Very good. Tiny bit off topic. I think one of the great what ifs of history concerns the brevity of the reign of Kaiser Frederich III. Had he lived as long as his father would we have avoided the FWW and the ensuing catastrophe caused by the fall out of that war? Would Fritz and Vicky remade Germany into a more liberal nation?
A quite fascinating article. I have little affection for the monarchy, but in your depiction of George V you showed him to be a decent man and attentive parent. I think that is a good memorial for any man, and I look forward to reading more about him.
Happy Birthday, indeed. I suspected it was high time for a reassessment of the man who laid the groundwork of the modern monarchy, and here you are to do the job. I look forward to more.
I'll always remember my father making the journey up to London from the south coast for the King's Silver Jubilee in 1935. Dad was 22 and he watched through a periscope type gadget from quite a way back in the crowd. Dad always had a lot of time for George V, especially for changing the family name to Windsor. He had very little time for he who would become King Edward VIII. "No sense of duty or decorum", he'd mutter.
Thanks for this very interesting article... again a real gem.
Very enjoyable. David really was ghastly, and utterly devoid of the sense of duty that suffused his father. Seen in the right light, George V was low-key hilarious. "Grandpa England".
He never could figure out (this was during his silver jubilee year in 1935) how he'd ended up so popular with is people. I might post my write up of the nation's reaction to his death as some bonus content...
When you think of Cousin Nicky’s very different trajectory, or even the Kaiser’s, it does show you a lot about George V’s essential good sense and intuition.
Indeed - I can think of one single instance of him reading the public wrong, when he got backlash. He didn't think there was any point in going to the unveiling of the permanent cenotaph. It was an exact copy of the one made of wood and plaster that had been sat there for a couple of years already, but he listened and he went, and he admitted he called it wrong
Thank you Alex, wish I had this insight into parenting 30 years ago. A brilliant piece, full of verve and love for Bertie. X
Very good. Tiny bit off topic. I think one of the great what ifs of history concerns the brevity of the reign of Kaiser Frederich III. Had he lived as long as his father would we have avoided the FWW and the ensuing catastrophe caused by the fall out of that war? Would Fritz and Vicky remade Germany into a more liberal nation?
Absolutely. One of Europes biggest tragedies that Wilhelm I lived too long and Fritz died too soon
A quite fascinating article. I have little affection for the monarchy, but in your depiction of George V you showed him to be a decent man and attentive parent. I think that is a good memorial for any man, and I look forward to reading more about him.
Happy Birthday, indeed. I suspected it was high time for a reassessment of the man who laid the groundwork of the modern monarchy, and here you are to do the job. I look forward to more.
I'll always remember my father making the journey up to London from the south coast for the King's Silver Jubilee in 1935. Dad was 22 and he watched through a periscope type gadget from quite a way back in the crowd. Dad always had a lot of time for George V, especially for changing the family name to Windsor. He had very little time for he who would become King Edward VIII. "No sense of duty or decorum", he'd mutter.
Thanks for this very interesting article... again a real gem.
You’ll notice I only ever refer to him at most as the Duke of Windsor because I’m petty and he doesn’t deserve any better lol
Very enjoyable. David really was ghastly, and utterly devoid of the sense of duty that suffused his father. Seen in the right light, George V was low-key hilarious. "Grandpa England".
He never could figure out (this was during his silver jubilee year in 1935) how he'd ended up so popular with is people. I might post my write up of the nation's reaction to his death as some bonus content...
When you think of Cousin Nicky’s very different trajectory, or even the Kaiser’s, it does show you a lot about George V’s essential good sense and intuition.
Indeed - I can think of one single instance of him reading the public wrong, when he got backlash. He didn't think there was any point in going to the unveiling of the permanent cenotaph. It was an exact copy of the one made of wood and plaster that had been sat there for a couple of years already, but he listened and he went, and he admitted he called it wrong
Enjoyed the article's details, some of which were new to me, and being a history buff this keeps me striving to improve myself.
Loved this. The best article so far (and they’ve all been good!!)
Been staring at the calendar for weeks lol. Turns out that writing rant history whilst sozzled on bourbon is s think…