Thirty years later, Mountbatten and Windsor were to become linked by marriage, when the present Queen married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Philip of Greece. Since Elizabeth II’s accession, it has become clear that, while the Queen’s House and family are still known as Windsor, her children are surnamed Mountbatten-Windsor. George V decreed also that the title Prince or Princess might be borne, not only by the sons and daughters of the monarch, but also by the children of sons of the sovereign. Great-grandchildren in the male line are styled Lord (name) or Lady (name) Windsor. Primogeniture, as practised by the Plantagenets centuries ago, is still used to determine the order of succession to the throne.
Of course, the monarchy has adapted to change, and also to an age in which media intrusion has – rather dangerously, on occasions – sometimes reduced it to the level of a soap opera. This is perhaps the greatest threat it has faced since 1936, when Edward VIII abdicated for love, to marry a twice-divorced woman. That event shook the throne, and it was only the dedication and devotion to duty of King George VI and the late Queen Mother that restored its prestige. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has maintained that tradition; as a sovereign reigning in an age that has seen great changes in the moral and social climate, she continues to embody all the domestic, and now sometimes unfashionable, virtues that made Queen Victoria so successful a monarch; yet, unlike Victoria in her later years, Elizabeth II is a very visible monarch, seen to be performing her duties with sincerity and dedication, in full glare of the media. She is a constitutional monarch par excellence,whose long experience in politics and public life has earned her the respect of political leaders worldwide.
For all the rumours, it is unthinkable that the Queen will abdicate. The memory of Edward VIII is too fresh in the public mind. The succession is assured well into the 21st century, and we may confidently hope that the traditions of a thousand years of British monarchy will continue long into the future.
Edward VII
FATHER:
Albert, Prince Consort(
MOTHER:
Queen Victoria(
SIBLINGS: (
EDWARD VII
Baptised Albert Edward, he was born on 9 November, 1841, at Buckingham Palace, and was Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles and Baron Renfrew from birth. He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 8 December, 1841, and Earl of Dublin on 17 January, 1850. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 9 November, 1858. In 1863, he renounced his courtesy title, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, inherited from his father. He was made a Knight of the Thistle of 24 May, 1867. He succeeded his mother as King of Great Britain and Emperor of India on 22 January, 1901, and was crowned on 9 August, 1902, at Westminster Abbey.
Edward VII married, on 10 March, 1863, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor:
Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julie
She was the daughter of Christian IX, King of Denmark, by Louise Wilhelmina Frederica Caroline Augusta Julie, daughter of William X, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, and she was born on 1 December, 1844, at the Amalienborg or ‘Gule’ (Yellow) Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark. She was made a Lady of the Garter in 1901. She was crowned Queen on 9 August, 1902, at Westminster Abbey. She died on 20 November, 1925, at Sandringham House, Norfolk, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Issue of marriage:
1 Albert Victor Christian Edward
He was born on 8 January, 1864, at Frogmore House, Windsor. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 3 September, 1883, and was created Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Athlone on 24 May, 1890. He died on 14 January, 1892, at Sandringham House, Norfolk, of pneumonia, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
The Duke of Clarence is said to have married one Annie Crook of Cleveland Street, London ( d.1920), during the 1880s, and is said to have had issue:
1 Alice Margaret Crook; she is said to have had a liaison with the painter Walter Sickert, and to have had a son, Joseph Sickert, who is the source of this information, which should, however, be treated with extreme caution.
Historically, the Duke of Clarence was betrothed to Mary of Teck, who later married George V.
2
George V(
3 Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar
She was born on 20 February, 1867, at Marlborough House, London. She married Alexander William George Duff, Marquess of MacDuff, afterwards 1st Duke of Fife (1849–1912), on 27 July, 1889, in the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace, and had issue:
1 Alastair (stillborn 1890).
2 Alexandra, Duchess of Fife (1891–1959); she married Prince Arthur of Connaught, grandson of Queen Victoria, and had issue.
3 Maud Alexandra Victoria Georgina Bertha (1893–1945); she married Charles Alexander Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk ( b.1893), and had issue.
Louise was designated Princess Royal on 9 November, 1905. She died on 4 January, 1931, at her house in Portman Square, London, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Her remains were later removed to the Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum, Braemar, Aberdeenshire.
4 Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary
She was born on 6 July, 1868, at Marlborough House, London. She died on 3 December, 1935, at Coppins, Iver, Bucks., and was buried at Frogmore, Windsor.
5 Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria
She was born on 26 November, 1869, at Marlborough House, London. She married Prince Christian Frederick Charles George Waldemar Axel of Denmark, afterwards Haakon VII, King of Norway (1872–1957), on 22 July, 1896, at the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace, and had issue:
1 Olav V (Alexander Edward Christian Frederick), King of Norway ( b.1903); he married Martha Sophia Louisa Dagmar Thyra (1901–1954), daughter of Carl, Prince of Sweden and Duke of Västergötland, and had issue.
Queen Maud died on 20 November, 1938, in London.
6 Alexander John Charles Albert
He was born on 6 April, 1871, at Sandringham House, Norfolk, and died there the following day. He was buried in Sandringham Church, Norfolk.
EDWARD VII
He died on 6 May, 1910, at Buckingham Palace, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
He was succeeded by his son George.
George V
FATHER:
Edward VII(
MOTHER:
Alexandra of Denmark(
SIBLINGS: (
GEORGE V
Baptised George Frederick Ernest Albert, he was born on 3 June, 1865, at Marlborough House, London. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 4 April, 1884, and was created Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killarney on 24 May, 1892. He became Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay when his father succeeded to the throne on 22 January, 1901, and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 9 November, 1901. He succeeded his father as King of Great Britain and Emperor of India on 6 May, 1910, and was crowned on 22 June, 1911, at Westminster Abbey. He was crowned Emperor of India on 11 December, 1911, at New Delhi, India. In 1917, George V changed the name of his House from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, which it remains today.
George V married, on 6 July, 1893, at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace:
(Victoria) Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudia Agnes
Known as Mary (or May within her family), she was the daughter of Francis Paul Charles Louis Alexander, Duke of Teck, by Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, a granddaughter of George III. She was born on 26 May, 1867, at Kensington Palace, London, and was first betrothed to her future husband’s elder brother, the Duke of Clarence, before his death. She was made a Lady of the Garter in 1910. She was crowned on 22 June, 1911, at Westminster Abbey; she was also crowned Empress of India on 11 December, 1911, at New Delhi, India. She died on 24 March, 1953, at Marlborough House, London, and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.