Editing George VI (section)

==Legacy==
{{See also|Cultural depictions of George VI}}
[[File:George VI - Statue - Carlton House Terrace - London - 310504.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue by [[William McMillan (sculptor)|William McMillan]] (1955) at [[Carlton House Terrace]], Westminster]]
In the words of [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) [[George Hardie (politician)|George Hardie]], the abdication crisis of 1936 did "more for republicanism than fifty years of propaganda".<ref>Hardie in the British House of Commons, 11 December 1936, quoted in Rhodes James, p. 115</ref> George VI wrote to his brother Edward that in the aftermath of the abdication he had reluctantly assumed "a rocking throne" and tried "to make it steady again".<ref>Letter from George VI to the Duke of Windsor, quoted in Rhodes James, p. 127</ref> He became king at a point when public faith in the monarchy was at a low ebb. During his reign, his people endured the hardships of war, and imperial power was eroded. However, as a dutiful family man and by showing personal courage, he succeeded in restoring the popularity of the monarchy.<ref>{{Citation|last=Ashley|first=Mike|author-link=Mike Ashley (writer)|year=1998|title=British Monarchs|publisher=Robinson|location=London|isbn=978-1-84119-096-9|pages=703–704}}</ref><ref>Judd, pp. 248–249</ref>

The [[George Cross]] and the [[George Medal]] were founded at the King's suggestion during the Second World War to recognise acts of exceptional civilian bravery.<ref>Judd, p. 186; Rhodes James, p. 216</ref> He bestowed the George Cross on the entire "[[Siege of Malta (World War II)|island fortress of Malta]]" in 1943.<ref>Townsend, p. 137</ref> He was posthumously awarded the [[Order of Liberation]] by the French government in 1960, one of only two people (the other being Churchill in 1958) to be awarded the medal after 1946.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.ordredelaliberation.fr/fr_doc/liste_compagnons.pdf|publisher=Ordre de la Libération|access-date=19 September 2009|title=List of Companions|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306131445/http://www.ordredelaliberation.fr/fr_doc/liste_compagnons.pdf|archive-date=6 March 2009}}</ref>

[[Colin Firth]] won an [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his performance as George VI in the 2010 film ''[[The King's Speech]]''.<ref>{{citation |last1=Brooks |first1=Xan |title=Colin Firth takes the best actor crown at the Oscars |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/feb/28/colin-firth-best-actor-oscar |access-date=17 August 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=28 February 2011 |language=en |mode=cs2 |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817193637/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/feb/28/colin-firth-best-actor-oscar |url-status=live }}</ref>
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