Edward VII

Edward VII (1841–1910), king of Great Britain and Ireland, emperor of India (1901–10). The success of Edward VII's reign would have amazed his parents. His uncommon laziness, wrote Albert when the poor youth was only 18, ‘grieves me when one considers that he might be called on at any moment to take over the reins of government’.

His disadvantages were considerable. He was not particularly intelligent and was easily bored. His temper was untrustworthy as a small boy and did not much improve. His liaisons were numerous, his taste raffish, and his set fast. While prince of Wales, he was subpoenaed in one divorce case and was involved in an unpleasant legal action about cheating at baccarat.

Nevertheless, he had certain assets. He enjoyed company and had a gift for making graceful impromptu little speeches. He had a good memory for names and faces and an excellent command of both French and German. Not least of his assets was his Danish wife Alexandra, an excellent foil to Edward's flamboyance, whom he married in 1863.

At the start of his reign in 1901 he indicated that he would be his own man, announcing that he wished to be known, not by his first name Albert, but as Edward—thus frustrating the deepest hopes of his fond parents. Over the years, Edwardian England has acquired the image of a golden age of tranquillity before the horrors of the Great War. It was in fact turbulent. There was a marked increase in industrial unrest. The militant phase of the women's suffrage movement began in 1905 when Sir Edward Grey was shouted down at Manchester. The rise of the Labour Party, returned in numbers at the general election of 1906, heralded a move towards class politics, which the king greatly deplored. The Liberals, after their great election victory, were pushed leftwards by Labour and the Irish. The rejection of Lloyd George's budget in 1909 by the House of Lords drew the king into the political arena. Edward made it clear that he was unwilling to create 500 Liberal peers to carry the Parliament Bill, regarding it as a shabby manœuvre. He died in the middle of the crisis, leaving Asquith to wring a grudging promise from his inexperienced son George V.

Internationally, the reign was marked by the abandonment of isolation, splendid or otherwise, which had proved so uncomfortable during the Boer War. First, an alliance was reached with Japan in 1902; next, in 1904 the Entente was formed with France, and lastly an attempt was made to bury differences with France's ally, Russia. By the time of the king's death, Britain was firmly in the Entente camp, ranged against the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria, and Italy.

In two respects, his influence was of consequence. He took a keen interest in the armed forces, supported Fisher's naval reforms, and encouraged Haldane's overhaul of the army. Secondly, he raised the profile of the monarchy. Any ruler who succeeded to an 81‐year‐old widow was bound to have a residue of goodwill to draw on.

Edward was carried off by severe bronchial illness, exacerbated by a lifetime devoted to cigars and good living. He was fortunate to die when he did. His reign was brief and he did not overstay his welcome. The crowned heads of Europe—kings, emperors, tsars, and kaisers—still entertained each other at regattas, manœuvres, weddings, and funerals. The king was still head of society and there was society still to be head of. Great shooting parties assembled for long weekends at country houses. The landed aristocracy had not yet gone down before the twin perils of the Great War and penal taxation. Behind the gun‐carriage which conveyed Edward to his resting‐place at Windsor marched nine kings.