King George VI was formally crowned on Wednesday, May 12, 1937, at Westminster Abbey in London. The same centuries-old rituals were in place on Saturday for his grandson, Charles III. “At a coronation ...

Read PEOPLE's exclusive excerpt from royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith's new book, George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy Simon Perry is a writer and correspondent at PEOPLE.

Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning British monarch and beloved by the people—but she was almost not a queen to begin with. Wait, what? It’s true: Her father was not supposed to take the ...