Kenya. The images were taken from London Airport exactly a week before the King’s death, and is the last time that they were to see each other before his untimely death.

Below those images, there is a section entitled ‘The Brightest Star’, which features all of the King’s Christmas broadcast speeches from 1937 to 1951. King George VI was well known for his struggles with a stammer and so these speeches were representative of his dedication and commitment to himself and his country.

Centre (Third and Fourth Page)

Across the third and fourth pages in the centre of the newspaper, there are images of memorable moments in the King’s life. Titled ‘A sovereign trusted and loved by his people in peace and war’, there are images from his wedding to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, his coronation in 1937, the King with Princess Margaret, Princess Elizabeth and newborn Princess Anne, his 1951 Festival of Britain broadcast, and various other activities such as him visiting his armies in the field during the war.

Fifth Page

The fifth page covers the statement from Sandringham addressing the King’s passing. It covers a time line of who had been told and when, and what steps were being taken amid this shocking news. It also discusses the reaction of the lords and commons.

A piece entitled ‘A perfect weekend in village he loved’ talks about the King’s antics the day before, and discusses that villagers who saw the King believed he was in good spirits and on the path of recovery; making his sudden death even more surprising.

Sixth Page

On the sixth page, there are discussions on how the whole world fell into mourning, not just Britain. It details the actions that other countries took as a result of this news. These countries include France, Germany, America, Italy, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and India amongst others.

It also talks about plans for the King to lie in state in Westminster Hall for several days, and that all Royal events had been cancelled so that they could mourn and attend the funeral. Royal Tour ships also had their orders changed and 56 guns were scheduled to be let off, honouring the King’s life.

Back Page

The final page focuses on the King’s daughter Elizabeth. It discusses the timeframe in which she was due to arrive back to London and the measures that were enforced to ensure that her return was as quiet as possible. It also discusses her time in Kenya and how she and the country reacted to the news.

Lastly, it covers the privy council declaring Elizabeth as Queen. It quotes the proclamation in full and also discusses what was to happen in the next few days for the new Queen. It finally goes on to cover the date of the funeral for the King; 15th February.

If you have missed out on this range, or you are looking to add to your collection, we have a heritage coin set celebrating the year in which we had three kings, featuring King George VI HERE