Much of the life of Albert Frederick Arthur George, called Bertie by family and friends, can be summed up in one word: unexpected. At the time of his birth, his father held the title Duke of York, later to ascend to the throne of the United Kingdom and Great Britain as King George V. Bertie was his second son, and thus was not expected to ascend to the throne; the heir apparent under George V was Bertie’s brother, who became King Edward VIII in 1936. Thus, it was his brother who was groomed...
