It was February 6, 1952, when Prince Philip told his wife, who we now know as Queen Elizabeth, that her father King George VI had died. Although the King had suffered from a prolonged illness, the moment still came as a profound shock to the 25-year-old Princess, who had to mourn her dear ‘Papa’ while facing the realization that she was now Queen.
To make matters more complicated, the royal couple were in Kenya at the time. Just a week earlier, King George VI had bid daughter and son-in-law farewell for what was intended to be a six-month tour of the Commonwealth. The King himself had been due to undertake the international journey but had to withdraw due to ill health; he was suffering from lung cancer.
Father and daughter: King George VI and the then Princess Elizabeth in 1946
Getty Images
The first stop of the tour was Kenya. After three days in Nairobi, the couple drove up to Sagana Lodge, a property in the foothills of Mount Kenya that was given to them as a wedding present. After lunch on February 5, Philip and Elizabeth ventured out 20 miles to Treetops, a game-viewing lodge overlooking an elephant waterhole where they planned to spend the night before continuing with the duties of their tour.
It was while the couple were there, soaking up the majesty of the African wildlife, that King George VI took his final breath at Sandringham House, in Norfolk. Operation “Hyde Park Corner” whirred into action, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill was immediately informed. However, it took hours for the news to reach the Princess, who only found out after returning to Sagana.
