Until Edward VIII abdicated, his younger brother Bertie was not expected to succeed to the throne. He was born in 1895 and led a regimented childhood without a great deal of family warmth or empathy. Although naturally left-handed he was required to learn to write with his right hand. He developed a serious stutter as a young boy which caused him difficulty and embarrassment and which he fought to conquer throughout his life. Adding insult to injury, his siblings were apparently allowed to ridicule his speech. A shy and awkward young man, Bertie had been overshadowed throughout his life in almost every way by his handsome and urbane older brother. Simple and honest, he was resourceful but not especially endowed with talent. As a second son, like his father before him, it was not anticipated that he would need to meet the demands of greatness. In accordance with family tradition, Bertie joined the Royal Navy as a young man. He fought in the Battle of Jutland (or Skaggerak as it is also known), the largest naval battle of World War I, in May of 1916. He found his consummate mate in the confident, devoted and self-assured Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, daughter of the fourteenth Earl of Strathmore. They married in 1923 and began their lives together as the Duke and Duchess of York. In 1926 Elizabeth urged Bertie to visit renowned speech therapist Lionel Logue, whose techniques were being employed to repair the damaged vocal chords of gassed war veterans. Logue's work included the recitation of tongue twisters such as, "She sifted seven thick stalked thistles through a strong, thick sieve." Although Logue's program helped, Bertie never fully overcame his aversion to speaking in public. Despite this, he made a series of moving broadcasts via radio during his reign. Upon his brother's abdication, there was great trepidation - not only from Bertie himself, but also from his aides and his countrymen - regarding his ability to meet the impending responsibilities of the crown. He wrote Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin in 1936, "I am new to the job but I hope that time will be allowed to me to make amends for what has happened." Bertie, with Elizabeth at his side, met the challenges that lay ahead with fortitude. As King George VI, he successfully led his country through a world war. His popularity -- and that of his faithful and dedicated wife -- soared. A heavy smoker, he died of lung cancer in February of 1952, leaving his oldest daughter to the throne. The "Queen Mum" lived another fifty years, dying in 2002 at the age of 101.