King George V

**King George V**  (born **George Frederick Ernest Albert** ) was the King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India from 6 May 1910 to 20 January 1936. He was the late husband of Queen Mary, The father of King George VI and Edward, Duke of Windsor, and the paternal grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret.

## Early Life and Accession

George Frederick Ernest Albert was born on June 3, 1865,in Marlborough House, London. The second son of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. His paternal grandmother, Queen Victoria was Queen at the time of his birth. She was the longest reigning British Monarch at the time. His older brother Prince Albert Victor was first in line to the throne but suddenly died of pneumonia in 1892. He was now second in line to the throne after his father Edward VII. He married his 2nd cousin Mary of Teck in 1893. He had his first son Edward VIII on June 23rd 1894, his second son King George VI also known as "Bertie" was born on  14 December 1895 he would have 4 more children Mary, Princess Royal, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Prince George, Duke of Kent and Prince John of the United Kingdom who died as a teenager. Edward VII suffered a heart attack and died soon after on May 6th 1910. George became George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, Emperor of India on May 6th 1910. He and his wife where coronated on June 22nd 1911.

## Death

The first world war took a toll on his health by January 20th he was close to death his physicians led by Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn issued a bulletin with the words "The King's life is moving peacefully towards its close. He died in his Sandringham Estate on January 20th 1936. He was succeeded by his eldest son Edward VIII whose reign only lasted a year, after which he was then succeeded by his second son King George VI.

### In The Crown

Although George V has died by the time during which 'The Crown' is set, he still plays quite an important role, being related to most of the characters shown. In addition to this, George has so far been mentioned in all seasons of the series and Prince Philip once described him as being dull, especially in comparison to the Russian Tsar and the German Emperor. However, unlike the Russian Tsar and the German Emperor, George V actually managed to keep his throne during and after World War I, whereas the other two did not. On formal occasions, Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother are normally seen wearing a blue sash, on these sashes, small photographs can be seen of former monarchs whose reigns the wearer has lived through. These photographs are known as orders and only two monarchs have never issued them. One such order worn by the Queen, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret is the order of King George V.

In Series 1, there is feeling that the name of the royal house will change from Windsor (as it has been since 1917) to Mountbatten, as it is customary for wives to take on the surnames of their husbands. However, in order to maintain stability, Elizabeth decrees that the name of the royal house named by King George V will remain and, to this day, the name of the British royal house remains the House of Windsor.

In the Season 4 episode Fairytale, the Queen speaks to Prince Charles about her grandmother’s marriage to her grandfather, King George, comparing it to Charles’ own dilemma with marrying Diana Spencer. She tells Charles that Princess Mary of Teck was originally betrothed to George’s brother, the Duke of Clarence. But he died before they married, and so Mary was instead betrothed to George, the new heir to the throne. The Queen claims that George and Mary did not initially love each other, the same as Charles and Diana, but that they understood the commitment to duty that they both made, and eventually grew to love each other out of that. The Queen uses this story to encourage Charles to marry Diana, even though he doesn’t want to, stating that his duty to the Crown is more important than his personal grievances.

The Season 5 episode Ipatiev House is King George’s only physical appearance in The Crown. In 1917, he receives a letter from the prime minister, David Lloyd George, who is preparing to evacuate his cousin, Tsar Nicholas II, and the entire Romanov family from Russia and bring them to England. George asks his wife, Queen Mary, to advise him on whether or not to allow this, and she decides not to. George then goes out duck shooting while Mary ponders her decision.

## Trivia

* One of his sisters, Princess Maud became Queen Consort of Norway.
* In Ipatiev House, he has a pet parrot named Charlotte, that perched on top of his shoulder. Ironically in *The Crown*, Charlotte is depicted as a macaw instead of an African gray parrot just like in real life.
* In real life, he foreshadowed Edward's abdication by saying "I pray God that my eldest son will never marry and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne."