Edward VII of the United Kingdom

Edward VII
King of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms Canada 1923-1951 Australia 1923-1951 New Zealand 1923-1951 British Leeward Islands 1923-1951 British Windward Islands 1923-1951 Ireland 1922-1937 Pakistan 1947-1951 India 1947-1950 South Africa 1923-1951 Ceylon 1923-1951 Ghana 1923-1951 Nigeria 1923-1951 Sierra Leone 1923-1951 Tanganyika 1923-1951 Uganda 1923-1951 Kenya 1923-1941 Malawi 1923-1951 Malta 1923-1951 The Gambia 1923-1951 Guyana 1923-1951 Mauritius 1923-1951 Fiji 1923-1951 Puerto Rico 1923-1951
Reign	5 January, 1923 - 7 July, 1951
Coronation	17 May, 1923
Predecessor	George V
Successor	Charles III
King of Hanover
Reign	5 January, 1923 - 20 November, 1924
Coronation	17 May, 1923
Predecessor	George V
Successor	Merged into the United Kingdom through the Kingdom of Hanover Act 1924
Emperor of India
Reign	5 January, 1923 - 15 August, 1947
Predecessor	George V
Successor	Post abolished
Prince Regent of the United Kingdom
Regency	1 March, 1921 - 5 January, 1923
Monarch	George V
Born	Edward Frederick William (1895-11-22)22 November 1895 Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada
Died	7 July 1951(1951-07-07) (aged 57) Buckingham Palace, London
Burial	25 July 1951 Westminster Abbey, London
Spouse	Victoria Louise of Prussia (m. 1913)
Issue Detail	Charles III William, Duke of Edinburgh
Full name Edward Frederick William
House	Hanover
Father	George V
Mother	Sophia of Prussia
Religion	Protestant

Edward VII (Edward Frederick William; 22 November, 1895 - 7 July, 1951) was King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover from 1923 to 1951. He was also the last Emperor of India, reigning from 1923 to 1947 until the abolition of the British Raj and its subsequent partition into India and Pakistan. Additionally, he is the second British monarch to serve as a regent up until his ascension after King George IV, whom had previously served as a regent under the capacity of his father, George III.

An outspoken critic of Nazism, Edward primarily led the country throughout the Great Depression and the Second World War. In his final years, he oversaw the hastily drawn partition of India and Pakistan in the immediate aftermath of the British Raj and various armed conflicts stemming from the independence of Britain's colonies. He also presided over the formal incorporation of a Hanover with increased territory in the aftermath of the First World War into the United Kingdom. In the immediate aftermath of the London Declaration in 1949, he became the first official Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, replacing his previous title of Emperor of India.

Due to his heavy German ties, he was popularly known as "Edward the German" (Eduard der Deutsche), and was mockingly referred to as "Kaiser Edward" by British nationalists due to his familial ties with the last German Emperor.

Early Life

Edward was born on the 22nd of November 1895 during the reign of his grandfather William V. He was the eldest out of the four children of George V and was notably the first royal to be born outside of Britain, having being born instead in Canada, his parents' preferred choice of residence. As a maternal nephew of the Wilhelm II, German Emperor, he was initially recommended to by his mother with several German imperial honours, but this was cut short by the antagonistic nature of the German Emperor, though he was given the title Prince of Prussia as a descendant of a Prussian emperor. He was named Edward Frederick Wilhelm in honour of his maternal grandfather, the late German Emperor Frederick III who had then been the co-coordinator alongside Edward's paternal grandfather of the marriage between Edward's parents. In Canada, he was known as the Canadian Prince as he was the very first British royal to be born inside the country, in contrast to that of his predecessors.

Following his birth, his grandfather William V took much interest in shaping the young Edward according to his own, hoping to deter the young prince from becoming like his own father who had grown distant from the king. Following a sizable opposition from both his grandmother and parents, a compromise however was reached where Edward would still be instilled with militaristic values but to a lesser degree. Subsequently, while Edward did received partial military training, this was then added with the extensive exposure in the liberal arts education, the latter in which Edward showed promising interest and development. In addition to his studies, Edward frequently toured the rural and forested parts of Canada, with activities such as family picnics and hunting trips alongside his father being common activities for the young prince. Furthermore, Edward also frequently accompanied his parents in their social events and public meetings with the Canadian populace during his father's tenure as Governor-General of Canada.

Edward's striking appearance garnered him much attention and care from his female relatives, and in particular Princess Mary. Due to the distinct similarities between the young Edward and Mary's own son named Edward, the two princes were remarkably close and the former Edward was a frequent subject of comparison by Princess Mary who once wrote, "It is a joy for me to see just how alike my dear Eddy is with the prince", albeit at the cost of a friendly rivalry between Mary and his mother Sophia. He was also a favourite of his grandmother Charlotte who would often look after the young Edward during his parents' occasional leaves for their official engagements or state visits. At the age of eleven, he began frequently accompanying his parents on their international trips as the respective Prince and Princess of Wales. During a controversial visit to Germany in 1910, while his parents conversed in a relatively calm manner with the German Emperor, the young Edward became good friends with the German Crown Prince and consequently became fond of the emperor's only daughter Victoria Louise, whom he then described as being "a living example of perfection and beauty, from head to toe".

Prince of Wales

As he aged well into his teens, his grandfather had seen the young Edward as a valuable diplomatic tool in his attempts to mend the strained relations between the German and British empires. While his own father had been married to the daughter of the late Frederick III, the aging king William was determined in continuing the tradition, exemplified by his constant support for a match between Edward and Victoria Louise, who is three years his senior. While there had been several discreet discussions between William V and his German counterpart on a possible marriage between the two as a sign of reconciliation, neither initially came into fruition when the suggestion was heavily scrutinized by some of the former's relatives who preferred the House of Hanover not being associated with the "warmongering" Wilhelm II and the Hohenzollerns. This was in turn complicated by the growing Anglophobe sentiment in Germany itself.

Even such prospects were discouraged by the Prime Minister who advised the king to look for another suitable bride that is not associated with countries that are deemed as Britain's enemies. At the same time however, despite the irony of the tension between their respective countries, Edward was close with the young German princess, whom he often referred to as Vicky, a shortened form of the princess's name, with whom he would often spend much time communicating with through the exchanging of letters and telegrams.

World War I

In 1913, despite heightened tensions between most of the major powers of Europe, the marriage ceremony of Edward and Victoria went on lavishly. Among the foreign guests were the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II and Edward's own family, led by the sickly William V. In what would become the most notable feature of the event, Edward's grandfather William V was given a special honour to give his own speech, in which he dramatically reminded attendees of the heightened tensions and the need for the "old kings" of Europe to band together in preventing a major war from occurring. Following the conclusion of the ceremony, the newlywed couple was discouraged from returning to Britain. Instead, the royal couple then left back for Sweden where they were warmly received by the likes of Gustaf V and the pro-German government.

Until 1921, the royal couple lived lavishly in exile in Sweden, where both royals kept themselves occupied with news of the Great War surrounding them. However, the misery was softened with the birth of their first surviving offspring, the future Charles III in 1917, which succeeded that of an earlier miscarriage two years later. While living in exile, Edward had initially contemplated on serving alongside his male relatives in the war but was discouraged by his wife who had saw the war as "extremely appalling" and wished for their family to not be associated with such conflict. However, the royal family was active in providing humanitarian care and aid to both participants of the war, exemplified in a risky but successful attempt in 1915, when the Swedish HSwMS Najaden safely dropped a large supplies of aid through the Netherlands. Moved by his short-term desire to see some military action as to not present himself as a "weakling" among the British public, Edward went incognito alongside a small group of Swedish soldiers in occupying the Åland Islands, a Finnish-owned territory desired by Sweden due to the local residents' overwhelming favor in a Swedish annexation. Despite his brief stint in the campaign, he was made an Överste and later an honorary Major General of the Swedish Army following his ascension as sovereign.

Reign

On the death of Edward's father on January 5th that year, it was also by coincidence the 10th wedding anniversary of the late king and his wife. As news of the king's death reached London, Edward and Victoria Louise immediately headed back for Britain onboard the HMS Charlotte, which had been previously used to escort the couple from their exile in Sweden two years prior, while the now queen dowager Sophia continued to reside in Canada, presumably out of grief and attachment to the country until her death nine years later, which was also attended by Edward and Victoria Louise and their closest relatives.

Amidst much public debate and displeasure at the prospects of having a daughter of the infamous German Emperor as queen consort of the country, preparations for their coronation were nevertheless underway. In the days leading up to their coronation, the royal couple briefly visited the war-torn Ireland where, despite political division among the Irish locals in regards to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, they were however warmly greeted by the local populace. At the same time, Edward and Victoria Louise briefly debated on the choice of the latter's future name as queen consort, as the practice of having double names as a queen consort had been rather unknown in Britain. Ultimately, Victoria Louise herself conceded by opting to be known as Queen Louise instead of using her own given name, as to honour her paternal great great grandmother, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a renowned figure in her native country. On May 17th, exactly a week before the end of the Irish Civil War, Edward and Louise were formally coronated as king and queen of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey, with the event sporting the usual amount of foreign guests, amidst a number of protests outside the abbey against the queen consort's coronation in particular. Nevertheless, despite brewing rumours of an assassination plot against the king and queen, the returning procession itself went generally undisturbed though in the subsequent days, several unnamed conspirators believed to be tied with a plot during the event were later arrested by the Metropolitan Police and were subsequently imprisoned.

Early Years

Edward's ascension came at a difficult time for his country. The United Kingdom, despite being the largest country in terms of landmass and population was embroiled in debt and was slowly ceding its status as the global industrial power to the United States and Japan. At the same time, socialist and nationalist fervour were on the rise in his own country, exacerbated by their heavy German roots. To that end, seeking to remedy the inability of his father to effectively address the post-war issues, Edward, with Parliament approval had the British titles and peerages of his relatives who had served under the Central Powers effectively revoked through the Royal Titles Revocation Act 1924. Edward's wife, a Princess of Prussia by birth subsequently abandoned her German titles, albeit reluctantly. Nevertheless, despite the concessions, Edward notably prevailed over one specific issue when he sharply rebuked the demands made by several cabinet members for he and his wife Victoria Louise to only conversate in the English language and for their conversation to be clearly heard by observers at all times, even in private out of fears of an alleged pro-German conspiracy among the couple, to which Edward then retaliated by forcing the then Prime Minister Bonar Law into reprimanding those responsible by his own behest.

In 1923, Edward personally accompanied the British Foreign Secretary Lord Curzon to Lausanne, Switzerland in attendance of the Lausanne Conference meant to address the recognition of the new Republic of Turkey. During the conference, while Edward himself mostly remained a de facto neutral observer, as Lord Curzon himself had been the United Kingdom's main representative, he was said to had briefly crossed paths with the Italian fascist strongman, Benito Mussolini whom had attended the conference on behalf of Italy.

In 1931, Edward privately condemned his brother-in-law August Wilhelm for the latter's involvement with the NSDAP, citing the party's "hateful and extreme" rhetoric which, from the king's perspective greatly contrasted with his overwhelmingly liberal ideas. Three years later, he also refused a private invitation by Adolf Hitler whom had hoped for a meeting with the king in order to foster potential relations between Germany and the United Kingdom, due to the latter's strong German ties. In his response, Edward notably wrote to the Nazi leader, "I find myself unable to effectively assume my duty as a collaborator or ally of a country that possess such an unorthodox perspective on its own citizens" .

Hanoverian Issue

From the late 19th century, tensions between Germans and non-Germans in the United Kingdom had been gradually brewing as a direct consequence of the Anglo-German arms race propogated by the militarist Kaiser Wilhelm II. The tensions were further exacerbated by the onset of the First World War and by its end however, the themes surrounding the perceived "treachery" and "disloyalty" among the British-Germans in Hanover became a central issue of British nationalists, with the majority of them calling for a removal of the German-majority autonomous kingdom from the union itself, while a radical minority however proposed for a continuation of the union which was to be achieved by a proposed "de-Germanisation" of the local populace and the reassuming of several certain governmental functions guaranteed under its constitution.

The then Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin had initially convinced the king to seek a "middle ground" as to appease both opposing sides. To that end, on November 1924, after weeks of heated debate, the British Parliament passed the Kingdom of Hanover Act 1924, which subsequently elevated Hanover to that of the same status and position as Scotland had been from the Acts of Union 1707. Immediate reactions were initially deeply polarised among the public, with some welcoming the new act as a symbol of unity between the English majority island and the German majority state, and as an effective measure in containing the gradual spread of the far-right Nazism ideology by the NSDAP in Central Europe while detractors opposed the integration of Germans into society, backed by their popular view of the perceived treachery by British-Germans during the First World War. In addressing direct criticism towards the act, Edward notably declared: "The United Kingdom of today is here to remain, and never to dissolve". He subsequently toured the war-torn Hanover and was received by large-sized crowds cheering on his arrival before meeting the newly appointed and very first Secretary of State for Hanover. Two years later, a statue of Edward on horseback was erected in front of the Herrenhausen Palace in honour of the king himself.

Marriage Crisis

In contrast to his grandfather, Edward adopted a rather independent and hands-off approach in regards to the marital choice of his successor, Charles. However, due to the political climate at the time, Edward strictly forbade either of his sons from ever marrying a princess hailing from an enemy country. Regardless, in 1945, the Prince of Wales privately wrote a letter to Edward from the United States, in which he openly declared his interest into marrying Jewish American actress Lauren Bacall, whom is seven years the prince's junior. While this was met with mixed reaction by Parliament members, Edward himself remained indifferent however towards the proposal, choosing not to openly object against the wishes of his only son and heir, whose marital prospects and its following difficulties had coincidentally mirrored that of his own marital prospects three decades earlier.

Despite his indifference, Edward partially sided with the detractors by suggesting instead for a morganatic marriage, where the couple would be allowed to marry in exchange for Bacall, Charles's romantic partner receiving a courtesy title instead of the traditional title of queen consort, though under special circumstances, their eldest heir is permitted to naturally succeed Charles himself. Additionally, just a day prior to the eventual meeting between Charles and the British agents sent to New York, Edward himself personally met two of the suggested candidates, Sarah Baring and Lady Caroline Paget at their respective residences in an attempt to encourage either one of the leading candidates to seek the heir apparent's hand in marriage, with Baring in particular showing much interest in a marital offer, due to her previous interest in Charles's recently deceased brother. Ultimately, Charles's own subsequent refusal to commit to any of the alternative proposals brought an immediate end to Edward's efforts, as both he and Victoria Louise subsequently undertook a more supportive approach for their son which was then strengthened with the Archbishop of Canterbury's own approval.

Following Churchill's defeat and subsequent replacement by his Labour opponent Clement Attlee, with the latter's strong backing and later that of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward promptly adopted a more supportive stance towards his son's marital prospects, eventually granting his official permission as sovereign for the couple. They were subsequently engaged in February 1946 and were married a year later, with Edward represented by his wife at their son's wedding ceremony.

Marriage

The portrait of Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia that was presented to the British royal family

At the time of his birth, Edward was second in line to the throne behind his father, the then George, Prince of Wales. Despite this, as the likely heir to his father, Edward's marital prospects fell under the responsibility of the royal family's then patriarch, King William V. At the time, the then ageing King had been subtly seeking for a reconciliation between the British and German empires, amidst the Anglo-German arms race between the two empires, instigated by the aggressive foreign policies of the German Emperor. As a result, after much deliberation resulting from internal opposition from several members of the Hanover royal family, William decided to orchestrate a visit between his grandson Edward and the Kaiser's only daughter Victoria Louise, who is only three years Edward's senior. Consequently, a private exchange of photographs between the two monarchs began when the Kaiser himself first gifted to his British counterpart a photograph of the seventeen year old Victoria Louise in a military uniform, which was in turn replied to with a similarly themed photograph of the young Edward himself. With an unanimously positive reception of the respective photographs from both sides, a visit by the family of the Prince of Wales was agreed upon, where it would take place just three days prior to Victoria Louise's 18th birthday.

The next year, on September 10th, Edward and his family departed from the Royal Navy base at Portsmouth before arriving at the coastal city of Wilhelmshaven in Hanover where from there, they were then escorted to the imperial residence in Potsdam by both British and German soldiers. While the princely family was generally welcomed by the imperial couple, Edward's mother Sophia however largely avoided and had minimal contact with her brother, the German Emperor himself whom was mostly of a starkly contrasting character compared to Sophia herself. Nevertheless, Edward, whom somewhat admired the present German culture he came to saw was quick to be on good terms with the imperial family, as he proved to be considerably close with the Kaiser's sons, with the eldest in particular being Crown Prince Wilhelm. Following this, upon meeting the much older Victoria Louise, Edward himself proved quick to familiarise with the Prussian princess, with whom he shared a common interest in German culture and history.

Upon being left to their own devices by their respective families, Edward and Victoria Louise proved quick to bond with one another as they both reminisced about the then state of affairs in their own respective countries, which had then culminated in an arms race between the two empires. Soon after, out of newfound infatuation, primarily from the latter herself, the two briefly engaged in a kiss in which Victoria Louise encouraged Edward to follow through with their patriarchs' marital plans as a guarantee in keeping both Edward and the princess together, to which Edward himself simply agreed on. For Victoria Louise's subsequent birthday, among a number of gifts that had been brought forth by the British royal family, Edward himself personally gifted the princess a white Hackney-breed horse, due to the horse breed's positive reputation relating to its stamina and sustainability. The two would go on to noticeably spend a large amount of time together in the subsequent days, much to the delight of their own respective parents before Edward and his family departed back for Britain the next week. Consequently, Edward's firmly strong relationship with the princess and his mutual infatuation towards the latter encouraged his hopeful grandfather to further advance Edward's marital prospects by further proposing an engagement date, as to accommodate for Edward's relatively young age, a decision supported by the Kaiser himself.

When this reached the knowledge of the then Prime Minister H. H. Asquith however, the former advocated for a cautious approach towards the issue, as to avoid compromising the Entente Cordiale agreements with France whom deeply distrusted the Germans. Regardless, preparations for the ceremony, which after some deliberation which saw Berlin as its venue were soon underway, while Edward and Victoria Louise were said to had conversed on a daily basis through either letters or the telegraph, while contents of their exchange were generally kept private by the behest of both families.

Engagement & Wedding

Drottningholm Palace, where the Prince and Princess of Wales resided during their exile

On February 1911, through a private agreement between King William V and Kaiser Wilhelm II, the prince and princess simultaneously journeyed to Stockholm where they held their engagement ceremony, with the choice of venue being that of a neutral country as to avoid any repercussions. Soon after, out of the need to protect the royal couple from any rumoured threats, Edward and Victoria Louise lived together as fiancées in Drottningholm Palace under the protection of King Gustaf V and his family. For the next two years, the couple was said to had lived "extremely happily" with one another in the Swedish royal residence of Drottningholm Palace, and they both kept a consistent streak of communication with their respective families back home. Furthermore, the couple enjoyed generally warm relations with the Swedish royal family whom in turn was generally sympathetic to the couple's cause due to their own heavy German roots.

On January 5th, 1913, the couple returned once more to Berlin where an extravagant wedding ceremony was held in their honour, which saw the attendance of the British and Russian royal families and number of other guests whom were generally of royalty and nobility background. For the event, while Victoria Louise donned an elaborate white-coloured wedding gown designed by both British and German tailors, Edward himself however donned a uniform of The Royal Dragoons, of which Kaiser Wilhelm II himself is coincidentally its Colonel-in-Chief, though it was actually meant to mirror his wife's own appearance in a photograph where she donned a uniform of a German cavalry regiment herself.

Following the outbreak of war on July 28th the next year, both Edward and Victoria Louise, now Prince and Princess of Wales chose not to openly affiliate with either side, due to their differing background and slightly different personal views. However, in contrast to the war which had pitted their two nations against each other, Edward and his wife gradually solidified their relationship and at times, were said to had took turns consoling the other whenever they were informed of the war's gradual developments, with Edward's accompanying private secretary Lord Davies mentioning that the princess "would often cry to no end, alone in her bedroom in her husband's attendance". Nevertheless, the couple's grievances were softened by the birth of the later Charles III in 1917 and just two years later, the birth of his only brother and sibling, William who was briefly made Duke of Edinburgh prior to his death in 1941.

Titles & Honours

• 22 November 1895 - 23 November 1910 His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Wales

• 23 November 1910 - 30 January 1913 His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge

• 30 January 1913 - 1 March 1921 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales

• 1 March 1921 - 5 January 1923 His Royal Highness The Prince Regent

• 5 January 1923 - 30 March 1951 His Majesty The King

Ancestry

Ancestors of Edward VII of the United Kingdom

8. William IV of the United Kingdom 4. William V of the United Kingdom 9. Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen 2. George V of the United Kingdom 10. Leopold I of Belgium 5. Charlotte of Belgium 11. Louise of Orléans 1. Edward VII of the United Kingdom 12. William I, German Emperor 6. Frederick III, German Emperor 13. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 3. Sophia of Prussia 14. Albert, Prince Consort 7. Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom 15. Victoria of the United Kingdom