King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and Family Discussion

[LouisFerdinand]

Queen Alexandra's West End tour among the rose sellers in 1917     
Roses for the Rose Queen, 1917 - YouTube   

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[LouisFerdinand]

Monologue about Prince Albert Victor     
Prince Albert Victor - YouTube

[LouisFerdinand]

Queen Alexandra attended the West Norfolk Hunt Dog Show and presented prizes in 1922.
   Queen Alexandra (1922) - YouTube

[LouisFerdinand]

Which will have the British tabloids gushing over "How young" the new monarch/consort (William/Catherine -61) would be when compared to the previous ones (Charles/Camilla-70+) :lol:.

Prince Albert Edward had been Prince of Wales for almost 60 years before he became King Edward VII.

[LouisFerdinand]

When he became King, Edward VII reorganized the royal palaces. He gave instructions for the telephone system to be extended. Various coach houses were to be converted into garages for the motor cars.

[Curryong]

When he became King, Edward VII reorganized the royal palaces. He gave instructions for the telephone system to be extended. Various coach houses were to be converted into garages for the motor cars.

Yes, unlike his mother Edward was a great enthusiast for new technologies, (especially those that sped things up and enhanced his social life. I don?t believe there are any photos of Queen Victoria sitting in the very early primitive cars of the time, but there are several of Edward VII doing so. His wife Alexandra was completely deaf by then and it?s doubtful that she ever used a telephone during her husband?s reign.

[LouisFerdinand]

When furnishing the library at Sandringham, King Edward VII summoned a man from Hatchard's bookstore. Edward instructed him to fill the shelves with whatever books might be considered for a country house.

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[LouisFerdinand]

What do you think about older historical film being colorized?     
Colourised: King Edward VII at Dartmouth (1902) [British Path?] - YouTube

[Curryong]

What do you think about older historical film being colorized?     
Colourised: King Edward VII at Dartmouth (1902) [British Path?] - YouTube

I don?t have any particular opinion on colorisation of docos one way or the other. Black and white (and sepia) film has been colorised for decades. We have very old Victorian photographs in our family albums that were also colourised at the time so it?s been going on for more than a century at least. I don?t like to see classic black and white studio films being colourised. though. They were made in black and white for a reason.

[LouisFerdinand]

Prince Albert Edward was to inform his son Prince Albert Victor of the delightful news of the decision about his marriage in a delicate father-son exchange skirting around the subject of yet another possible bride. His father informed Eddy that his duty lay in a proposal to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck.

[Curryong]

Prince Albert Edward was to inform his son Prince Albert Victor of the delightful news of the decision about his marriage in a delicate father-son exchange skirting around the subject of yet another possible bride. His father informed Eddy that his duty lay in a proposal to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck.

I don?t think this languid Prince was overly bothered really. He dutifully trotted off, murmered a proposal and became engaged to Mary of Teck, even if he did later call for his true love Helene of Orleans on his death bed. (He had a fever.)

At least Prince Eddy was in his late twenties when his father suggested he consider marriage with someone suitable. Bertie had had parental pressure put on him at twenty, and proposed out of sheer duty as he and Alexandra didn?t know each other at all. George married Mary without too much of a fuss either, though he?d been in love with Marie of Edinburgh (later of Romania) years before.

[Amabel2]

albert and Victoria pressured Bertie because they feared that given his Hanoverian tendency to like women a lot, he would get involved with mistresses if he did not marry early.  Albert was pretty silly, really and got as hysterical as Victora about B's affair with Nellie Clifden. And I think that Bertie was fond of Alix, if not in love.  She was beautiful and charming and he liked her well enough to get married.  But it did not mean he was going to be faithful.

[Curryong]

Yes, I do think that Bertie quite liked Alix and if he had to be married, (and he knew he had to with parents like his) his marriage would at least be quite pleasant as his young wife wasn?t the sort to cause difficulties where his pleasures were concerned. I don?t think he intended to be constantly unfaithful to his wife when he first wed but let?s say he didn?t fight too hard against it!

Vicky, over in Prussia, was quite involved in the process of choosing her brother?s wife and she and his parents knew that, at the very least, his bride had to possess good looks as otherwise Bertie just wouldn?t bother. Several young princesses etc were discarded because of bad teeth or skin or posture, nervous tics etc.

As far as Albert was concerned he not only had to contend with the thought that his son might turn out to be like Victoria?s ?wicked? Hanoverian uncles (George IV and some of his brothers) but there was the extra component of his own father and brother. He was extremely straitlaced and really, it was a good job he didn?t live another twenty or thirty years as he would have been heartbroken about Bertie?s way of life. I?ve often wondered whether, in that case, Bertie would have been much more covert about his activities,

[Amabel2]

I think that Bertie while he had been taught to revere his father, was soon weary of "ALbert the Good and the restrictions that he had put on him, as a young lad.  so when he was a grown married man, he didn't intend to lead a strait laced life... probably Albert would if he had lived, fretted himself into an early grave anyway, with worry over Bertie and evertyhing that worried him.

[Curryong]

Yes, if Albert had lived another twenty years he would have worried himself sick over Vicky and Fritz?s position in Prussia with the scheming Bismarck, Alice and Louis?s little Duchy being cut into pieces by the Prussians, Affie marrying a Tsar?s daughter for her money, Leopold?s health, Prussian aggression, and a myriad of other things. If ever there was a person who was a complete and utter worry wart it was Albert. He was a prime candidate for stomach ulcers, let alone cancer of the stomach or whatever else he died of!

[Amabel2]

probably, he would also have worried about "Society" leading a pleasure loving life and sexual morals in the Marlborough set becoming as free and easy as they were in Regency times. To be fair I think he did worry about the Poor as well, and would have fretted about them,

[LouisFerdinand]

Mark Twain met King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra   
at a Windsor garden party in 1907     
Mary Evans Mark Twain meets Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, 1907 10547248
   
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[LouisFerdinand]

Queen Alexandra and Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany at an archeological   
excavation in Garista, Corfu in 1911   
Mary Evans German Kaiser Wilhelm II and the English Queen Mother 10496927

[LouisFerdinand]

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales   
Albert, Prince of Wales, Later King Edward VII | Queen victoria family, King edward vii, Queen victoria prince albert

[LouisFerdinand]

Alexandra liked dancing, ice skating, riding, and hunting.   
Her mother-in-law Queen Victoria disapproved of these pursuits for a Princess of Wales.

[Curryong]

Alexandra liked dancing, ice skating, riding, and hunting.   
Her mother-in-law Queen Victoria disapproved of these pursuits for a Princess of Wales.

I think a lot of those activities were linked to Alexandra?s childbearing years. Victoria complained very early on in the marriage to Bertie that her son was taking Alix out every evening to social events and that she looked peaky and tired in consequence. She wrote ?Hopes? (of a pregnancy) ?there can be none.? It defies logic that Victoria wouldn?t want her daughter in law to dance or ride horses as she herself did both until Albert?s death, and continued with a little horse riding afterwards as well.

I?ve never read that Alix hunted regularly anyway, but the activity, often involving jumping over ditches etc could cause a nasty accident (especially in the early months of pregnancy) and the same with ice skating if there was a break in the ice. Alix took care of herself sensibly, anyway. She was pushed around a frozen lake in an ice chair a few hours before her first baby?s birth.

[TLLK]

The Coronation of Edward VII ? Royal Central

Edward VII reigned from 22 January 1901 ? 6 May 1910.

[Curryong]

From the royal Central article

The British Empire was also represented in the coronation procession. Initial plans for the procession included troops from various countries, including Denmark, Germany, Russia, and Austro-Hungary. However, with the rescheduling, the procession was completely made up of British and Empire troops. End quote.

That is the oddest thing I?ve ever heard of! Admittedly the monarchs of three of those nations were relatives and often attended, rode in processions, at weddings, funerals, jubilees etc in each other?s countries. But Germany and Austria-Hungary sending troops over to march in the Coronation procession of the new British King! What the..?

It wasn?t as if Edward, who was known as a Francophile, was very close to Franz Ferdinand of Austria and the relationship between Kaiser Will and his uncle was hardly warm and tender to say the least. There had been strains between Imperial Germany and GB over rivalries in Africa, economically and in the size of their respective navies as well. And Austria was a natural ally of Germany.

Well, you live and learn and I have never heard of those plans to have an international contingent of troops marching. All I can say is, perhaps it?s just as well that Edward had to have his Coronation postponed!

[TLLK]

Thank you for the insight @Curryong. Yes I agree that would have been odd to have foreign troops participating in the procession.

I find it interesting that Edward VII's reign ended and George V's began on May 6 which is the date for the coronation of their descendent, Charles III. IMO it's fascinating to see the number of historic events that happened throughout English/British history on the calendar.

[Curryong]

Edward VII actually died at a very inconvenient time as there were more Conservative Peers in the House of Lords who took advantage of their majority and had been refusing to pass Loyd George?s budget of reforms for months.

The new King George was faced with one heck of a mess, as the Liberal Govt kept insisting that he appoint more Liberal peers in the Lords to counter this. He did so, but to a large extent it was his own efforts, tact and diplomacy that allowed the Budget to finally pass quite peacefully, though an election (which the Liberals won) had to be fought as well. It?s an odd thing to admire in George V who?s often regarded as blunt and bad tempered, but in fact his reign was peppered with these easeful actions.

Wiki on Edward?s inconvenient death.
?In the last year of his life he was involved in the constitutional crisis brought about by the refusal of the Conservative majority in the Lords to pass the Liberal budget of 1909. Edward died before the situation could be resolved by the Liberal victory in the election in 1910.? End quote.