As the Royal Family had got a lot of public support during the Royal Tour of 1939 , Lord Athlone seemed a very good candidate . He was Queen Mary 's brother ( and thus the King 's uncle ) and a former governor general of another of His Majesty 's Dominions and Mackenzie King advised the King to appoint him . Despite the longstanding intention of Canadian governments to indigenise the office and appoint Canadian nationals as governors general â '' Australia had long since done so with the appointment of Sir Isaac Isaacs as its governor general â '' wartime seemed an unpropitious time for constitutional tinkering ; the Royal Family had garnered vast public support during the Royal Tour of 1939 ; as Queen Mary 's brother and a former governor general of another of His Majesty 's Dominions ( as they were then styled ) Lord Athlone seemed a satisfactory candidate notwithstanding considerations of talent , and Mackenzie King advised the King to appoint him .