Also on this day

King Charles I, pictured, is put on trial for high treason. Ronald Reagan inaugurated as 40th president of the USA.

the age. He was a reckless womaniser during the 1920s and 1930s and had a string of affairs with married women. A remark King George made a year or so before his death served as a warning for the crisis that was to come. He said: “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months.”

George’s second son, Albert, the Duke of York, was by contrast enjoying marital bliss with his wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret. But the lives of the Yorks were about to change dramatically.

Edward had been told by prime minister Stanley Baldwin that he could not remain king and marry Simpson. It had become clear he would have to make a choice between duty and love. He chose to abdicate in favour of love, leaving the throne on December 11, 1936.

This led the shy and retiring Albert, who had never expected to rule, to take the crown – becoming George VI, the “reluctant king”. He went on to lead the country through its darkest hours in the Second World War.

He died on February 6, 1952, aged only 56. His reign took a great toll on him but may have saved the monarchy. His eldest daughter, Elizabeth, rules us to this day.

Last week I asked which Irish novelist died on January 13, 1941. The answer is James Joyce. This week’s question: which former Bayern Munich and England football player was born on this day in 1981?

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