Looking the East End in the Face: The Impact of the British Monarchy on Civilian Morale in the Second World War

This thesis investigates the influence of the British monarchy on home front civilian morale in Great Britain during the Second World War. It provides an analysis of their public and private lives and incorporates evidence from public reactions to their wartime activities. In their public lives, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth continued their traditional support and patronage of civilian volunteer organizations but also engaged in more informal interactions with the British public, such as touring the East End after it experienced heavy bombings. In their private lives, they emphasized the idea of "equality of sacrifice" to illustrate to the public through the media that all aspects of British society made sacrifices for the war effort