Edward VII of the United Kingdom

Full name
	Edward Frederick William

Edward VII
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
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	Incorporation into the United Kingdom through the Kingdom of Hanover Act 1924
Emperor of India
Reign	5 January, 1923 - 15 August, 1947
Predecessor	George V
Born	Edward Frederick William; 22 November 1893; Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada
Died	7 July 1951 (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
Full name
	Edward Frederick William
House	Hanover
Father	George V
Mother	Sophia of Prussia
Religion	Protestant

Edward VII (Edward Frederick William; 22 November, 1983 - 7 July, 1951) was King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover from 1923 to 1951. In addition, he is also the last Emperor of India, reigning from 1923 to 1951.

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 instead being born in Canada, his parents' principal residence. Since he was maternally related to the German Emperor Wilhelm II, he was personally bestowed by the latter with several German honours and decorations. He was notably named Edward Frederick Wilhelm in honour of the late German Emperor Frederick III, who had then been the mastermind behind his daughter's marriage to Edward's father.

Following his birth, his grandfather William took much interest in shaping the young Edward according to his own, hoping to deter the young prince from becoming like his father himself who had grown distant with the king. Following a sizable opposition from both his grandmother and his own parents, a compromise however was reached where Edward would still be instilled with militaristic values but to a lesser degree. Eventually, though the young Edward did acquire considerable knowledge in warfare, it proved a short-lived interest as he was heavily taught in liberal arts. As a result of the captivating Canadian scenery, Edward became extremely fond of nature and in the subject of geography, leading him to become a skilled geographer

Edward's striking appearance garnered him much attention and care from his female relatives, as he was often doted by and enjoyed good relations with Victoria, who was his cousin twice removed. Due to the similarities between the young Edward and Victoria's own son named Edward, the two princes were remarkably close and the former Edward was a frequent subject of comparison by Victoria who once wrote, "It is a joy for me to see everyday just how similar the young and future king is to my own son", albeit at the cost of a friendly rivalry between Victoria and his mother Sophia. He was also a favourite of his grandmother Charlotte who was very passionate of children.

Evidently, during Victoria's funeral in 1901, his mother reportedly noted that the 6 year old Edward wept heavily upon hearing of the news and even refused to attend the funeral, having instead written a personal letter to Victoria's family.

At the age of eleven, he began frequently accompanying his parents on their international trips as respective Prince and Princess of Wales. During a controversial visit to Germany in 1907, 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, who is 3 years his senior. While there had been numerous and discreet discussions between William 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.

Even such offer was 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 by her nickname "Vicky" and enjoyed much private time with the older Victoria, such as horse-riding and similar activities.

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 was given a special honour to hold 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 temporarily moved to Sweden where they were warmly received by the likes of Gustaf V and the pro-German government of Sweden.

Until 1919, 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.

Marriage

As Edward grew well into his teenage years, the prospects of his marriage however was mostly managed by the likes of his grandfather William, whom was seeking a reconciliation between the respective British and German empires, amidst the Anglo-German arms race from the beginning of the late 19th century.

During a private trip to Berlin with his parents, in which the trip itself had been orchestrated by his grandfather himself, the princely couple were received by the German royal family at the Berlin Palace. During their week long stay, while Edward's mother generally avoided her brother, his father however enjoyed a semi-friendly relationship with the German Emperor, save for the former's partial admiration of the German military tradition.

As Edward was quick to bond with Wilhelm's sons, so did his bond with the latter's only daughter and youngest child, Victoria Louise who is only a year older than the prince himself. To the delight of their respective parents, the two quickly showed mutual care and admiration for each other, often addressing the other as "Eddy" and "Vicky", their respective nicknames. Horseback riding then quickly became a common pastime activity for the pair.

Following his 17th birthday, despite powerless opposition by the Prime Minister, Edward and Victoria Louise were formally engaged at the Isle of Wight. For the next three years however, in order to avoid negative repercussions, the couple chose to reside in Sweden by courtesy of the pro-German king Gustaf V. In 1913, Edward and Victoria Louise held their marriage in Sweden itself, after initial reservations on the venue being held in either one of their home country. Held extravagantly in Berlin, it was attended by both Edward and Victoria Louise's families. Several other foreign royalties, such as Tsar Nicholas II of Russia were also present at the wedding ceremony.

In the concluding days of the ceremony, the newlywed royals were discouraged from immediately returning either to Britain or Germany, as the nature of their union, especially in the former country would be socially and politically unacceptable to the British public. As a result, until 1921, the couple continued to reside in Sweden under the protection of the Swedish king and government. Throughout their extended stay, the couple first came across an instance of a miscarriage, which initially devastated the German princess but this was soon compensated by the subsequent birth of their two sons; the future Charles III and the Duke of Edinburgh.