Edward VII

Chapter One: King Edwards and the Kaiser.

Since the war began, I have read numerous extracts from the press of Germany and from the contributions of German writers to American papers, stating in the most unequivocal terms that the late King Edward devoted his political sagacity to the task of isolating Germany, that he promoted alliances to that end, and that he deliberately sought to compass the destruction of the German Empire.

At first, I took these remarks to be no more than the rather unfortunate outpourings of the uninformed.

But I have seen of late that they have been repeated with great insistence until there is a danger that they will become an article of faith, not alone in Germany, but in other countries where Germans have a sympathetic following.

I do not choose, as a rule, to discuss questions of this kind.

I prefer to leave popular error to correct itself.

But having enjoyed the confidence of King Edward before and after he came to the throne, having heard from his own lips scores of times his attitude towards Germany and the Germans, it seems to me a duty to set out the plain truth.

I will do so in the endeavor to sweep away one of the most ridiculous and mischievous conceptions engendered by the present evil conditions of things.

Florence lived to the first decade of the 20th century, continuing to work whenever she could, whenever her health allowed.

In 1907, when Florence was 87, King Edward bestowed upon her the order of merit given to those who have rendered exceptional service to the crown or the advancement of the arts, literature, or science.

She was the first woman to ever receive such an award.

As of this recording, only 11 women have ever been admitted to the order, which started in 1902.

Not that anyone ever got a degree, really, but they turned up and were terrible.

And if you ever look like Edward VII's university records, they're like, he came for one term and he was bottom of his class, but he was here.

Yeah.

Yes, and then you kind of hit what I'm going to call the modern era, starting in the 50s, with, well, not earlier than that, with, you know, Elizabeth and Margaret, who were taught at home, essentially.

In full, he was Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David.

Edward, after his grandfather, Edward being the most popular name for British kings.

Since Edward I reintroduced the name in homage to the Saint King Edward the Confessor.

Albert, after his great-grandfather Prince Albert.

Christian, to cover the Scandinavian side of his family, where there had been various King Christians.

And then it's an interesting one.

And as I say, he was this sort of slender, slightly dreamy child, very sensitive.

And inevitably, he was picked on and bullied.

He had met Gottlieb Daimler in Germany and became involved with Daimler's engines and their introduction into Britain.

In fact, Sims is credited with helping to popularise the term motorcar in English, and in 1896 he demonstrated a Daimler to the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII.

This turned out to be rather useful, because the Prince became fascinated with motoring, and royal enthusiasm gave this slightly ridiculous new invention something it desperately needed – respectability.

The following year, Sims helped establish the Automobile Club of Great Britain.

In 1902, it moved from its four rooms at Whitehall Court to 119 Piccadilly.

But the really important endorsement came from the man that Sims had shown that Daimler to a decade earlier.

Edward VII.

The King had become the club's patron in 1903.

William Booth, a famous name there in, um, evangelism, was a great evangelist with the Salvation Army in the early days.

And the story is told that he visited King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace in 1904 and the King asked him to write in his autograph album, uh, a few words.

And the 75-year-old William Booth bent forward, took the pen and summed up his life's work and he wrote in the King's book there: "Your Majesty, some men's ambition is art.

Some men's ambition is fame.

Her sister was the Queen of England.

Um, that was Victoria's daughter-in-law who married, uh, Edward VII, Princess Alexandra.

The other Danish brother became the King of Greece, and the other brother became the King of Denmark.

So Dagmar, we now have a Danish princess becoming the tsaritsa of Russia, the tsar's wife, and she fathers Nicholas II, who will be the last tsar.