The newborn Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge’s 3Xgreat-grandfather was King George V: 
King George V was born as the second son of King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) and grew up being third in line to the throne, after his father and older brother Albert Victor. He was never expected to be king during his childhood. But shortly after his brother’s engagement to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, Albert Victor died of pneumonia. George took his place as heir apparent, and married Princess Victoria Mary of Teck in 1893. When his father died in 1910, George became king at the age of 45.
King George and Queen Mary (the name she chose for herself upon becoming queen) was deeply in love and had a devoted relationship to each other. They had 5 sons and 1 daughter around the turn of the century. The children were still young when George became king in 1910.
Already at the age of 12, George had joined the navy, since his father believed it to be the best possible training for a boy. He travelled the world with the Royal Navy, and visited many areas of the British Empire. He did not learn any second languages. However his father wanted him to be more involved in his reign than he himself had been as heir apparent, so George was well prepared for the role when he became king. George also included his wife Mary in much of the state affairs. With King George, the British Empire saw it’s peak size after World War I.
The Great War, as it was called at the time, also changed royal Europe more than any other period. Many monarchies fell and became republics, Austria, Germany, Greece, Spain and Russia. King George, however, managed to transform the British monarchy into a more democratic stance, that brought the monarchy closer to the public and the working class. The British Royal family thus became increasingly popular during the great depression and in the next decades. After the war, King George created the house of Windsor, since the family belonged to the German house Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and he wanted no affiliation with the Germans.
King George V died on the 2oieth of January 1936, at the age 70, after 26 years of reign through a changed Europe and a changed world. Personally I think I would have loved King George, he was an avid stamp collector, and played a great role in creating the Royal Philatelic Collection into one of the most comprehensive collections of the world. Anyone passionate about collecting pretty data must have been a great guy 😀
If you are curious about my Pretty Data project, and interested in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, please get in touch, as I’m still hoping to sign up more helpers with my project! Warning: you’d have to be pretty crazy about imagery, somewhat interested in history, and have a (more or less secret) crush on royalty!…lol
The files I’m sharing have been altered by me! As such, the files are free for your personal use and enjoyment. Go to the folder below to download high quality copies.
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The original, unaltered files I have used can be found here:
King George V by Luke Fildes 1911 – Wikimedia Commons
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