The Queen’s final moment with her father was when he wished her well on her trip around Commonwealth.
Albert Frederick Arthur George, also known as George VI, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from December 11, 1936, until his death in 1952. He was concurrently the last Emperor of India until August 1947, when the British Raj was dissolved.
Prince Phillip and the Queen, who was just Princess Elizabeth at that time, were boarding a flight for a Commonwealth tour to Australia, New Zealand, and Kenya due to King George VI not being well enough to travel.
On January 31, 1952, King George VI was seen watching as his eldest daughter boarded the plane, but the Queen had no idea that it will be the last time that they would see each other.
Also at the airport were the Queen’s Mother, Queen Elizabeth I, and Princess Margaret, who waved the royal couple off as they boarded a plane for the first leg of their journey to Nairobi, Kenya. They said their farewells before returning to the tarmac, watching the take-off from a rooftop.
King George VI had been suffering from illness after previously undergoing surgery for lung cancer. But the Royal Family had no idea that his health would deteriorate in the days to come.
Queen Elizabeth’s goodbye to his father also marked the last and final day where the king would be seen in public. Just days later, he died in his sleep at Sandringham.
Prince Philip and the Queen were one of the last people in the world to hear about the death of the King, having been in Kenya at the time. They were staying at a remote treehouse in Aberdare National Park and were unable to be reached by the news immediately.
It was on February 6, 1952, when Martin Charteris, the Queen’s private secretary, heard the news first as he was having a drink at a restaurant in a nearby town. The writer quickly approached Prince Philip regarding the news and saw him return to the lodge.
The late Duke of Edinburgh broke the news to his wife during a walk in the gardens at the nearby Sagana Lodge. She recalled that the monarch immediately returned to apologize to everyone for having to fly back to the U.K. in haste.
Nicholas Best, the founder of the Treetops resort, said Queen Elizabeth immediately canceled the rest of the tour and made her way to the Nanyuki airstrip with her husband and royal entourage. She boarded the plane quickly and wept during the flight.
Lady Pamela Hicks, a cousin of Philip, told People: “When we landed in England and saw Winston Churchill and others have drawn upon the tarmac, there was this sudden realization that this was the end of her private life.”
At age 56, King George VI had died of coronary thrombosis, making his elder daughter the new monarch. The Monarch, who was just 25-years-old that time, left the UK as Princess and returned as Queen Elizabeth II.
When the Queen arrived back in the U.point 164 | K.point 166 | , she had changed into a black outfit and was greeted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill before being driven away in the royal limousine.point 281 |
The following day, she met with representatives from the City of London and the Commonwealth at St.point 83 | James’ Palace and read an official Proclamation declaring her reign as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second.point 183 | 1
This year, the anniversary of her father’s death will be especially emotional for the Queen as it will not only be 70 years since his passing, but it will also be the first time she has marked his death without her beloved Philip by her side following his death last April, aged 99.