Edward VII
Edward VII reigned for nine years after waiting fifty-nine to inherit, and was better at the job than anyone expected. Born in London in 1841, the eldest son of Victoria and Albert, he was subjected to an educational regime designed by his father to produce a model constitutional monarch, and failed at it consistently, which strained the relationship permanently. In 1861, while attached to the army in Ireland, he had an affair with an actress. Albert travelled to Cambridge to remonstrate, caught a chill, and died weeks later of typhoid. Victoria blamed her son directly and excluded him from state business for decades, refusing him access to official papers. He filled the time with racing, shooting, food, cards, yachting and a long series of mistresses including Lillie Langtry and Alice Keppel. He was cited in a divorce case and appeared as a witness in a card-cheating scandal. He also travelled extensively on official visits — Canada, the United States, India, Egypt — and was the first heir to do so systematically. He acceded in 1901. His contribution was diplomatic. He spoke French and German fluently, was related to most of the crowned heads of Europe, and his state visit to Paris in 1903 turned hostile crowds around within days and helped prepare the Entente Cordiale of 1904; the Anglo-Russian agreement followed in 1907. He modernised the court, encouraged the army reforms after the Boer War, and mediated in the constitutional crisis over the People's Budget. He died in May 1910, and nine reigning monarchs followed his coffin.
- Lived: 1841 CE – 1910 CE
- Nationality: British
- Roles: king, head_of_state
