Education and career
George received his early education from a tutor and later followed his brother Henry to St Peter's Court, a preparatory school at Broadstairs, Kent. At the age of 13, like his elder brothers, Edward and Albert, he entered naval college, first at Osborne and subsequently at Dartmouth. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 15 February 1924 and to lieutenant on 15 February 1926. He remained on active service in the Royal Navy until March 1929, serving on HMS Iron Duke and later on the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet (renamed the Home Fleet in 1932), HMS Nelson. He served on the latter as a lieutenant on the admiral's staff before transferring in 1928 to HMS Durban on the America and West Indies Station, based at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda. His father had previously served at Bermuda on HMS Canada and HMS Thrush as a watch-keeping lieutenant.
After leaving the navy, he briefly held posts at the Foreign Office and later the Home Office, becoming the first member of the royal family to work as a civil servant. He continued to receive promotions after leaving active service, being advanced to commander on 15 February 1934 and to captain on 1 January 1937.
From January to April 1931, George and Edward undertook an 18,000‑mile tour of South America. Their outward voyage was on the ocean liner Oropesa. In Buenos Aires they opened a British Empire Exhibition. They continued from the Río de la Plata to Rio de Janeiro on the liner Alcantara and returned from Brazil to Europe on the liner Arlanza, landing at Lisbon. They travelled back via Paris and an Imperial Airways flight from Paris–Le Bourget Airport that landed specially in Windsor Great Park.
On 23 June 1936, he was appointed a personal aide-de-camp to his eldest brother, the new king, Edward VIII. Following Edward's abdication, George was appointed a personal naval aide-de-camp to his other elder brother, now George VI. On 12 March 1937, he was commissioned as a colonel in the British Army and as a group captain in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was also appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Fusiliers from the same date.
In October 1938, George was appointed Governor-General of Australia in succession to Lord Gowrie, with effect from November 1939. On 11 September 1939, however, it was announced that, owing to the outbreak of the Second World War, the appointment would be postponed.
On 8 June 1939, he was promoted to rear admiral in the Royal Navy, major-general in the British Army, and air vice-marshal in the Royal Air Force. At the start of the Second World War, he returned to active naval service with the rank of rear admiral, serving briefly in the Intelligence Division of the Admiralty.
He was patron of the Society for Nautical Research between 1926 and 1942.
