Prince Henry, Prince George Not Considered For Royal Roles For This Reason

Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, were reportedly the least favored of the Windsor clan and not considered for royal roles when they were still alive.

In the book “The War of the Windsors,” royal authors Lynn Picknett, Clive Prince and Stephen Prior revealed how the two royals were almost not given any official roles in the family. The book also claimed that George VI was not favored by his father King George V.

King Edward VIII’s two younger brothers, Henry and George, were not really considered for major roles immediately after the First World War because of their age. Princess Mary wasn’t considered for a royal role simply because she was a woman.

But academically, Prince George was the smartest among his siblings. After private tutoring and prep school, he was sent to naval college in preparation for his career in the Royal Navy. At that time, he was just 13 years old.

When the King and Queen realized that their son was exceptionally bright, they dubbed him as the most intelligent member of the Windsor clan. They also started handing out royal duties to him.

Henry, on the other hand, was considered to be unrelentingly dim. According to the book authors, Henry was like an “aristocratic airhead straight from the page of a P.G. Wodehouse novel.”

Meanwhile, George VI was not suited for public life due to his speech problem. He used to stammer in public, and this caused him to pause for a few seconds before he could utter his next word. Growing up, George VI felt humiliated and frustrated because of this problem.

According to The Telegraph, technology didn’t allow George VI to pre-record his broadcasts so he had to face the agony of stammering live on a microphone. He was also told the chain-smoking could help with his stammer so he smoked heavily, but his problem was never cured.

George VI passed away due to lung cancer in 1952. He was just 56.