Regal Resilience
An academic exploration of King George V's transformative reign, navigating profound global changes and shaping the modern British monarchy.
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The Monarch's Era
A Defining Period
George V, born George Frederick Ernest Albert, reigned as King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from May 6, 1910, until his passing on January 20, 1936. His tenure was marked by an unprecedented era of global upheaval and profound societal shifts.
Global Transformations
His reign witnessed the emergence of powerful ideological movements such as socialism, communism, and fascism, alongside significant nationalist aspirations like Irish republicanism and the Indian independence movement. These forces dramatically reshaped the political landscape of the British Empire, which paradoxically reached its territorial zenith by the early 1920s.
Constitutional Evolution
Key constitutional developments occurred, including the Parliament Act of 1911, which firmly established the supremacy of the elected House of Commons over the unelected House of Lords. Furthermore, the Statute of Westminster in 1931 formally recognized the Dominions as independent states within the British Commonwealth of Nations, redefining imperial relations.
Early Life & Formation
Birth and Family Lineage
Born on June 3, 1865, at Marlborough House, London, Prince George was the second son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), and Alexandra, Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra). As the grandson of Queen Victoria, he was third in line to the throne, making his eventual ascension an unexpected turn of events.
Shared Education
George and his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, who was only 17 months his senior, received their early education together under the tutelage of John Neale Dalton, appointed in 1871. Neither prince was noted for exceptional intellectual prowess. Their father, believing naval service to be "the very best possible training for any boy," directed them towards a maritime career.
Cadetship Begins
In September 1877, at the age of twelve, George embarked on his naval journey, joining the cadet training ship HMS Britannia at Dartmouth, Devon. This marked the beginning of a significant period of his life that would profoundly influence his character and worldview.
Royal Union
A Rejected Proposal
During his naval service in Malta under his uncle Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince George developed a deep affection for his cousin, Princess Marie of Edinburgh. Despite approval from his grandmother, father, and uncle, the match was opposed by their mothers, leading Marie to refuse George's proposal. She subsequently married Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Romania, in 1893.
An Unexpected Engagement
In November 1891, George's elder brother, Albert Victor, became engaged to their second cousin once removed, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, affectionately known as "May." However, tragedy struck just six weeks later, on January 14, 1892, when Albert Victor succumbed to pneumonia during an influenza pandemic. This unforeseen event placed George directly in line for the throne.
A Devoted Partnership
Having recently recovered from a serious bout of typhoid fever himself, George and May found solace in their shared period of mourning and grew close. Queen Victoria, still considering Princess May a suitable consort, approved of the union. George proposed to May a year after his brother's death, and they were married on July 6, 1893, at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, London. Their marriage was characterized by mutual devotion, with the couple frequently exchanging loving letters and notes.
Duke of York
New Responsibilities
The untimely death of his elder brother effectively concluded George's active naval career, as he now stood second in line to the throne. On May 24, 1892, Queen Victoria bestowed upon him the titles of Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Killarney. To prepare him for his future constitutional role, George received instruction in constitutional history from J. R. Tanner.
Family Life at York Cottage
The Duke and Duchess of York had six children: five sons and one daughter. While some historical accounts, such as those by Randolph Churchill, suggest George was a strict father, his parenting style was likely consistent with the prevailing norms of the era. The family primarily resided at York Cottage in Sandringham, Norfolk, where their lifestyle was notably modest, resembling that of a comfortable middle-class family rather than typical royalty.
A Passion for Philately
George cultivated a preference for a simple, quiet life, a stark contrast to his father's vibrant social engagements. Despite Harold Nicolson's somewhat dismissive characterization of this period as primarily involving "killing animals and sticking in stamps," George was an exceptionally avid and dedicated stamp collector. He played a pivotal role in developing the Royal Philatelic Collection into the world's most comprehensive collection of United Kingdom and Commonwealth stamps, often setting record prices for acquisitions.
Prince of Wales
Imperial Tour of 1901
Following Queen Victoria's death on January 22, 1901, and his father's ascension as King Edward VII, George inherited the title of Duke of Cornwall. Later that year, as Duke of Cornwall and York, he embarked on an extensive tour of the British Empire, visiting Gibraltar, Malta, Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada, among other regions. This tour, orchestrated by Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain, aimed to acknowledge the Dominions' contributions to the South African War.
A Call to Action
During the tour, George presented thousands of South African War medals to colonial troops and engaged with diverse leaders. In Australia, he presided over the opening of the first session of the Australian Parliament, marking the creation of the Commonwealth. Upon his return, in a speech at Guildhall, London, George famously urged the "Old Country" to "wake up" to maintain its pre-eminence in colonial trade against foreign competition.
Preparation for Kingship
On November 9, 1901, George was formally created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Unlike his father, who had been largely excluded from state affairs by Queen Victoria, George was granted extensive access to state documents by Edward VII, preparing him thoroughly for his future role. He, in turn, valued his wife Mary's counsel, allowing her access to his papers and often collaborating on his speeches. He also supported significant reforms in naval training, championed by Sir John Fisher.
Indian and European Engagements
From November 1905 to March 1906, George and Mary toured British India, where he was deeply affected by racial discrimination and advocated for greater Indian involvement in governance. His travels also included a trip to Spain for the wedding of King Alfonso XIII, where he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, and a visit to Norway for the coronation of his cousin and sister, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud.
National Politics
Inheriting Turmoil
George V ascended the throne during a period of intense political turbulence. The previous year, Lloyd George's "People's Budget" had been controversially rejected by the Conservative and Unionist-dominated House of Lords, challenging established constitutional conventions regarding money bills. This led to a constitutional crisis that George inherited.
The Parliament Act of 1911
Liberal Prime Minister H. H. Asquith sought to curb the power of the Lords. After a constitutional conference failed, Asquith requested George to agree to create sufficient Liberal peers to ensure the passage of legislation if the Lords continued to block it. Despite conflicting advice from his private secretaries and feeling pressured, George reluctantly agreed. Following a second general election, the Lords allowed the bill to pass, leading to the Parliament Act of 1911, which permanently curtailed their veto power.
Irish Home Rule Crisis
The 1910 elections left the Liberals dependent on the Irish Nationalist Party, prompting Asquith to introduce legislation for Irish Home Rule. This was fiercely opposed by Conservatives and Unionists, escalating tensions towards the brink of civil war in Ireland. In July 1914, George convened a multi-party conference at Buckingham Palace in a desperate attempt to broker a settlement, but it ended without agreement. The outbreak of the First World War subsequently suspended the issue.
First World War
A Family Conflict
On August 4, 1914, George V declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of a "terrible catastrophe." The conflict placed him in a unique position, as German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who became a symbol of the war's horrors for the British public, was his first cousin. The King and his children, through his paternal grandfather Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, bore German titles, as did many of his relatives.
Renaming the Royal House
Amidst intense anti-German sentiment, George V responded to public pressure. On July 17, 1917, he issued a royal proclamation changing the name of the British royal house from the German-sounding House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the House of Windsor. He and his British relatives renounced their German titles and adopted British surnames, with male relatives receiving British peerages as compensation.
The Romanov Tragedy
The Russian Revolution of 1917 saw the overthrow of George's first cousin, Tsar Nicholas II. While the British government initially offered political asylum, George V ultimately opposed the idea, fearing that the presence of the Romanovs could incite revolution in Britain amidst worsening public conditions. Despite secret service planning for a rescue, the plan was never executed, and Nicholas and his family were tragically killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918. George expressed profound grief in his diary, calling it a "foul murder."
Post-War Commemoration
Two months after the war's end, George suffered a personal loss with the death of his youngest son, Prince John, at age 13, after a lifetime of ill health. In May 1922, the King toured Belgium and northern France, visiting the newly constructed First World War cemeteries and memorials, an event immortalized in Rudyard Kipling's poem "The King's Pilgrimage." This, along with a brief visit to Italy in 1923, constituted his only official overseas engagements after the war.
Declining Health
War's Toll and Chronic Illness
The First World War significantly impacted George V's health. He sustained a serious injury on October 28, 1915, when he was thrown from his horse during a troop review in France. His lifelong habit of heavy smoking exacerbated recurring respiratory issues, leading to chronic bronchitis. In 1925, his doctors prescribed a recuperative private cruise in the Mediterranean, which proved to be his final trip abroad.
Serious Ailments
In November 1928, George fell gravely ill with septicaemia, which developed into an empyema between his right lung and diaphragm, necessitating drainage. During his two-year recovery period, his eldest son, Edward, assumed many of his royal duties. In 1929, the King vehemently rejected suggestions for further rest abroad, instead retreating for three months to Craigweil House in Bognor, Sussex, a town that subsequently acquired the suffix "Regis" (Latin for "of the King"). A popular, though apocryphal, myth suggests his last words upon being told he would soon be well enough to revisit the town were "Bugger Bognor!"
Final Days and Controversial End
George V never fully recovered from his illnesses. The death of his favorite sister, Victoria, in December 1935, deeply affected him. On January 15, 1936, he retired to his bedroom at Sandringham House, complaining of a cold, and remained there until his death. As he weakened, drifting in and out of consciousness, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin recounted the King's final inquiry: "How is the Empire?" to which his secretary replied, "All is well, sir, with the Empire," eliciting a final smile before he relapsed.
On January 20, as George neared death, his physicians, led by Lord Dawson of Penn, issued a bulletin stating, "The King's life is moving peacefully towards its close." Dawson's private diary, revealed in 1986, controversially documented his decision to hasten the King's death by injecting him with morphine and cocaine. This act, undertaken without consulting Queen Mary or the Prince of Wales, was justified by Dawson as a means to preserve the King's dignity, alleviate family strain, and ensure his death could be announced in the morning edition of The Times. While the royal family desired to prevent prolonged suffering, they did not approve of Dawson's actions.
Enduring Legacy
Artistic Preferences
George V held a distinct aversion to sitting for portraits and openly disliked modern art, famously ordering a portrait by Charles Sims to be burned. Conversely, he admired sculptors such as Bertram Mackennal, who created statues of him for Madras and Delhi, and William Reid Dick, whose statue of George V stands prominently outside Westminster Abbey in London.
A Conventional Life
Despite occasional tours of the British Empire, George V largely preferred the comforts of home, dedicating himself to hobbies like stamp collecting and game shooting. While later biographers sometimes characterized his life as "dull" due to its conventionality, his earnest devotion to Britain and its Empire was undeniable. He articulated his vision, stating, "it has always been my dream to identify myself with the great idea of Empire."
A Respected Monarch
George V became widely admired by the British populace and throughout the Empire, as well as by the political establishment. Historian David Cannadine described him and Queen Mary as an "inseparably devoted couple" who championed "character" and "family values." He established a standard of conduct for British royalty that reflected the virtues of the upper middle-class, rather than aristocratic excesses.
Mediator in Crisis
Operating within his constitutional parameters, George V skillfully navigated a series of profound crises, including the Irish question, the First World War, and the formation of Britain's first socialist minority government. Though inherently a traditionalist who did not fully embrace the revolutionary societal changes of his era, he consistently exercised his influence as a force of neutrality and moderation, perceiving his role as a crucial mediator rather than a final decision-maker.
Royal Family
Succession and Descendants
George V's relationship with his eldest son and heir, Edward, deteriorated in his later years, largely due to Edward's failure to settle down and his numerous affairs. In contrast, George was deeply fond of his second son, Prince Albert (later King George VI), and doted on his eldest granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, whom he affectionately nicknamed "Lilibet." In 1935, he famously remarked of Edward: "After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself within 12 months," and expressed a fervent wish that "nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne."
Royal Estate
Throughout his reign, George V reportedly saved £487,000 from the Civil List. Upon his death, it was revealed that he had accumulated a private fortune of approximately £3,000,000. According to the terms of his will, his four surviving younger children—Albert, Mary, Henry, and George—each received £750,000. His eldest son, Edward VIII, received no provision, as George V had presumed he would have amassed a substantial fortune from the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall during his tenure as Prince of Wales.
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References
References
- The Times (London), Saturday, 8 July 1865, p. 12.
- Harold Nicolson's diary quoted in Sinclair, p. 107
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