Thursday, September 15, 2016

George VI halts vacation again to see doctors


September 15, 1951


For the second time in a week, King George VI has left Balmoral to fly to London to see his doctors.    The king, who is suffering from poor health, flew "from Aberdeen thru threatening clouds and rain for further treatment of a lung condition," reports Reuters.

Last weekend, he was seen by a radiologist in London.  King George VI is 55 years old.

The Palace has not provided further information on when the King will return to Scotland, where he had been on vacation, or how long he will need to seek treatment.  His wife, Queen Elizabeth, remains in Scotland.

The King's lung condition is believed to be the aftermath "of a catarrhal inflammation which attacked him last June."  His doctors have given "little indication" on how serious his condition is.   Newspapers and the public have been left to speculate with no more than a brief announcement from Buckingham Palace.



Recent photographs have shown King George to looking tired and strained.

There are no signs that a planned voyage to Australia and New Zealand at the beginning of next year will be canceled.  The King and Queen and Princess Margaret are expected to travel on the recently converted 15,902-ton liner, Gothic.

The Daily Express, owned by Lord Beaverbrook, has speculated that the king has been suffering from a blockage of the bronchus --one of the air tubes of the lungs.

"His symptoms indicate a typical pneumonia. Treatment for this consists of the use of a new drug Aureomycin and a long convalescence in the open air," reported the Express.

The Sunday Express reported that the King caught a chill while shooting at Balmoral, and this chill developed into "bronchial trouble."




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