He had died in the night from a coronary thrombosis at age 56. His daughter flew back to Britain from Kenya as Queen Elizabeth II. From 9 February for two days George VI’s coffin rested in St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, before lying in state at Westminster Hall from 11 February.

What was wrong with King George VI?

On the morning of February 6, 1952, George VI was discovered dead in bed at the age of 56. He previously suffered from lung cancer and had a lung removed; it was later determined that he had died of a coronary thrombosis.

Why did King George die?

Anxiety, exhaustion and lung cancer were all a part of his life as king. Despite this, his friends reported that he had gone to bed at Sandringham House that night with nothing out of the ordinary, but a servant found him dead at 7:30 the next morning. It was later revealed that a blood clot had stopped his heart.

On February 6, 1952, after a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham.