Sunday, April 3, 2011
X-ray images of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth found
London, April 2 – A set of X-ray images of the teeth of Britain’s King George VI, his wife and their daughter, now Queen Elizabeth II, have been found in a former nurse’s house.
The X-rays were taken between 1942 and 1946. There are 18 images of the king’s teeth, 14 of his wife and 10 of their daughter.
They were found in a house in Surrey that belonged to a dental nurse named Betty Jacques, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Experts have examined the images and say that the king’s teeth were not the cause for his famous speech impediment that was the subject of the Oscar-winning movie ‘The King’s Speech’.
The images were all set to be sold at an auction next week, but have now been pulled out following a request from the royal family.
Stephen Hancocks, editor-in-chief of the British Dental Journal, who examined the X-rays, said: ‘The X-rays indicate that the king had good teeth for a man of his age. There is some evidence of bone loss which may be due to gum disease, possibly linked to smoking, as he was known to be a heavy smoker.