King George V (1865-1936)

[Grandduchess24]

The only reason why I say that because he changed the house name from Saxe Coburg and Gotha to Windsor and had all his relatives change their names to something more British like battenburg to Mountbatten.

[KittyAtlanta]

I read somewhere that QM agreed to hasten the mortally ill King's demise so it would be announced in the morning papers, as the later editions would not have done him justice.

No, I can't remember the source.

Here's an article from the New York Times from 1986. At that time the NYT was a reputable newspaper...not so much now.

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/28/wo...v-s-death.html

[Duchessmary]

It wasn't Queen Mary. I believe the decision was made by the King's doctors, who also wanted to end his suffering.

[Mermaid1962]

This matter was discussed in some detail starting at #44 in this thread. The reference in my statement there was to an earlier post.

[Vasillisos Markos]

Originally Posted by Grandduchess24

The only reason why I say that because he changed the house name from Saxe Coburg and Gotha to Windsor and had all his relatives change their names to something more British like battenburg to Mountbatten.

I am sure George V, like his son George VI, each of whom reigned during the two separate wars with Germany, were appalled and shocked by the leaders' behavior, first the Kaiser, then Hitler, but I don't know that they, or at least George V, hated the Germans. I believe one monarch who detested Germany and the Germans was Edward VII, the father of George V, but again, I don't think this meant he "hated" the Germans; he simply was not enthralled with their manners and customs.

George V acted politically by "anglicizing" his family's names and directed his relatives to do the same. While he may not have hated Germany and all things German, he could see the public was very hostile to Germany and this move may have appeased some of his subjects, which was his goal.

[pgm1952]

I am not qualified to formally diagnose a late King of England but I have heard of a high- functioning autistic condition known as Aspergers Syndrome.

Some of the symptoms like dedication to rutines and rituals, inability to express emotion in an articulate manner, ready temper and antisocial behavior have been identified in George V. Further research is needed but I know that much about it and there is plenty of evidence of his temper, changelessness, and inarticulation with feelings.

Miranda Carter suggested in her book on him and his cousins that he may have been dyslexic, but only as a possibility for explaining his lack of interest in his studies.

[XeniaCasaraghi]

QUESTION! Does anyone know about any kind of guilt George felt over denying Nicholas and his family sanctuary in England?

[Zonk]

I believe (and its mentioned in a couple of bios) that George V did feel guilt that he couldn't save Nicholas, Alexandra and the kids. I believe its mentioned in the Kenneth Rose biography of George V.

[Mermaid1962]

I suppose that he would have felt some grief over the deaths, particularly the deaths of the children; feelings of guilt are part of grief for everyone and I think especially in this case.

Originally Posted by Zonk

I believe (and its mentioned in a couple of bios) that George V did feel guilt that he couldn't save Nicholas, Alexandra and the kids. I believe its mentioned in the Kenneth Rose biography of George V.

[Mermaid1962]

I'm not convinced of that. People with Aspergers Syndrome appear to have something "not right" in social situations, and George V appeared to be able to function normal socially. In videos and pictures, he's often shown smiling and talking to people in a friendly way. In my experience, people with Aspergers are very awkward socially and can act inappropriately in varying degrees. They can also have an unusual gait. Even when children with Aspergers are taught correct behaviour, their manner doesn't seem natural. I think that George V was very much aware that he wasn't brought up to be king, because he was the younger brother. That could explain his inflexibility about things; anxiety leads to trying to control things and also leads to anger.

Originally Posted by pgm1952

I am not qualified to formally diagnose a late King of England but I have heard of a high- functioning autistic condition known as Aspergers Syndrome.

[IloveCP]

Does anyone know how he felt about womens suffrage?I ask this because it was legal for women to vote during his reign.

[pgm1952]

Originally Posted by IloveCP

Does anyone know how he felt about womens suffrage?I ask this because it was legal for women to vote during his reign.

George V was a very conservative man. He simply did not see the point of it from where he stood as both monarch and as a man. HOWEVER, he would have been powerless to stop pro sufferage legislation going into effect in government, like with Irish home rule and the House of Lords Bill of 1911.

My opinion is based on the fact that Queen Mary also did not see the point of sufferage and both generally agreed on such matters and that George V was marginally more conservative than Queen Mary.

[Mermaid1962]

He liked Queen Mary to wear old-fashioned clothes as well...long skirts and turbans for years after they went out of style.

Originally Posted by pgm1952

My opinion is based on the fact that Queen Mary also did not see the point of sufferage and both generally agreed on such matters and that George V was marginally more conservative than Queen Mary.

[Warren]

Here's a curio:
A recording of the 1923 Empire Day Broadcast by King George V and Queen Mary

(Very Rare!) King George V & Queen Mary of England - Empire Day Messages (1923) - YouTube

[Vasillisos Markos]

My dear Warren,

Thank you for posting this link! The King sounds relaxed as opposed to Queen Mary -- to my ear, she sounds a little nervous as she speeds up at one point and she does not sound as confident as her consort. But overall, a charming and antiquated broadcast.

[Artemisia]

Personal King George V POW letter found in attic after nearly 100 years

A personal letter from King George V to British prisoner of war soldiers has been discovered in an attic nearly a century after it was written.
The correspondence, dated in 1918, praises soldiers for their “patience and courage” as they returned to Britain following the First World War.
The letter, originally handwritten on Buckingham Palace letterhead, details King George V and Queen Mary’s gratitude to POWs that this “longed for day has arrived”.

[Dman]

Pictures:
The Silver Jubilee of Their Majesties King George V & Queen Mary, 1935:
Royal Command Performance

[Warren]

Skeletons from the royal closet, a new book from the Royal Archives gives a fascinating insight into 700 years of regal life | Mail Online

A Previously Unknown Side of King George V

The Royal Archives at Windsor has produced a new book "Treasures From the Royal Archives" to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the founding of a permanent home for the Royal Archives in the Round Tower of Windsor Castle. Various items from the archives are now being published for the first time.

The following is an extract from the MailOnline article (link above)

The book also features some eye-opening documents from the 20th century. One reveals King George V's voracious appetite for reading - he got through more than 1,000 works between 1890 and 1936.

His reading material included the sensational 'Lady Chatterley's Lover', which was first published privately in Italy in 1928. A fully unexpurgated version was not published in Britain until 1960 after a dramatic obscenity trial, but the 68-year-old King obtained a copy in 1933 from John Colville, whose mother Lady Cynthia was a lady-in-waiting to George V's consort Queen Mary.
.

[MAfan]

That's interesting. Wasn't King George the one who allegedly never read a whole book during his entire life?

[Alexey 1904]

That is strange Edward VII was not enthrall with the manners and customs of Germans, seeing as he and his parents were German. I wonder if Edward VII had still been alive in 1918 would he have brought the Romanovs to England?