Historical Figure
George V
1865–1936
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Timeline
The story of George V, told in moments.
Born at Marlborough House, London. Second son. Not expected to be king. He joined the Royal Navy at 12 and loved it.
Born at Marlborough House, London. Second son of the Prince of Wales. Nobody expected him to become king.
His elder brother Prince Albert Victor died of pneumonia at 28. George, a career naval officer who'd sailed the world for over a decade, was suddenly heir presumptive.
Married Princess Mary of Teck. She'd been engaged to his older brother Albert Victor, who died of pneumonia. George inherited both the fiancee and the succession.
Became King-Emperor upon his father Edward VII's death. Inherited the largest empire in history and a constitutional crisis over the House of Lords.
Became king after Edward VII died. His coronation durbar in Delhi was the only time a British monarch visited India while ruling it.
Died at Sandringham House, Norfolk, age 70. His last verified words: "How is the Empire?" His physician later admitted hastening the king's death with injections of morphine and cocaine so the news could appear in the morning papers rather than the evening tabloids.
Died at Sandringham. His physician Lord Dawson administered a lethal injection of morphine and cocaine to ensure the death made the morning papers. This wasn't revealed until 1986.
Show full timeline (12 entries)
Renamed the royal house from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor during World War I. Anti-German sentiment made a German dynasty name untenable. Kaiser Wilhelm joked about attending a performance of "The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha."
Changed the royal family's name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. Anti-German feeling during WWI made the German name untenable. Kaiser Wilhelm joked he'd attend a performance of "The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha."
Delivered the first Royal Christmas Message by radio. Rudyard Kipling wrote the speech. 20 million people heard it.
Delivered the first Royal Christmas broadcast by radio. 20 million people listened. The tradition continues to this day.
In Their Own Words (16)
You dress like a cad. You act like a cad. You are a cad.
Allegedly said to his son, Prince Edward. Quoted by Christopher Warwick in Abdication (Sidgwick and Jackson, 1986), 1986
How's the Empire?
On the morning of his death; quoted in Kenneth Rose, King George V (1983), ch.10, 1983
After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months.
Statement to Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, referring to his son, Edward, Prince of Wales, 1969
My father was frightened of his mother. I was frightened of my father and I am damned well going to see to it that my children are frightened of me.
Attributed in Randolph Churchill's Lord Derby (1959), but said by Kenneth Rose in King George V (1983) to be almost certainly apocryphal., 1959
The Old Country must wake up if she intends to maintain her old position of pre-eminence in her Colonial trade against foreign competitors.
Speech in the Guildhall, London (5 December 1901), quoted in Harold Nicolson, King George V (1952), p. 73, 1952
Artifacts (15)
It was our intent to get Rob and this band a substantial amount of credibility.
Smooth", but also all of the songs on the Matchbox 20 album. Ron Shapiro, an executive at Atlantic, said, "It was our intent to get Rob and this band a substantial amount of credibility." Thomas...
one giant loogie that comes straight from the heart
than its predecessor, though was still criticized for its violence and material. The film has been described as "one giant loogie that comes straight from the heart", filled with moments of...
always wanted to be Alice Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Bela Lugosi, and Stan Lee
One and is the lead singer of Powerman 5000. Growing up, he had a fascination with horror films and "always wanted to be Alice Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Bela Lugosi, and Stan Lee". He has said of...
Everybody's pulling out guns, and you could hear guns going off. I remember this...
s 12, his parents chose to leave after a riot broke out at the carnival and tents were set on fire. He said of the experience, "Everybody's pulling out guns, and you could hear guns going off. I...
I didn't aspire to be anything. I was just a dopey kid. Basically everyone seeme...
r films and "always wanted to be Alice Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Bela Lugosi, and Stan Lee". He has said of his childhood, "I didn't aspire to be anything. I was just a dopey kid. Basically...
in songwriting I felt special for the first time. And all I wanted to do was get...
ed with several musicians. He played in a series of cover bands and began writing songs in earnest. Thomas said that "in songwriting I felt special for the first time. And all I wanted to do was...
take a more global, rhythmic direction after working with South American and Afr...
od songs." The article also mentioned that the record would nonetheless feature several tracks that "take a more global, rhythmic direction after working with South American and African...
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