55 King George V Facts: Rule, Family, Persona, And Much More
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King George V was born to Alexandra of Denmark and King Edward VII on June 3, 1865.
George Frederick Ernest Albert was born on June 3, 1865, at London's Marlborough House. Apart from being the grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, George V was the second son of Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII).
His mother, Queen Alexandra of the royal family, was the eldest child of King Christian IX of Denmark. Prince Albert Victor, George's older brother of British royalty, was schooled alongside him. Both brothers were academically unsuccessful.
The new King George's reign, life, and death are all included in this article. This is your guide to facts about this wise king.
Facts About King George V
Prince George has roots in Germany. In 1701, according to the Act of Settlement, no Catholic could inherit the British crown in Great Britain. In the wake of Queen Anne's death, the closest Protestant relative that survived was George, prince-elector of Germany, who would later become George I.
Despite George's son, the future King George II, being born outside Great Britain, the British royal line was German since George I. That explains George V's inability to communicate in the language so startling.
How did George V claim his crown exactly? Between 1910-1936, George V reigned as King of the United Kingdom after his brother Albert died suddenly he seized the crown.
During WWI, German soldiers launched daytime strikes in London in June 1917, attacking a popular school and killing 18 children. The British developed a strong anti-German feeling as a result of this. The fact that Gotha Bombers carried out assaults made it worse.
What's the correlation? The Royal Highness of Great Britain was Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at this time. Prince George declared that he was changing his surname to Windsor, which is a common British surname.
Prince Albert Victor, or Eddy, was Edward VII and Queen Alexandra's eldest son. This eldest son died before he ever had the opportunity to be king.
As it turned out, the prince's instructor had reportedly described the prince as suffering from an 'abnormal inactive mental condition.' Even after Albert's best efforts, the situation did not improve at Trinity College in Cambridge, where Albert's new professor said Albert couldn't understand his lecture because he didn't understand what he was reading.
Life had other ideas for him. George V was never supposed to be king as a second son, and he was quite content with that.
As a naval cadet, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 12 and remained there until he was an adult, planning to do what his second son did and make it his profession. When his elder brother died of influenza in 1892, the young prince was compelled to quit the Royal Navy and prepare to become king.
The election was won by a progressive coalition, although not by a majority. As a result, the Liberal Government demanded that the King appoint a group of additional peers to give them a majority and force the budget through. It seemed that this might happen eventually, but Edward insisted on a second general election before taking such harsh actions.
King George's Personality
People think about King George V was best known for his reputation. When George V ascended the throne, the world looked quite different than when he died.
George Frederick Ernest Albert loved music but hated dancing. Prince George had a long list of things he liked and disliked.
He liked to read and was believed to read a book every week. He was a big fan of phonograph recordings and silly movies. Apart from foreign music and new types of music, he detested fashion, dances, women with manicured nails, submersibles, and chemical warfare.
Prince George was a monolingual, he wasn't very gifted in the language department. He was the first English king since 1714 who could not communicate successfully in German, and his French was no better.
Consequently, he opted to remain near home, where everyone spoke English. He only traveled to India, France, Belgium, and Italy four times as king. His tax exemption allowed him to pay for his trips, which was another compelling incentive for him to remain at home.
Around the time of King George VI's death, the German composer Paul Hindemith was in London preparing for his viola concerto performance. Despite the cancellation after the King's death, the orchestra's leader refused to skip the performance with Hindemith. After failing to develop an acceptable composition, Hindemith waited at the BBC office and created mourning music in homage.
King George V's Family
Having come from a non-educational family, George's parents, known as Bertie and Alix around the palace, did not value formal schooling. Their girls received almost little schooling and grew up to be illiterate.
The Reverend John Neale Dalton was in charge of Prince George and Albert Victor's schooling. Dalton was a severe disciplinarian who cared more about forging ties in the upper class than educating the young princess royal.
Did you know Queen Elizabeth's father, King George V, was the second son of the King? King George V's daughter, Elizabeth, is the fifth child of the King.
Many of you don't know who was king after George V. In the years after George V's death, Prince Edward VIII ruled the country.
George V's father was Edward VII.
The Russian Tsar Nicholas Romanov II and his cousin George V were mistaken for twins, as they had a similar look about them. Alexandra and Dagmar's moms had a striking likeness, explaining why the boys were so similar.
King George's Rule
According to the Titles Deprivation Act, the Dukedoms of Albany and Cumberland have remained in limbo for over a century. Duke of Cumberland was the last two titles held by George V's uncles, Duke of Albany Prince Charles-Edward and Duke of Albany Prince Ernest-Augustus II.
They lost their titles for fighting against the United Kingdom. The lineal male successors to the title might technically petition the monarch for their return, but no one has done thus far.
In the latter stages of his journey to France, George Frederick Ernest Albert visited soldiers, inspecting the first wing of the famed Royal Flying Corps. He fractured his body in two places during this visit due to a bizarre accident. The men's shout startled his horse, who sprang up, stumbled in the muck, collapsed, trapping George under her.
The final words of King George V were 'God damn you,' as he cried to the nurse who had provided him with a sedative while on his deathbed, at Sandringham Estate. According to rumors, the physician, in his private notes, wrote the last words of King George V.
The crown diamond of the Crown Jewels, St. Edward's Crown, has been crowning British kings since Henry III's coronation in 1220. Charles II received the second crown when the British monarchy was restored in 1661, following the sale of the first crown during the English Civil War.
The crown was laid aside after William III was crowned King in 1689 in favor of a lighter crown, but George V resurrected the custom and wore it during his coronation. Every British king has worn St. Edward's Crown since then.
What did King George V and Queen Mary do during World War I? Throughout the war, King George V acted as a symbol for British Empire countries. Through hundreds of formal trips and his own family's duty and self-sacrifice, he and his wife, Queen Mary, inspired and encouraged both military troops and civilians.
Did You Know...
1914 marked the commencement of World War I. Throughout the war, King George V visited over 450 troops and over 300 hospitals.
He advocated for proper treatment of German prisoners of war (POWs) and improved treatment for conscientious objectors.
The 1911 Durbar, the third of its kind, was held in India. It was said to have cost India a million pounds at the time (about £100 million now) and took more than a year to design.
The occasion was attended by the who's who of the Indian monarchy and nobles, who arrived on elephants.
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Bachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.
Adekunle Olanrewaju JasonBachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.
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