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George V

 
Biography: George V

George V (1865-1936) was king of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and emperor of India from 1910 to 1936. He maintained the monarchy as a stabilizing influence in a period of rapid international and domestic changes.

Born June 3, 1865, at Marlborough House, London, George V was the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). Though over the years the royal family had several homes, it was to Sandringham in Norfolk, constructed by his father, that George as prince and later as king was especially attached. His early education was by private tutors, but the strongest influence on him was his mother. As the second son, he was to have a naval career, and in 1877 he became a naval cadet. He trained at sea, passed his examination to become a midshipman, attended the Royal Naval College at Greenwich, and served from 1886 to 1888 in the Mediterranean. In 1890 he was given personal command of a first-class gunboat with the West Indies and North American Squadron and was promoted to commander in August 1891.

Only with the death of his elder brother, the Duke of Clarence, in January 1892, did George, now 26, come into direct line of succession to the throne. He was at once created Duke of York, introduced into the House of Lords, and provided with living quarters in St. James's Palace. The next year he married his cousin, Princess Mary of Tech, who had been betrothed to his brother. To this union were born five sons and one daughter.

Accession to Throne

For some years George spent much of his time on official visits - to Russia in 1894 to attend the funeral of Alexander III; in 1897 to Ireland; in 1901 to Australia (where he opened in Melbourne the first Commonwealth Parliament), South Africa, and Canada; and in 1905-1906 a notable visit to India. With Victoria's death in 1901 he was created Prince of Wales. And Sir Arthur Bigge, Victoria's principal private secretary since 1896, became his private secretary, a role which continued when the prince became king and lasted until 1931. Bigge, created Lord Stamfordham in 1911, had great influence on George's official life. On Stamfordham's death in 1931 George V said, "He taught me how to be a King."

Edward VII and his son George V were two quite different personalities, the former an extrovert who enjoyed ceremonial pageantry, the latter a shy man who put himself on display only as an act of duty. George ascended the throne in May 1910. His coronation came in June 1911; in December in Delhi he received homage from the native Indian rajas. Meanwhile, in England he had inherited a constitutional crisis, the consequence of the attack of the Commons, controlled by the Liberal government, upon the Lords, controlled by the Conservatives. Upon the insistence of Prime Minister Asquith, King George agreed to create enough new peers to force the Parliament Bill, limiting the legislative power of the Lords, through that House. The Lords eventually gave way without the mass creation of new peers. In an even more serious crisis, involving national unity, over the Third Home Rule Bill for Ireland, King George brought the party leaders together at Buckingham Palace in 1914 in hopes of resolving the problem. The outcome was postponed by the advent of World War I.

During the war the King had no direct responsibility. But his duties, nonetheless, were manifold. He made some 450 recorded inspections of military and naval installations and some 300 visits to hospitals, as well as personally distributing 58,000 decorations. He and the Queen also followed the fortunes of two sons in the armed services. Due to the hostilities with Germany, a royal proclamation in 1917 changed the official name of the royal family from Hanover to Windsor. It was to Buckingham Palace that crowds turned on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918. Soon after, the King visited battlefields, cemeteries and devasted areas in France and then received President Wilson of the United States in London. In vain he advised David Lloyd George in 1918 to postpone a general election. Outwardly, at least, he was more successful when he sought to be a symbol of unity in opening the new Ulster Parliament in June 1921.

Later Reign

In various ways George's role affected events as the reign continued. In 1923, partly on the advice of elder statesmen and partly through his own decision, he chose Stanley Baldwin as prime minister, passing over Lord Curzon, who had more seniority. He accepted the advent of Labour to power in 1924 as natural and their due. With the end of the general strike in 1926 his influence was important in the decision not to punish strike leaders. In the financial and constitutional crisis of 1931 the role of King George was more controversial. The necessity of a national (nonpartisan) government, if Labour failed, was urged upon him by Sir Herbert Samuel, the Liberal leader. In the words of his private secretary, the King successfully impressed upon Ramsay MacDonald (who had been Labour prime minister) "that he was the only man to lead the country through the crisis." MacDonald formed a national coalition. It was perhaps as much a matter of the King advising his ministers as they advising him.

As his life developed, these qualities began to be associated with George V - dignity, frankness, occasional obstinacy and irritability, sense of duty, and fair play. His latter years were somewhat clouded by the differences with his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, who rebelled against tradition. But this did little to obscure the royal family as a symbol of British unity, particularly evident in the ceremonies of the King's Silver Jubilee in 1935. There was solemnity in St. Paul's and pageantry in Westminster Hall. Huge crowds massed in the streets as the King and Queen drove through London each day, and before Buckingham Palace as they appeared on the balcony each evening for a week.

But it soon became clear that the King's old bronchial ailment which nearly took his life in 1929 had returned, this time fatally. After a brief illness he died on Jan. 20, 1936, at the age of 70. His tomb is in the nave of St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

Further Reading

There are two excellent biographies of George V: John Gore, King George V: A Personal Memoir (1941), treats his private life; Harold Nicolson, King George the Fifth: His Life and Reign (1952), covers his public life. Another personal account is in James Pope-Hennessy, Queen Mary, 1867-1953 (1959).

Additional Sources

Halperin, John, Eminent Georgians: the lives of King George V, Elizabeth Bowen, St. John Philby, and Nancy Astor, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.

Hough, Richard Alexander, Born royal: the lives and loves of the young Windsors, Toronto; New York: Bantam Books, 1988.

Rose, Kenneth, King George V, New York: Knopf: Distributed by Random House, 1984.

Rose, Kenneth, King George V, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1983.

Sinclair, David, Two Georges: the making of the modern monarchy, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1988.

Van der Kiste, John, George V's children, Far Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire; Wolfeboro Falls, NH: A. Sutton, 1991.

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George V.
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George V. (credit: Camera Press)
(born June 3, 1865, London, Eng. — died Jan. 20, 1936, Sandringham, Norfolk) King of the United Kingdom (1910 – 36). The second son of the future Edward VII, he succeeded his father in 1910. Early in his reign, he faced problems resulting from the constitutional struggle to restrict the power of the House of Lords. Respect for the new king increased during World War I, and he visited the front in France several times. After the war he faced both serious industrial unrest and, in 1923, the resignation as prime minister of Andrew Bonar Law, who was replaced by Stanley Baldwin. After the collapse of the pound sterling and the subsequent financial crisis in 1931, he persuaded James Ramsay MacDonald to remain in office and form a national coalition government. He was succeeded successively by his sons Edward VIII and George VI.

For more information on George V, visit Britannica.com.

British History: George V
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George V (1865-1936), king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and emperor of India (1910-36). The second son of Edward, prince of Wales (later Edward VII), George was not born to be king. His private education was followed by a naval career, but the death, at the beginning of 1892, of his elder brother, the duke of Clarence, meant that he was now in direct line of succession after his father. The following year he married Princess Mary of Teck (formerly the fiancée of the duke of Clarence); the couple were, and remained, devoted to each other; there were six children of the marriage. George's naval experience left him with a deep respect for habits of routine and obedience.

When George's father succeeded as king on Victoria's death (22 January 1901), George undertook a strenuous round of international engagements as heir to the throne, visiting Australasia, South Africa, Canada, and Europe. But Edward VII's death in 1910 presented him, as king, with the first of a series of constitutional and political problems, which he handled with propriety.

The refusal of the House of Lords to approve the Liberal government's budget of 1909 had led to a general election (28 January 1910) at which the government had been returned with a reduced but still effective majority. George gave an undertaking that, should it become necessary (which it did not), he would agree to the creation of a large enough number of peers to ensure the budget's passage into law. In December 1910 he authorized a second general election in order to test opinion on reform of the powers of the House of Lords; the passage of the Parliament Act of 1911, destroying the Lords' power of veto over money bills, and severely restricting their ability to delay other bills, owed something to George's own common sense. This crisis was followed by another, over the government's intention to grant Home Rule to Ireland, and the determination of the Ulster protestants, supported by the Conservative opposition, to take up arms unless Ulster remained part of the United Kingdom. The king did not take sides in this quarrel, but he used his influence with the Conservative leadership in order to moderate the tone of public utterances, and on 21 July 1914 invited representatives of all sides to a round-table discussion at Buckingham palace.

During the Great War, George, mindful of sensitivities over the German connections of the royal family, ordered that German names be replaced by English ones: the house of Windsor was inaugurated. In the years 1918-24 the political topography of Great Britain underwent a fundamental change, the Liberal Party being replaced by Labour as the only credible alternative to the Conservatives. When the first, minority, Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald took office in January 1924, the king did much to ensure a smooth transition. In 1929, on the occasion of the formation of the second Labour government, he played a similar role. During the crisis of August 1931, which resulted in MacDonald's ‘betrayal’ of that government and agreement to head a national, all-party administration, the king's role was more controversial. He urged MacDonald to form such an administration, and played a part in persuading the Liberal and Conservative leaders (Herbert Samuel and Stanley Baldwin) to serve in it, under MacDonald's leadership.

George was a shy, reserved man, not blessed with an overabundance of intellect, who none the less did his duty in a selfless manner. He went out of his way to bring the monarchy closer to the common people. In 1924 he made the first of a series of radio broadcasts heard throughout the British empire; in 1932 he inaugurated the annual Christmas Day broadcasts by the sovereign. He attended rugby matches at Twickenham, cricket at Lord's, tennis at Wimbledon; but he also presented the trophy at the football Cup Final at Wembley. George V gave to the monarchy a quiet dignity, and in the process made it genuinely national and genuinely popular.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: George V
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George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert), 1865-1936, king of Great Britain and Ireland (1910-36), second son and successor of Edward VII. At the age of 12 he commenced a naval career, but this ended with the death (1892) of his elder brother, the duke of Clarence, which made him the eventual heir to the throne. In 1893 he married Victoria Mary, daughter of the duke of Teck. While his father was king (1901-10), George visited many parts of the British empire, developing an interest in imperial affairs that he maintained throughout his own reign. After his coronation (1911) he went to India for a coronation durbar in Delhi. Within the limitations of his constitutional position, he occasionally played a decisive personal part in political controversies, acting as moderator in the debates over the Parliament Act of 1911 (see Parliament) and the Irish Home Rule Bill of 1914 and later helping in the formation of the national government of 1931. In 1917, during World War I, he abandoned his German titles and changed the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. The celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of his accession (May 6, 1935) showed the affection in which he was held by the British people. On his death (Jan. 20, 1936) George was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward VIII. His second son, on the abdication of Edward, took the throne as George VI.

Bibliography

See biographies by H. Nicolson (1952) and K. Rose (1983).

Quotes By: King George V
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Quotes:

"How is the Empire?"

Wikipedia: George V of the United Kingdom
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George V
King George V in his coronation robes, Sir Luke Fildes, 1911
King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, Emperor of India (more...)
Reign 6 May 1910 – 20 January 1936
Coronation 22 June 1911
Predecessor Edward VII
Successor Edward VIII
Prime Ministers See list
Consort Mary of Teck
Issue
Edward VIII
George VI
Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince John
Full name
George Frederick Ernest Albert
House House of Windsor
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father Edward VII
Mother Alexandra of Denmark
Born 3 June 1865(1865-06-03)
Marlborough House, London
Died 20 January 1936 (aged 70)
Sandringham House, Norfolk
Burial 29 January 1936
St George's Chapel, Windsor
Signature
Religion Church of England

George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 through World War I (1914–1918) until his death in 1936. He was the first British monarch of the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

From the age of twelve George served in the Royal Navy, but upon the unexpected death of his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, he became heir to the throne and married his brother's fiancée, Mary of Teck (known as "May" to her family after her birth month). Although they occasionally toured the British Empire, George preferred to stay at home with his stamp collection and lived what later biographers would consider a dull life because of its conventionality.

George became King-Emperor in 1910 on the death of his father, King Edward VII. George was the only Emperor of India to be present at his own Delhi Durbar, where he appeared before his Indian subjects crowned with the Imperial Crown of India, created specially for the occasion. During World War I he relinquished all German titles and styles on behalf of his relatives who were British subjects, and changed the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor. During his reign, the Statute of Westminster separated the crown so that George ruled the dominions as separate kingdoms, preparing the way for the future development of the Commonwealth. His reign also witnessed the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism, and the first Labour ministry, all of which radically changed the political spectrum.

George was plagued by illness throughout much of his later reign; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward.

Contents

Early life and education

George was born on 3 June 1865, at Marlborough House, London. His father was the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. His mother was the Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra), the eldest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. As a grandson of Queen Victoria in the male line, George was styled His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales at birth.

George as a young boy, 1870

He was baptised in the private chapel of Windsor Castle on 7 July 1865, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Thomas Longley.[1] As a younger son of the Prince of Wales, there was no expectation that George would become King as his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, was second in line to the throne after their father. Given that George was born only fifteen months after his brother, Prince Albert Victor, it was decided to educate both royal princes together. The Prince of Wales appointed John Neale Dalton as their tutor, although neither Albert Victor nor George excelled intellectually.[2] In September 1877, both brothers joined the training ship HMS Britannia at Dartmouth. Their father thought that the navy was "the very best possible training for any boy".[3]

For three years from 1879 the royal brothers served as midshipmen on HMS Bacchante, accompanied by Dalton. They toured the colonies of the British Empire in the Caribbean, South Africa and Australia, and visited Norfolk, Virginia, as well as South America, the Mediterranean, Egypt, and the Far East. In Japan, George had a local artist tattoo a blue and red dragon on his arm.[4] Dalton wrote an account of their journey entitled The Cruise of HMS Bacchante.[5] Between Melbourne and Sydney, Dalton records a sighting of the Flying Dutchman, a mythical ghost ship. When they returned to Britain, the brothers were separated; Albert Victor attended Trinity College, Cambridge, while George continued in the Royal Navy. He travelled the world, visited many areas of the British Empire, and served actively until his last command in 1891. From then on his naval rank was largely honorary.[6]

Marriage

George, 1893

As a young man destined to serve in the navy, Prince George served for many years under the command of his uncle, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was stationed in Malta. There, he grew close to and fell in love with his uncle's daughter, his first cousin, Marie of Edinburgh. His grandmother, father and uncle all approved the match, but the mothers, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh, both opposed it. The Princess of Wales thought the family was too pro-German, and the Duchess of Edinburgh disliked England. When George proposed, Marie refused, guided by her mother. She later became Queen of Romania.[7]

In 1891, Albert Victor became engaged to his second cousin once removed, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (known as "May" to her family, after her birth month), the only daughter of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. However, Albert Victor died of pneumonia six weeks later, leaving George second in line to the throne and likely to succeed after his father. This effectively ended George's naval career, as he was now expected to assume a more political role.[8]

Queen Victoria still favoured Princess May as a suitable candidate to marry a future king, so she persuaded George to propose to May. George duly proposed and May accepted. The marriage of George and May took place on 6 July 1893 at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace in London. The marriage was a success and throughout their lives the couple exchanged notes of endearment and loving letters.[9]

Duke of York

York Cottage at Sandringham House: George V and Queen Mary lived here from 1893 until 1926.

On 24 May 1892, Queen Victoria created George, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killarney.[10] After George's marriage to May, she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York.

The Duke and Duchess of York lived mainly at York Cottage,[11] a relatively small house in Sandringham, Norfolk where their way of life mirrored that of a comfortable middle-class family rather than royalty. George preferred the simple, almost quiet, life in marked contrast to his parents. Even his official biographer despaired of George's time as Duke of York, writing: "He may be all right as a young midshipman and a wise old king, but when he was Duke of York ... he did nothing at all but kill [i.e. shoot] animals and stick in stamps."[12]

George was a well-known stamp collector, and played a large role in building the Royal Philatelic Collection into the most comprehensive collection of United Kingdom and Commonwealth stamps in the world, in some cases setting record purchase prices for items.[13] His enthusiasm for stamps was denigrated by the intelligentsia.[14]

Randolph Churchill claimed that George was a strict father, to the extent that his children were terrified of him, and that George had remarked to Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby: "My father was frightened of his mother, I was frightened of my father, and I am damned well going to see to it that my children are frightened of me." In reality there is no direct source for the quotation and it is likely that George's parenting style was little different from that adopted by most people at the time.[15] George and May had five sons and a daughter.

Prince of Wales

Duke of York at Montreal and Quebec 1901.ogv
Duke of York at Montreal and Quebec, 1901

As Duke and Duchess of York, George and May carried out a wide variety of public duties. On the death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901, George's father, Albert Edward, ascended the throne as King Edward VII. George inherited the titles of Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay, and for much of the rest of that year, George was styled His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and York. In 1901, George and May toured the British Empire. Their tour included South Africa, Canada, the Colony of Newfoundland and New Zealand, where Cornwall Park in Auckland was named in their honour by its donor, John Logan Campbell, then Mayor of Auckland. In Australia the Duke opened the first session of the Australian Parliament upon the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia.

On 9 November 1901, George was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.[16] King Edward VII wished his son to have more preparation and experience prior to his future role. In contrast to Edward himself, whom Queen Victoria had excluded from state affairs, George was given wide access to state documents and papers by his father.[8] George in turn allowed his wife access to his papers,[17] as he valued her counsel and May often helped write her husband's speeches.[18]

In 1906, he toured British India, where he was disgusted by racial discrimination and campaigned for greater involvement of Indians in the government of the country.[19][20]

King and Emperor

A half-sovereign minted in Sydney, 1914 (Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal, sculptor)

On 6 May 1910, King Edward VII died, and the Prince of Wales ascended to the throne, becoming King George V. George had never liked his wife's habit of signing official documents and letters as "Victoria Mary" and insisted she drop one of those names. Neither thought she should be called Queen Victoria, and so she became Queen Mary.[21] Their coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on 22 June 1911.[8] The coronation was celebrated by the Festival of Empire in London.

Later in 1911, the King and Queen travelled to India for the Delhi Durbar, where they were presented to an assembled audience of Indian dignitaries and princes as the Emperor and Empress of India. George wore the newly-created Imperial Crown of India at the ceremony. Then the Emperor and Empress travelled throughout India, visiting their new subjects. George took the opportunity to indulge in hunting tigers, shooting 21.[22] He was a keen marksman. On 18 December 1913, he shot over a thousand pheasants in six hours[23] at the home of Lord Burnham, although even he had to acknowledge that "we went a little too far" that day.[24]

World War I

From 1914 to 1918 Britain was at war with Germany. The German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who for the British public came to symbolise all the horrors of the war, was the King's first cousin. Queen Mary, although British like her mother, was the daughter of the Duke of Teck, a descendant of the German Royal House of Württemberg.

"A good riddance"
A 1917 Punch cartoon depicting King George V sweeping away his German titles.

The King's paternal grandfather was Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; the King and his children bore the titles Prince and Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke and Duchess of Saxony. The King had brothers-in-law and cousins who were British subjects but who bore German titles such as Duke and Duchess of Teck, Prince and Princess of Battenberg, Prince and Princess of Hesse and by Rhine, and Prince and Princess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. When H. G. Wells wrote about Britain's "alien and uninspiring court", George famously replied: "I may be uninspiring, but I'll be damned if I'm alien."[25]

On 17 July 1917, George V issued an Order-in-Council that changed the name of the British Royal House from the German-sounding House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the House of Windsor, to appease British nationalist feelings. He specifically adopted Windsor as the surname for all descendants of Queen Victoria then living in the United Kingdom, excluding women who married into other families and their descendants.[26]

Finally, he and his various relatives who were British subjects relinquished the use of all German titles and styles, and adopted British-sounding surnames. George compensated several of his male relatives by creating them British peers. Thus, overnight his cousin, Prince Louis of Battenberg, became Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, while his brother-in-law, the Duke of Teck, became Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge. Others, such as Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, simply stopped using their territorial designations. In Letters Patent gazetted on 11 December 1917, the King restricted the style "His (or Her) Royal Highness" and the titular dignity of "Prince (or Princess) of Great Britain and Ireland" to the children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign and the eldest living son of the eldest living son of a Prince of Wales.[27]

King George V (right) with his first cousin Tsar Nicholas II, Berlin, 1913. Note the close physical resemblance between the two monarchs.[28]

The Letters Patent also stated that "the titles of Royal Highness, Highness or Serene Highness, and the titular dignity of Prince and Princess shall cease except those titles already granted and remaining unrevoked." Relatives of the British Royal Family who fought on the German side, such as Prince Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (the senior male-line great grandson of George III) and Prince Carl Eduard, Duke of Albany and the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (a male-line grandson of Queen Victoria), were simply cut off; their British peerages were suspended by a 1919 Order-in-Council under the provisions of the Titles Deprivation Act 1917. George also removed their Garter flags from St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle under pressure from his mother, Queen Alexandra.[29]

When Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, George's first cousin (their mothers were sisters), was overthrown in the Russian Revolution of 1917, the British Government offered asylum to the Tsar and his family, but worsening conditions for the British people, and fears that revolution might come to the British Isles, led George to think that the presence of the Romanovs might seem inappropriate under the circumstances.[30] Despite the later claims of Lord Mountbatten of Burma that David Lloyd George, the Prime Minister, was opposed to the rescue of the Romanovs, records of the King's private secretary, Lord Stamfordham, suggest that George V opposed the rescue against the advice of Lloyd George.[31] Advanced planning for a rescue was undertaken by MI1, a branch of the British secret service,[32] but because of the strengthening Bolshevik position and wider difficulties with the conduct of the war, the plan was never put into operation.[33] The Tsar and his immediate family thus remained in Russia and were murdered by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918. The following year, Nicholas's mother (George's aunt) Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) and other members of the extended Russian imperial family were rescued from the Crimea by British ships.

Two months after the end of the war, the King's youngest son, John, died aged 13 after a short lifetime of ill-health. George was informed of the death by the Queen who wrote, "[John] had been a great anxiety to us for many years…The first break in the family circle is hard to bear but people have been so kind & sympathetic & this has helped us much."[34]

Later life

King George V in 1923

During and after World War I, many of the monarchies which had ruled most of Europe fell. In addition to Russia, the monarchies of Austria, Germany, Greece, and Spain also fell to revolution and war, although the Greek monarchy was restored again shortly before George's death. Most of these countries were ruled by relatives of George. In 1922, a Royal Navy ship was sent to Greece to rescue his cousins, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (a nephew of Queen Alexandra through her brother King George I of Greece) and Princess Alice of Battenberg (a daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg, one of the German princes granted a British peerage in 1917). Their children included Prince Philip, who would later marry George's granddaughter, Elizabeth II.

George also took an interest in the political turmoil in Ireland, expressing his horror at government-sanctioned killings and reprisals to Prime Minister Lloyd George.[35] During the General Strike of 1926 the King took exception to suggestions that the strikers were 'revolutionaries' saying, "Try living on their wages before you judge them."[36] He also advised the Government against taking inflammatory action.[37]

In 1932, George agreed to deliver a Royal Christmas speech on the radio, an event which became annual thereafter. He was not in favour of the innovation originally but was persuaded by the argument that it was what his people wanted.[38] He was concerned by the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, and warned the British ambassador in Berlin to be suspicious of the fascists.[39] By the silver jubilee of his reign in 1935, he had become a well-loved king, saying in response to the crowd's adulation, "I cannot understand it, after all I am only a very ordinary sort of fellow."[40]

George's relationship with his heir, Prince Edward deteriorated in these later years. George was disappointed in Edward's failure to settle down in life and appalled by his many affairs with married women.[8] He was reluctant to see Edward inherit the crown. In contrast, he was fond of his second eldest son, Prince Albert (later George VI) and doted on his eldest granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth; he nicknamed her "Lilibet", and she affectionately called him "Grandpa England".[41] George said of his son Edward: "After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself within 12 months," and of Albert and Lilibet: "I pray to God my eldest son will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne."[42]

Death

World War I took a toll on George's health, and his heavy smoking exacerbated recurring breathing problems. He long suffered from emphysema, bronchitis, chronic obstructive lung disease and pleurisy. In 1928, he fell seriously ill, and for the next two years his son Edward took over many of his duties.[43] The King retired for a brief period to the seaside resort of Bognor Regis in Sussex.[44] A myth later grew that his last words, upon being told that he would soon be well enough to revisit the town, were "Bugger Bognor!"[45][46]

Statue of King George V by William Reid Dick, outside Westminster Abbey, London

George never fully recovered. In his final year, he was occasionally administered oxygen.[47] On the evening of 15 January 1936, the King took to his bedroom at Sandringham House complaining of a cold; he would never again leave the room alive.[48] He became gradually weaker, drifting in and out of consciousness. By 20 January, he was close to death. His physician, Lord Dawson of Penn, issued a bulletin with words that have become famous: "The King's life is drawing peacefully to a close."[49] Dawson's private diary, unearthed after his death, reveals that the King's last words, a mumbled "God damn you!",[50] were addressed to his nurse when she gave him a sedative on the night of 20 January. Dawson wrote that he hastened the King's end by giving him a lethal injection of cocaine and morphine, both to prevent further strain on the family and so that the King's death could be announced in the morning edition of The Times newspaper.[50][51] King George V died at 11:55 p.m. on 20 January, 1936.[52]

At the procession to George's Lying in State in Westminster Hall, as the cortège turned into New Palace Yard, part of the Imperial State Crown fell from on top of the coffin and landed in the gutter. The new king, Edward VIII, saw it fall and wondered whether this was a bad omen for his new reign.[53][54] He would abdicate before the year was out, leaving Albert, Duke of York, to ascend to the throne.

As a mark of respect to their father, George's four surviving sons, Edward, Albert, Henry and George, mounted the guard, known as the Vigil of the Princes, at the catafalque on the night of 28 January, the day before the funeral.[55] He is buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Tributes

Statue of King George V in King George Square outside Brisbane City Hall

The German composer Paul Hindemith, who was in London preparing to perform the British premiere of his work Der Schwanendreher, went to a BBC studio on the morning after the king's death and in six hours wrote Trauermusik (Mourning Music). It was performed that same evening in a live broadcast by the BBC, with Adrian Boult conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the composer as soloist. The scheduled premiere was cancelled.[49]

An equestrian statue of King George V was unveiled outside Brisbane City Hall in 1938 as a tribute to the King from the citizens of Brisbane, Australia. The square in which the statue stands was originally called Albert Square, but was later renamed King George Square in honour of the King. In London, a statue by William Reid Dick stands outside the east end of Westminster Abbey.

The King George's Fields in London were created as a memorial by a committee in 1936 chaired by the then Lord Mayor of the City of London. Today, they are each registered charities and are under the guidance of the National Playing Fields Association. The national stadium of Newfoundland in St. John's was named King George V Park in 1925. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv both have major thoroughfares named for King George V. Both date back to the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. In Paris, a large avenue from the top of the Champs-Elysées down to the Seine river and an underground station were named for George V; as are Avenue Georges, Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada; King George V Avenue, Sale, Victoria, Australia; King George V Secondary School, Malaysia; and King George V School and King George V Memorial Park in Hong Kong.

The World War I Royal Navy battleship HMS King George V and the World War II Royal Navy battleship HMS King George V were named in his honour. George V gave both his name and donations to many charities, including King George's Fund for Sailors (later known as Seafarers UK).

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Royal styles of
King George V of the United Kingdom

UK Arms 1837.svg

Reference style His Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Sir

Titles and styles

  • 3 June 1865 – 24 May 1892: His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales
  • 24 May 1892 – 22 January 1901: His Royal Highness The Duke of York
  • 22 January 1901 – 9 November 1901: His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and York
  • 9 November 1901 – 6 May 1910: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
    • in Scotland: His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay
  • 6 May 1910 – 20 January 1936: His Majesty The King
    • and, occasionally, outside of the United Kingdom, and with regard to India: His Majesty The King-Emperor

His full style as king was "His Majesty George V, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India", until 1927, when it was changed to "His Majesty George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India"

Honours

Military

Arms

As Duke of York, George's arms were the royal arms, with an inescutcheon for Saxony, all differenced with a label argent of three points, the centre bearing an anchor azure. As Prince of Wales the centre label lost its anchor. As King, George V's arms were those of the Kingdom. In 1917, he removed, by warrant, the Saxony inescutcheon from the arms of all descendants of the Prince Consort (although the royal arms themselves had never borne the shield).[56]

In popular culture

On screen, George has been portrayed by:

Ancestors

Issue

British Royalty
House of Windsor
UK Royal Coat of Arms.svg
George V
   Edward VIII
   George VI
   Mary, Princess Royal
   Henry, Duke of Gloucester
   George, Duke of Kent
   Prince John
Grandchildren
   Elizabeth II
   Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
   Prince William of Gloucester
   Richard, Duke of Gloucester
   Edward, Duke of Kent
   Prince Michael of Kent
   Princess Alexandra
Name Birth Death Notes
Edward, Prince of Wales
Later Edward VIII
23 June 1894 28 May 1972 later the Duke of Windsor; married Wallis Simpson; no issue
Prince Albert, Duke of York
Later George VI
14 December 1895 6 February 1952 married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon; had issue (including Elizabeth II)
Mary, Princess Royal
Later Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
25 April 1897 28 March 1965 married Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood; and had issue
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester 31 March 1900 10 June 1974 married Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott; had issue
Prince George, Duke of Kent 20 December 1902 25 August 1942 married Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark; had issue
Prince John 12 July 1905 18 January 1919 Died from seizures

Notes and sources

  1. ^ His godparents were the King of Hanover (Queen Victoria's cousin, for whom Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach stood proxy); the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Prince Albert's brother, for whom the Lord President of the Council, Earl Granville, stood proxy); the Prince of Leiningen (the Prince of Wales's half-cousin); the Crown Prince of Denmark (the Princess of Wales's brother, for whom the Lord Chamberlain, Viscount Sydney, stood proxy); the Queen of Denmark (George's maternal grandmother, for whom Queen Victoria stood proxy); the Duke of Cambridge (Queen Victoria's cousin); the Duchess of Cambridge (Queen Victoria's aunt, for whom George's aunt Princess Helena stood proxy); and Princess Louis of Hesse and by Rhine (George's aunt, for whom her sister Princess Louise stood proxy) (The Times (London), Saturday, 8 July 1865, p. 12).
  2. ^ Sinclair, David (1988), Two Georges: The Making of the Modern Monarchy, London: Hodder and Stoughton, pp. 46–47, ISBN 0-340-33240-9 
  3. ^ Sinclair, pp. 49–50
  4. ^ Rose, Kenneth (1983), King George V, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, p. 13, ISBN 0-297-78245-2 
  5. ^ Sinclair, p. 55
  6. ^ Sinclair, p. 69
  7. ^ Pope-Hennessy, James (1959), Queen Mary, London: George Allen and Unwin, Ltd, pp. 250–251 
  8. ^ a b c d Matthew, H. C. G. (September 2004; online edn, May 2006), "George V (1865–1936)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press), doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33369, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/33369, retrieved 8 May 2009 
  9. ^ Sinclair, p. 178
  10. ^ Demoskoff, Yvonne (29 January 2006), Yvonne's Royalty: Peerage, http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~canyon/peerage_titles.htm#Holders, retrieved 8 May 2009 
  11. ^ Renamed from Bachelor's Cottage
  12. ^ Harold Nicolson's diary quoted in Sinclair, p. 107
  13. ^ The Royal Philatelic Collection, Official web site of the British monarchy, http://www.royal.gov.uk/The%20Royal%20Collection%20and%20other%20collections/TheRoyalPhilatelicCollection/History.aspx, retrieved 8 May 2009 
  14. ^ Rose, p. 42
  15. ^ See Sinclair, pp. 93 ff for a full discussion
  16. ^ Previous Princes of Wales, Household of HRH The Prince of Wales, http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/theprinceofwales/abouttheprince/previousprincesofwales/, retrieved 8 May 2009 
  17. ^ Rose, p. 289
  18. ^ Sinclair, p. 107
  19. ^ Rose, pp. 65–66
  20. ^ George Frederick Abbott's Through India with the Prince (1906) describes the tour.
  21. ^ Pope-Hennessy, p. 421
  22. ^ Rose, p. 136
  23. ^ About one bird every 20 seconds.
  24. ^ Windsor, HRH The Duke of (1951), A King’s Story, London: Cassell and Co, pp. 86–87 
  25. ^ Nicolson, Sir Harold (1952), King George the Fifth: His Life and Reign, London: Constable and Co, p. 308 
  26. ^ The Royal Family name, Official web site of the British monarchy, http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheRoyalFamilyname/Overview.aspx, retrieved 8 May 2009 
  27. ^ Nicolson, p. 310
  28. ^ At George's wedding in 1893, The Times claimed that the crowd may have confused Nicholas with George, because their beards and dress made them look alike superficially (The Times (London) Friday, 7 July 1893, p. 5). Their facial features were only different up close.
  29. ^ Purdue, A. W. (2004), "Alexandra (1844–1925)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press), doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/30375, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30375, retrieved 8 May 2009 
  30. ^ Sinclair, p. 148 and Nicolson, p. 301
  31. ^ Rose, p. 210
  32. ^ Crossland, John (15 October 2006), "British Spies In Plot To Save Tsar", The Sunday Times 
  33. ^ Sinclair, p. 149
  34. ^ Pope-Hennessy, p. 511
  35. ^ Sinclair, p. 114 and Nicolson, p. 347
  36. ^ Sinclair, p. 105
  37. ^ Nicolson, p. 419
  38. ^ Sinclair p. 154
  39. ^ Nicolson, pp. 521–522
  40. ^ Sinclair, p. 1
  41. ^ Pimlott, Ben (1996), The Queen, John Wiley and Sons, Inc, ISBN 0-471-19431-X 
  42. ^ Ziegler, Philip (1990), King Edward VIII: The Official Biography, London: Collins, p. 199, ISBN 0-002-15741-1 
  43. ^ Ziegler, pp. 192–196
  44. ^ Pope-Hennessy, p. 546
  45. ^ Roberts, Andrew; Edited by Antonia Fraser (2000), The House of Windsor, London: Cassell and Co, p. 36, ISBN 0-304-35406-6 
  46. ^ Ashley, Mike (1998), The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens, London: Robinson Publishing, p. 699 
  47. ^ Bradford, Sarah (1989), King George VI, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, p. 149, ISBN 0-297-79667-4 
  48. ^ Pope-Hennessy, p. 558
  49. ^ a b Steinberg, Michael (2000), The Concerto, Oxford University Press, pp. 212–213, ISBN 0195139313, http://books.google.com.au/books?id=t8oXNX2tY8AC&pg=PA213&lpg=PA213&dq=werner+reinhart&source=web&ots=2WWOIVtnoh&sig=w3PI2T5fAS9fh9hTrtiEcpDmJ-8&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPA213,M1 
  50. ^ a b Watson, Francis (1986), "The Death of George V", History Today 36: 21–30 
  51. ^ Ramsay, J. H. R. (28 May 1994), "A king, a doctor, and a convenient death", British Medical Journal 308: 1445, http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/308/6941/1445 
  52. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34245, p. 449, 21 January 1936.
  53. ^ The Duke of Windsor, p. 267
  54. ^ The cross surmounting the crown, composed of a sapphire and 200 diamonds, was retrieved by a military man following later in the procession.
  55. ^ The Times (London), Tuesday, 28 January 1936, p. 10 col. F
  56. ^ Velde, François (19 April 2008), "Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family", Heraldica, retrieved on 8 May 2009.

References

External links

George V of the United Kingdom
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 3 June 1865 Died: 20 January 1936
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Edward VII
King of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland
and of the British Dominions

1910–1927
Name of title changed by the
Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927
Emperor of India
1910–1936
Succeeded by
Edward VIII
New title
Name of title changed by the
Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927
King of Great Britain, Ireland
and the British Dominions

1927–1936
Succeeded by
Edward VIII
British royalty
Preceded by
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales
later became King Edward VII
Heir to the Throne
as heir apparent
1901–1910
Succeeded by
Edward, Prince of Wales
later became King Edward VIII
Preceded by
Prince Albert Edward, Duke of Cornwall
later became King Edward VII
Prince of Wales
1901–1910
Succeeded by
Prince Edward, Duke of Cornwall
later became King Edward VIII
Peerage of England
Preceded by
Prince Albert Edward, Duke of Cornwall
later became King Edward VII
Duke of Cornwall
1901–1910
Succeeded by
Prince Edward, Duke of Cornwall
later became King Edward VIII
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by
Prince Albert Edward, Duke of Rothesay
later became King Edward VII
Duke of Rothesay
1901–1910
Succeeded by
Prince Edward, Duke of Rothesay
later became King Edward VIII
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Duke of York
6th creation
1892–1910
Merged in the Crown
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
Grand Master of the Order of
St Michael and St George

1904–1910
Vacant
Title next held by
Edward, Prince of Wales
Preceded by
The Lord Curzon of Kedleston
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
1905–1907
Succeeded by
The Earl Brassey
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
George Eastman
Cover of Time Magazine
7 April 1924
Succeeded by
George Fisher Baker

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