View source for Edward VII

{{Short description|King of the United Kingdom from 1901 to 1910}}
{{Other uses}}
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{{Use British English|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
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{{Infobox royalty
| image        = File:King-Edward-VII (cropped) (b).jpg
| alt          = Studio photograph of Edward VII
| caption      = 1900s photograph
| succession   = {{plainlist|
* {{Br separated entries|[[King of the United Kingdom]]|and the [[British Dominions]]}}
* [[Emperor of India]]}}
| reign        = 22 January 1901&nbsp;– {{awrap|6 May 1910}}
| coronation   = 9 August 1902
| cor-type     = [[Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra|Coronation]]
| coronation1  = 1 January 1903
| cor-type1    = {{nowrap|[[Delhi Durbar#Durbar of 1903|Imperial Durbar]]}}
| predecessor1 = [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]
| successor1   = [[George V]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1841|11|9|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Buckingham Palace]], London, England
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1910|5|6|1841|11|9|df=y}}
| death_place  = Buckingham Palace, London, England
| burial_date  = 20 May 1910
| burial_place = {{hanging indent|Royal Vault, [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]]}} {{plainlist|
* {{Br separated entries|28 November 1925|{{hanging indent|Albert Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel}}}}
* {{Br separated entries|22 April 1927|{{hanging indent|South Aisle, St George's Chapel}}}}
}}
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Alexandra of Denmark]]|10 March 1863}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale]]
* [[George V]]
* [[Louise, Princess Royal]]
* [[Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom|Princess Victoria]]
* [[Maud, Queen of Norway]]
* [[Prince Alexander John of Wales]]}}
| issue-link   = #Issue
| full name    = Albert Edward
| house        = [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
| father       = [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
| mother       = [[Queen Victoria]]
| religion     = [[Protestantism in the United Kingdom|Protestant]]
| signature    = EdwardVII Signature.svg
| signature_alt = Signature of Edward VII
| module       = {{Infobox person
| embed        = yes
| education    = {{plainlist|
* [[Christ Church, Oxford]]
* [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]}}
}}
}}

'''Edward VII''' (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was [[King of the United Kingdom]] and the [[Dominion|British Dominion]]s, and [[Emperor of India]], from 22 January 1901 until [[Death and state funeral of Edward VII|his death]] in 1910.

The second child and eldest son of [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], Edward, nicknamed "Bertie", was [[Prince of Wales]] and [[heir apparent]] to the [[British throne]] for almost 60 years. During his mother's long reign, he was largely excluded from political influence and came to personify the leisured elite. He [[Wedding of Prince Albert Edward and Princess Alexandra|married]] Princess [[Alexandra of Denmark]] in 1863; the couple had six children. As Prince of Wales, Edward travelled throughout Britain performing ceremonial public duties and represented Britain on visits abroad. His tours of North America in 1860 and of the [[Indian subcontinent]] in 1875 proved popular successes. Despite this public approval, his reputation as a playboy prince soured his relationship with his mother.

Edward inherited the throne on [[Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria|his mother's death]] in 1901. He played a role in the modernisation of the [[British Home Fleet]] and the reorganisation of the [[British Army]] after the [[Second Boer War]] of 1899 to 1902. He re-instituted traditional ceremonies as public displays and broadened the range of people with whom royalty socialised. He fostered good relations between Britain and other European countries, especially [[French Third Republic|France]], for which he was popularly called "Peacemaker", but his relationship with his nephew, German Emperor [[Wilhelm&nbsp;II]], was poor.

The [[Edwardian era]], which covered Edward's reign and was named after him, coincided with the start of a new century and heralded significant changes in technology and society, including [[steam turbine]] propulsion and the [[History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom|rise of socialism]]. Edward died in the midst of a constitutional crisis that was resolved by the [[Parliament Act 1911]], which restricted the power of the unelected [[House of Lords]]. Edward was succeeded by his only surviving son, [[George&nbsp;V]].

==Early life and education==
[[File:Edward VII (1841_–_1910).jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Portrait of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales|Portrait of Edward]] by [[Franz Xaver Winterhalter]], 1846]]
[[File:Sir George Hayter (1792-1871) - The Christening of The Prince of Wales, 25 January 1842 - RCIN 403501 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|''[[The Christening of the Prince of Wales]]'' in [[St. George's Chapel]], Windsor, 25 January 1842]]
Edward was born at 10:48 am on 9 November 1841 at [[Buckingham Palace]].<ref>[[#Magnus|Magnus]], p. 1</ref> He was the eldest son and second child of [[Queen Victoria]] and her husband, [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]. He was christened ''Albert Edward'' at [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]], on 25 January 1842.{{efn|His godparents were [[Frederick William IV of Prussia|the King of Prussia]], his paternal step-grandmother [[Duchess Marie of Württemberg|the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] (for whom [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|the Duchess of Kent]], his maternal grandmother, stood proxy), his great-uncle [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge|the Duke of Cambridge]], his step-great-grandmother [[Princess Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel|the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg]] (for whom [[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel|the Duchess of Cambridge]], his great-aunt, stood proxy), his great-aunt [[Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom|Princess Sophia]] (for whom [[Princess Augusta of Cambridge]], his first cousin once-removed, stood proxy) and his great-uncle [[Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20065|date=28 January 1842|page=224}}</ref>}} He was named Albert after his father and Edward after his maternal grandfather, [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]. He was known as ''Bertie'' to the royal family throughout his life.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 1</ref>

As the eldest son of the British sovereign, Edward was automatically [[Duke of Cornwall]] and [[Duke of Rothesay]] at birth. As a son of Prince Albert, he also held the titles of [[Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] and [[Ernestine duchies|Duke of Saxony]]. He was created [[Prince of Wales]] and [[Earl of Chester]] on 8 December 1841, [[Earl of Dublin]] on 17 January 1850,<ref name="weir" /><ref name="cp" />{{efn|Gazetted on 10 September 1849.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21018|pages=2783|date=11 September 1849}}</ref>}} a [[Knight of the Garter]] on 9 November 1858, and a [[Knight of the Thistle]] on 24 May 1867.<ref name="weir">{{Citation |last=Weir |first=Alison |title=Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy, Revised Edition |page=319 |date=1996 |place=London |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-7126-7448-5 |author-link=Alison Weir (historian)}}</ref> In 1863, he renounced his succession rights to the Duchy of [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] in favour of his younger brother [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Alfred]].<ref>{{cite ODNB |authorlink=Van der Kiste, John |last=Van der Kiste |first=John |orig-date=September 2004 |date=May 2007 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/346 |title=Alfred, Prince, duke of Edinburgh (1844–1900) |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/346 |accessdate=24 June 2009 |mode=cs2}}</ref>

The Queen and Prince Albert were determined that their eldest son should have an education that would prepare him to be a model [[constitutional monarch]]. At age seven, Edward embarked on a rigorous educational programme devised by Albert, and supervised by several tutors. Unlike his elder sister [[Victoria, Princess Royal|Victoria]], he did not excel in his studies.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 17–19</ref> He tried to meet the expectations of his parents, but to no avail. Although Edward was not a diligent student—his true talents were those of charm, sociability and tact—[[Benjamin Disraeli]] described him as informed, intelligent and of sweet manner.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 4</ref> After the completion of his secondary-level studies, his tutor Frederick Waymouth Gibbs was replaced by [[Robert Bruce (1813–1862)|Robert Bruce]] as his personal governor.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 42</ref>

After an educational trip to Rome, undertaken in the first few months of 1859, Edward spent the summer of that year studying at the [[University of Edinburgh]] under, among others, the chemist [[Lyon Playfair]]. In October, he [[matriculated]] as an undergraduate at [[Christ Church, Oxford]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 18</ref> Now released from the educational strictures imposed by his parents, he enjoyed studying for the first time and performed satisfactorily in examinations.<ref name="dnb">{{cite ODNB |authorlink=Colin Matthew|last=Matthew|first= H. C. G. |orig-date=September 2004 |date=May 2006 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32975 |title=Edward VII (1841–1910) |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/32975 |accessdate=24 June 2009 |mode=cs2}}</ref> In 1861, he transferred to [[Trinity College, Cambridge]],<ref>{{acad|id=WLS861AE|name=Wales, H.R.H. Albert Edward, Prince of}}</ref> where he was tutored in history by [[Charles Kingsley]], [[Regius Professor of Modern History (Cambridge)|Regius Professor of Modern History]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 35; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 50</ref> Kingsley's efforts brought forth the best academic performances of Edward's life, and Edward actually looked forward to his lectures.<ref>[[#Hough|Hough]], pp. 36–37</ref>

==Early adulthood==
[[File:H.R.H. Prince of Wales and Suite at Point View, Niagara.jpg|thumb|Edward and his entourage at [[Niagara Falls]], 1860]]
In 1860, Edward undertook the first tour of North America by a Prince of Wales. His genial good humour and confident ''[[wikt:en:bonhomie|bonhomie]]'' made the tour a great success.<ref name="bc">[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], pp. 20–34</ref> He inaugurated the [[Victoria Bridge, Montreal]], across the [[St Lawrence River]], and laid the cornerstone of [[Parliament Hill, Ottawa]]. He watched [[Charles Blondin]] traverse [[Niagara Falls]] by highwire, and stayed for three days with President [[James Buchanan]] at the [[White House]]. Buchanan accompanied the prince to [[Mount Vernon]], to pay his respects at the tomb of [[George Washington]]. Vast crowds greeted Edward everywhere. He met [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]], [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]] and [[Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.]] Prayers for the royal family were said in [[Trinity Church, New York]], for the first time since 1776.<ref name="bc" /> The four-month tour throughout Canada and the United States considerably boosted Edward's confidence and self-esteem, and had many diplomatic benefits for Great Britain.<ref>[[#Hough|Hough]], pp. 39–47</ref>

Edward had hoped to pursue a career in the [[British Army]], but his mother vetoed an active military career.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 37</ref> He had been [[gazetted]] colonel on 9 November 1858<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22198|page=4745|date=9 November 1858}}</ref>—to his disappointment, as he had wanted to earn his commission by examination.<ref name="dnb" /> In September 1861, he was sent to Germany, supposedly to watch military manoeuvres, but actually in order to engineer a meeting between him and Princess [[Alexandra of Denmark]]. The Queen and Prince Albert had already decided that Edward and Alexandra should marry. They met at [[Speyer]] on 24 September under the auspices of Edward's elder sister, Victoria, who had married the [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Crown Prince of Prussia]] in 1858.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], pp. 36–38</ref> Princess Victoria, acting upon instructions from her mother, had met Alexandra at [[Neustrelitz|Strelitz]] in June; Alexandra made a very favourable impression. She and Edward were friendly from the start, and marriage plans advanced.<ref>[[#Hough|Hough]], pp. 64–66</ref>

Edward gained a reputation as a playboy. Determined to get some army experience, he attended manoeuvres in Ireland, during which he spent three nights with an actress, [[Nellie Clifden]], who was hidden in the camp by his fellow officers.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 54–55</ref> Albert, though ill, was appalled and visited Edward at [[Cambridge]] to issue a reprimand. Albert died in December 1861, just two weeks after the visit. The Queen was inconsolable, wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life and blamed Edward for his father's death.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 59–63</ref> At first, she regarded her son with distaste as frivolous, indiscreet and irresponsible. She wrote to her eldest daughter, "I never can, or shall, look at him without a shudder."<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 31</ref>

===Marriage===
{{main|Wedding of Prince Albert Edward and Princess Alexandra}}
[[File:Princess Alexandra of Denmark and the Prince of Wales engagement photograph.jpg|thumb|upright|Edward and Alexandra, 1863]]
Once widowed, the Queen effectively withdrew from public life. Shortly after Prince Albert's death, she arranged for Edward to embark on an extensive tour of the Middle East, visiting Egypt, [[Jerusalem]], [[Damascus]], [[Beirut]] and [[Istanbul]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], pp. 40–42</ref> The [[British government]] wanted Edward to secure the friendship of Egypt's ruler, [[Sa'id of Egypt|Said Pasha]], to prevent French control of the [[Suez Canal]] if the [[Ottoman Empire]] collapsed. It was the first [[royal tour]] on which an official photographer, [[Francis Bedford (photographer)|Francis Bedford]], was in attendance.

As soon as Edward returned to Britain, preparations were made for his engagement, which was sealed at [[Laeken]] in Belgium on 9 September 1862.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 44; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 72</ref> Edward married Alexandra at [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]], on 10 March 1863. He was 21; she was 18.
[[File:WeddingEA.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Edward and Alexandra on their wedding day, 1863]]
The couple established [[Marlborough House]] as their London residence and [[Sandringham House]] in Norfolk as their country retreat. They entertained on a lavish scale. Their marriage met with disapproval in certain circles because most of the Queen's relations were German, and Denmark was at loggerheads with Germany over the territories of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]]. When Alexandra's father, [[King Christian&nbsp;IX]], inherited the throne of Denmark in November 1863, the [[German Confederation]] took the opportunity to [[Second Schleswig War|invade and annex Schleswig-Holstein]]. The Queen was of two minds as to whether it was a suitable match, given the political climate.<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 35; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 83.</ref> After the marriage, she expressed anxiety about their socialite lifestyle and attempted to dictate to them on various matters, including the names of their children.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 85, 87, 93, 104</ref>
[[File:London Bridge on the Night of the Marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales.jpg|thumb|''[[London Bridge on the Night of the Marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales]]'', by [[William Holman Hunt]] (1864)]]
Edward had [[Mistress (lover)|mistresses]] throughout his married life. He socialised with actress [[Lillie Langtry]]; [[Lady Randolph Churchill]];{{efn|Letters written by Edward to Lady Randolph may have "signified no more than a flirtation" but were "[w]ritten in a strain of undue familiarity".<ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], p. 21</ref>}} [[Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick]]; actress [[Sarah Bernhardt]]; noblewoman [[Lady Susan Vane-Tempest]]; singer [[Hortense Schneider]]; prostitute Giulia Beneni (known as "La Barucci"); wealthy humanitarian [[Agnes Keyser]]; and [[Alice Keppel]]. At least fifty-five liaisons are conjectured.<ref>{{Citation |last=Camp |first=Anthony |title=Royal Mistresses and Bastards: Fact and Fiction, 1714–1936 |date=2007 |author-link=Anthony J. Camp}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://anthonyjcamp.com/page9.htm |title=Royal Mistresses and Bastards: Nos. 25–29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811135358/http://anthonyjcamp.com/page9.htm |date=11 August 2011 |website=anthonyjcamp.com |archive-date=11 August 2011}}</ref> How far these relationships went is not always clear. Edward always strove to be discreet, but this did not prevent society gossip or press speculation.<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 74–80</ref> Keppel's great-granddaughter [[Camilla Parker Bowles]] became the mistress and subsequent wife of King [[Charles III]], Edward's great-great-grandson. It was rumoured that Camilla's grandmother Sonia Keppel was fathered by Edward, but she was "almost certainly" the daughter of [[George Keppel (British Army officer, born 1865)|George Keppel]], whom she resembled.<ref>{{Citation |last=Souhami |first=Diana |author-link=Diana Souhami |title=Mrs Keppel and Her Daughter |page=49 |date=1996 |place=London |publisher=HarperCollins}}</ref> Edward never acknowledged any illegitimate children.<ref>{{Citation |last=Ashley |first=Mike |title=The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens |pages=694–695 |date=1998 |place=London |publisher=Robinson |isbn=978-1-84119-096-9 |author-link=Mike Ashley (writer)}}</ref> Alexandra was aware of his affairs, and seems to have accepted them.<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 89</ref>

In 1869, [[Sir Charles Mordaunt, 10th Baronet|Sir Charles Mordaunt]], a [[British Member of Parliament]], threatened to name Edward as co-respondent in his divorce suit. Ultimately, he did not do so but Edward was called as a witness in the case in early 1870. It was shown that Edward had visited the Mordaunts' house while Sir Charles was away sitting in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]. Although nothing further was proven and Edward denied he had committed [[adultery]], the suggestion of impropriety was damaging.<ref name="dnb" /><ref>[[#Priestley|Priestley]], pp. 22–23</ref>

==Heir apparent==
During his mother's widowhood, Edward pioneered the idea of royal public appearances as they are understood today—for example, opening the [[Thames Embankment]] in 1871, the [[Mersey Railway|Mersey Railway Tunnel]] in 1886, and [[Tower Bridge]] in 1894<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 97</ref>—but his mother did not allow him an active role in the running of the country until 1898.<ref name="royal">{{Citation |title=Edward VII |newspaper=The Royal Family |date=11 January 2016 |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-vii-r1901-1910 |publisher=Official website of the British Monarchy |access-date=18 April 2016 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015924/https://www.royal.uk/edward-vii-r1901-1910 |url-status=live |last1=Berry |first1=Ciara}}</ref><ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], pp. 18–19</ref> He was sent summaries of important government documents, but she refused to give him access to the originals.<ref name="dnb" /> Edward annoyed his mother, who favoured the Germans, by siding with Denmark on the [[Schleswig-Holstein Question]] in 1864 and in the same year annoyed her again by making a special effort to meet [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]], the Italian general and revolutionary, who was a leader in the movement for [[Italian unification]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], pp. 59–60</ref> [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] Prime Minister [[William Ewart Gladstone]] sent him papers secretly.<ref name="dnb" /> From 1886, [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Foreign Secretary]] [[Lord Rosebery]] sent him [[Foreign Office]] despatches, and from 1892 some [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] papers were opened to him.<ref name="dnb" />

In 1870 republican sentiment in Britain was given a boost when the French Emperor, [[Napoleon III]], was defeated in the [[Franco-Prussian War]] and the [[French Third Republic]] was declared.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 66; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 137, 142</ref> However, in the winter of 1871, a brush with death led to an improvement in both Edward's popularity with the public and his relationship with his mother. While staying at Londesborough Lodge, near [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire]], Edward contracted [[typhoid fever]], the disease that was believed to have killed his father. There was great national concern, and one of his fellow guests ([[George Stanhope, 7th Earl of Chesterfield|Lord Chesterfield]]) died. Edward's recovery was greeted with almost universal relief.<ref name="dnb" /> Public celebrations included the composition of [[Arthur Sullivan]]'s [[Festival Te Deum]]. Edward cultivated politicians from all parties, including republicans, as his friends, and thereby largely dissipated any residual feelings against him.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 67; [[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 48–52</ref>

[[File:Edward, Prince of Wales, with elephant, Terai cph.3b08927.jpg|thumb|upright|Edward (front left) in India, 1875–76|alt=Edward beside an elephant]]

On 26 September 1875, Edward set off for India on an extensive eight-month tour; on the way, he visited Malta, [[Brindisi]] and Greece. His advisors remarked on his habit of treating all people the same, regardless of their social station or colour. In letters home, he complained of the treatment of the native Indians by the British officials: "Because a man has a black face and a different religion from our own, there is no reason why he should be treated as a brute."<ref>Edward to [[Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville|Lord Granville]], 30 November 1875, quoted in [[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], pp. 101–102 and [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 179</ref> Consequently, [[Lord Salisbury]], the [[Secretary of State for India]], issued new guidance and at least one [[Resident (title)|resident]] was removed from office.<ref name="dnb" /> He returned to England on 11 May 1876, after stopping off at Portugal.<ref>{{Citation |title=Itinerary of the Imperial Tour 1875–1876 |url=http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/386134.html |work=Royal Museums Greenwich |access-date=7 April 2018 |archive-date=8 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408073540/http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/386134.html |url-status=live}}</ref> At the end of the tour, Queen Victoria was given the title [[Empress of India]] by Parliament, in part as a result of the tour's success.<ref name="bc104">[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 104</ref>

Edward was regarded worldwide as an arbiter of men's fashions.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bergner Hurlock |first=Elizabeth |title=The psychology of dress: an analysis of fashion and its motive |page=108 |date=1976 |publisher=Ayer Publishing |isbn=978-0-405-08644-1}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Mansel |first=Philip |title=Dressed to Rule |page=138 |date=2005 |place=New Haven |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-10697-8 |author-link=Philip Mansel}}</ref> He made wearing [[tweed]], [[Homburg hat]]s and [[Norfolk jacket]]s fashionable, and popularised the wearing of black ties with dinner jackets, instead of [[white tie]] and tails.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 84</ref> He pioneered the pressing of trouser legs from side to side in preference to the now normal front and back creases,<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 201</ref> and was thought to have introduced the stand-up turn-down shirt collar, created for him by [[Charvet Place Vendôme#International recognition|Charvet]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Try our "98' Curzons!" A few fashion hints for men |date=3 November 1898 |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OW18981103.2.164 |work=Otago Witness |quote=It was actually the Prince of Wales who introduced this shape. He got them originally about eight years ago from a manufacturer called [[Charvet Place Vendôme|Charvet]], in Paris. |access-date=5 May 2010 |archive-date=15 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915081331/http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OW18981103.2.164 |url-status=live}}</ref> A stickler for proper dress, he is said to have admonished Lord Salisbury for wearing the trousers of an Elder Brother of [[Trinity House]] with a [[privy council]]lor's coat. Deep in an international crisis, Salisbury informed Edward that it had been a dark morning, and that "my mind must have been occupied by some subject of less importance."<ref>{{Citation |last=Roberts |first=Andrew |title=Salisbury: Victorian Titan |date=2006 |place=London |publisher=Sterling Publishing Co. |author-link=Andrew Roberts (historian) |page=35}}</ref> The tradition of men not buttoning the bottom button of waistcoats is said to be linked to Edward, who supposedly left his undone because of his large girth.<ref name="dnb" /><ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 91</ref> His waist measured 48&nbsp;inches (122&nbsp;cm) shortly before his coronation.<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 200; [[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], p. 27</ref> He introduced the practice of eating roast beef and potatoes with [[horseradish]] sauce and [[Yorkshire pudding]] on Sundays, a meal that remains a staple British favourite for [[Sunday lunch]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 80</ref> He was a lifelong heavy smoker, but not a heavy drinker, though he did drink champagne and, occasionally, port.<ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], p. 27</ref>

Edward was a patron of the arts and sciences and helped found the [[Royal College of Music]]. He opened the college in 1883 with the words, "Class can no longer stand apart from class&nbsp;... I claim for music that it produces that union of feeling which I much desire to promote."<ref name="bc104" /> At the same time, he enjoyed gambling and country sports, and was an enthusiastic hunter. He ordered all the clocks at Sandringham to run half an hour ahead to provide more daylight time for shooting. This tradition of so-called [[Sandringham time]] continued until 1936, when it was abolished by [[Edward&nbsp;VIII]].<ref name="duke">[[#Windsor|Windsor]], p. 46</ref> He also laid out a golf course at Windsor. By the 1870s Edward had taken a keen interest in horseracing and steeplechasing. In 1896, his horse [[Persimmon (horse)|Persimmon]] won both the [[Derby Stakes|Derby]] and the [[St Leger Stakes|St Leger]]. In 1900, Persimmon's brother, [[Diamond Jubilee (horse)|Diamond Jubilee]], won five races, including the [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|Triple Crown]] of Derby, St Leger and [[2000 Guineas Stakes|2000 Guineas]], as well as the [[Newmarket Stakes]] and [[Eclipse Stakes]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 110</ref> The same year, another of Edward's horses, Ambush II, won the [[Grand National]].<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 98</ref>

[[File:Royal family group.jpg|thumb|upright|Edward (right) with his mother (centre); his niece [[Empress Alexandra of Russia]] (far left); her husband, [[Tsar Nicholas II]]; and their daughter [[Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia|Olga]], 1896]]

In 1891 Edward was embroiled in the [[royal baccarat scandal]], when it was revealed he had played an illegal card game for money the previous year. He was forced to appear as a witness in court for a second time when one of the participants unsuccessfully sued his fellow players for slander after being accused of cheating.<ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], pp. 23–25; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 280–290</ref> In the same year Edward was involved in a personal conflict, when [[Lord Charles Beresford]] threatened to reveal details of Edward's private life to the press, as a protest against Edward interfering with Beresford's affair with [[Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick]]. The friendship between the two men was irreversibly damaged, and their bitterness would last for the remainder of their lives.<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 86; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 265–268</ref> Usually, Edward's outbursts of temper were short-lived, and "after he had let himself go&nbsp;... [he would] smooth matters by being especially nice".<ref>Sir [[Frederick Ponsonby, 1st Baron Sysonby]], quoted in [[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 188</ref>

In late 1891, Edward's eldest son, [[Albert Victor]], was engaged to Princess Victoria [[Mary of Teck]]. Just a few weeks later, in early 1892, Albert Victor died of pneumonia. Edward was grief-stricken. "To lose our eldest son", he wrote, "is one of those calamities one can never really get over". Edward told the Queen, "[I would] have given my life for him, as I put no value on mine".<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 95–96</ref> Albert Victor was the second of Edward's children to die. In 1871, his youngest son, Alexander John, had died just 24 hours after being born. Edward had insisted on placing Alexander John in a coffin personally with "the tears rolling down his cheeks".<ref>Letter from Mrs Elise Stonor to Queen Victoria, 11 April 1871, quoted in {{Citation |last=Battiscombe |first=Georgina |title=Queen Alexandra |url=https://archive.org/details/queenalexandra0000batt |date=1969 |place=London |publisher=Constable |isbn=978-0-09-456560-9 |author-link=Georgina Battiscombe |page=112}} and [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 140</ref>

On his way to Denmark through Belgium on 4 April 1900, Edward was the victim of an attempted assassination when 15-year-old [[Jean-Baptiste Sipido]] shot at him in protest over the [[Second Boer War]]. The culprit was acquitted by a Belgian court because he was underage.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 339–340</ref> The perceived laxity of the Belgian authorities, combined with British disgust at [[Atrocities in the Congo Free State|Belgian atrocities]] in the [[Congo Free State|Congo]], worsened the already poor relations between the United Kingdom and the Continent. However, in the next ten years, Edward's affability and popularity, as well as his use of family connections, assisted Britain in building European alliances.<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 65</ref>

==Reign==
===Accession===
[[File:Edward VII in coronation robes.jpg|alt=Edward in coronation robes holding a sceptre. A crown and orb are on the table to his right.|thumb|Portrait by Sir [[Luke Fildes]], 1901]]
When [[Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria|his mother died]] on 22 January 1901, Edward became King of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India and, in an innovation, King of the British [[Dominion]]s.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], p. 7; [[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], p. 104</ref> He chose to reign under the name of Edward VII, instead of Albert Edward—the name his mother had intended for him to use{{efn|No English or British sovereign has ever reigned under a double name.}}—declaring that he did not wish to "undervalue the name of Albert" and diminish the status of his father with whom the "name should stand alone".<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27270|date=23 January 1901|page=547|supp=y}}</ref> The numeral VII was occasionally omitted in Scotland, even by the [[Church of Scotland|national church]], in deference to protests that the previous Edwards were English kings who had "been excluded from Scotland by battle".<ref name="dnb" /> [[J. B. Priestley]] recalled, "I was only a child when he succeeded Victoria in 1901, but I can testify to his extraordinary popularity. He was in fact the most popular king England had known since the earlier 1660s."<ref>[[#Priestley|Priestley]], p. 9</ref>
[[File:Edward VII (Puck magazine).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Caricature in ''[[Puck (magazine)|Puck]]'' magazine, 1901]]
Edward donated his parents' house, [[Osborne House|Osborne]] on the [[Isle of Wight]], to the state and continued to live at Sandringham.<ref>[[#Windsor|Windsor]], p. 14</ref> He could afford to be magnanimous; his private secretary, Sir [[Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys|Francis Knollys]], claimed that he was the first heir to succeed to the throne in credit.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], p. 26</ref> Edward's finances had been ably managed by Sir [[Dighton Probyn]], [[Comptroller of the Household]], and had benefited from advice from Edward's financier friends, some of whom were Jewish, such as [[Ernest Cassel]], [[Maurice de Hirsch]] and the [[Rothschild family]].<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 38, 84, 96; [[#Priestley|Priestley]], p. 32</ref> At a time of widespread [[antisemitism]], Edward attracted criticism for openly socialising with Jews.<ref>{{Citation |last=Allfrey |first=Anthony |title=King Edward VII and His Jewish Court |date=1991 |place=London |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |isbn=978-0-297-81125-1}}</ref><ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], pp. 63–64; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 271</ref>

[[Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra|Edward's coronation]] had originally been scheduled for 26 June 1902. However, two days before, he was diagnosed with [[appendicitis]].<ref name="Lee102">[[#Lee|Lee]], pp. 102–109</ref> The disease was generally not treated operatively. It carried a high mortality rate, but developments in [[anaesthesia]] and [[antisepsis]] in the preceding 50 years made life-saving surgery possible.<ref name="app">{{Citation |last1=Mirilas |first1=P. |title=Not just an appendix: Sir Frederick Treves |journal=Archives of Disease in Childhood |volume=88 |issue=6 |pages=549–552 |date=2003 |doi=10.1136/adc.88.6.549 |pmc=1763108 |pmid=12765932 |last2=Skandalakis, J. E.}}</ref> [[Sir Frederick Treves]], with the support of [[Lord Lister]], performed a then-radical operation of draining a pint of pus from the infected [[abscess]] through an incision in the king's abdomen; this outcome showed that the cause was not cancer.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 365</ref> The next day, Edward was sitting up in bed, smoking a cigar.<ref>[[#Windsor|Windsor]], p. 20</ref> Two weeks later, it was announced that he was out of danger. Treves was honoured with a baronetcy (which the King had arranged before the operation)<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 127</ref> and appendix surgery entered the medical mainstream.<ref name="app" /> Edward was crowned at [[Westminster Abbey]] on 9 August 1902 by the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Frederick Temple]].<ref name="Lee102" />

Edward refurbished the royal palaces, reintroduced the traditional ceremonies, such as the [[State Opening of Parliament]], that his mother had foregone, and founded new [[Order (honour)|honours]], such as the [[Order of Merit]], to recognise contributions to the arts and sciences.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], pp. 122–139; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 351–352, 361, 372</ref> In 1902, the Shah of Persia, [[Mozzafar-al-Din]], visited England expecting to receive the [[Order of the Garter]]. The King refused to bestow the honour on the Shah because the order was meant to be in his personal gift and the Foreign Secretary, [[Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne|Lord Lansdowne]], had promised it without his consent. He also objected to inducting a Muslim into a Christian [[order of chivalry]]. His refusal threatened to damage British attempts to gain influence in Persia,<ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], pp. 39–40</ref> but Edward resented his ministers' attempts to reduce his traditional powers.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], p. 182</ref> Eventually, he relented and Britain sent a special embassy to the Shah with a full Order of the Garter the following year.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], p. 157; [[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 125–126</ref>

==="Uncle of Europe"===
[[File:EdwardVII at Balmoral.jpg|thumb|Relaxing at [[Balmoral Castle]], photograph by Queen Alexandra]]
As King, Edward's main interests lay in the fields of foreign affairs and naval and military matters. Fluent in French and German, he reinvented royal diplomacy by numerous state visits across Europe.<ref>{{Citation |last=Glencross |first=Matthew |title=The State Visits of Edward VII: Reinventing Royal Diplomacy for the Twentieth Century |date=2015 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-137-54898-6}}</ref> He took annual holidays in [[Biarritz]] and [[Marienbad]].<ref name="duke" /> One of his most important foreign trips was an official visit to France in May 1903 as the guest of President [[Émile Loubet]]. Following a visit to [[Pope Leo XIII]] in Rome, this trip helped create the atmosphere for the Anglo-French [[Entente Cordiale]], an agreement delineating British and French colonies in North Africa, and ruling out any future war between the two countries. The Entente was negotiated in 1904 between the French foreign minister, [[Théophile Delcassé]], and the British foreign secretary, Lord Lansdowne. It marked the end of centuries of Anglo-French rivalry and Britain's [[splendid isolation]] from Continental affairs, and attempted to counterbalance the growing dominance of the [[German Empire]] and its ally, [[Austria-Hungary]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Nicolson |first=Harold |title=The Origins and Development of the Anglo-French Entente |date=October 1954 |work=International Affairs |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=407–416 |doi=10.2307/2608720 |jstor=2608720 |author-link=Harold Nicolson}}</ref>

Edward was related to nearly every other European monarch, and came to be known as the "uncle of Europe".<ref name="royal" /> German Emperor [[Wilhelm II]] and Emperor [[Nicholas II]] of Russia were his nephews; [[Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain]], [[Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden]], [[Crown Princess Marie of Romania]], [[Crown Princess Sophia of Greece]], and [[Empress Alexandra of Russia]] were his nieces; King [[Haakon VII]] of Norway was both his nephew and his son-in-law; kings [[Frederick VIII of Denmark]] and [[George I of Greece]] were his brothers-in-law; kings [[Albert I of Belgium]], [[Ferdinand I of Bulgaria]], and [[Carlos I of Portugal|Carlos I]] and [[Manuel II of Portugal]] were his second cousins. Edward doted on his grandchildren, and indulged them, to the consternation of their governesses.<ref>[[#Windsor|Windsor]], p. 15</ref> However, there was one relation whom Edward did not like: Wilhelm II. His difficult relationship with his nephew exacerbated the tensions between Germany and Britain.<ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], pp. 460–464; [[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 60–61, 172–175; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 382–384, 433</ref>

In April 1908, during Edward's annual stay at Biarritz, he accepted the resignation of British Prime Minister Sir [[Henry Campbell-Bannerman]]. In a break with precedent, Edward asked Campbell-Bannerman's successor, [[H. H. Asquith]], to travel to Biarritz to [[kiss hands]]. Asquith complied, but the press criticised the action of the King in appointing a prime minister on foreign soil instead of returning to Britain.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], pp. 581–582; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 417–418</ref> In June 1908, Edward became the first reigning British monarch to visit the [[Russian Empire]], despite refusing to visit in 1906, when Anglo-Russian relations were strained in the aftermath of the [[Russo-Japanese War]], the [[Dogger Bank incident]], and the Tsar's dissolution of the [[State Duma (Russian Empire)|Duma]].<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 167, 169</ref> The previous month, he visited the Scandinavian countries, becoming the first British monarch to visit Sweden.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], pp. 583–584</ref>

===Political opinions===
[[File:King Edward VII Vanity Fair 19 June 1902.jpg|thumb|Portrait in naval uniform by ''[[Vanity Fair (UK magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' magazine, 1902]]
[[File:Stamp UK 1902 1p.jpg|thumb|upright|Edward VII on British 1-penny stamp of 1902]]
While Prince of Wales, Edward had to be dissuaded from breaking with constitutional precedent by openly voting for [[W. E. Gladstone]]'s [[Representation of the People Act 1884|Representation of the People Bill (1884)]] in the [[House of Lords]].<ref name="dnb" /><ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 241</ref> On other matters, he was more conservative; for example, he did not favour giving [[Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom|votes to women]],<ref name="dnb" /><ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], pp. 215–216; [[#Lee|Lee]], p. 468; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 403</ref> although he did suggest that the social reformer [[Octavia Hill]] serve on the [[Commission for Working Class Housing]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 98</ref> He was also opposed to [[Irish Home Rule]], instead preferring a form of [[dual monarchy]].<ref name="dnb" />

As Prince of Wales, Edward had come to enjoy warm and mutually respectful relations with Gladstone, whom his mother detested,<ref>[[#Magnus|Magnus]], p. 212</ref> but the statesman's son, [[Home Secretary]] [[Herbert Gladstone]], angered the King by planning to permit Roman Catholic priests in vestments to carry the [[Sacramental bread|Host]] through the streets of London, and by appointing two ladies, [[Lady Frances Balfour]] and [[May Tennant]] (wife of [[Harold Tennant|H. J. Tennant]]), to serve on a Royal Commission on reforming divorce law—Edward thought divorce could not be discussed with "delicacy or even decency" before ladies. Edward's biographer [[Philip Magnus-Allcroft]] suggests that Gladstone may have become a [[whipping boy]] for the King's general irritation with the Liberal government. Gladstone was sacked in the reshuffle the following year and the King agreed, with some reluctance, to appoint him [[Governor-General of South Africa]].<ref>[[#Magnus|Magnus]], p. 541</ref>

Edward involved himself heavily in discussions over army reform, the need for which had become apparent with the failings of the [[Second Boer War]].<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], pp. 91–93; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 389</ref> He supported the redesign of army command, the creation of the [[Territorial Force]], and the decision to provide an [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|Expeditionary Force]] supporting France in the event of war with Germany.<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 130–134</ref> Reform of the Royal Navy was also suggested, partly due to the ever-increasing Naval Estimates, and because of the emergence of the [[Imperial German Navy]] as a new strategic threat.<ref>{{Citation |last=Kennedy |first=Paul M. |title=The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery |pages=215–216 |date=2004 |place=London |publisher=Penguin Books |author-link=Paul Kennedy}}</ref> Ultimately a dispute arose between Admiral [[Lord Charles Beresford]], who favoured increased spending and a broad deployment, and the [[First Sea Lord]] Admiral Sir [[John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher|John Fisher]], who favoured efficiency savings, scrapping obsolete vessels, and a strategic realignment of the Royal Navy relying on torpedo craft for home defence backed by the new [[dreadnought]]s.<ref>{{Citation |last=Lambert |first=Nicholas A. |title=Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution |date=2002 |place=Columbia, South Carolina |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-57003-492-3}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Grove |first=Eric J. |author-link=Eric Grove |title=The Royal Navy since 1815 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=Basingstoke |date=2005 |isbn=978-0-333-72126-1 |pages=88–100}}</ref>

The King lent support to Fisher, in part because he disliked Beresford, and eventually Beresford was dismissed. Beresford continued his campaign outside of the navy and Fisher ultimately announced his resignation in late 1909, although the bulk of his policies were retained.<ref>[[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 134–139</ref> The King was intimately involved in the appointment of Fisher's successor as the Fisher-Beresford feud had split the service, and the only truly qualified figure known to be outside of both camps was [[Arthur Wilson (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Arthur Wilson]], who had retired in 1907.<ref>Lambert, pp. 200–201.</ref> Wilson was reluctant to return to active duty, but Edward persuaded him to do so, and Wilson became First Sea Lord on 25 January 1910.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bradford |first=Admiral Sir Edward E. |title=Life of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur Knyvet Wilson |pages=223–225 |date=1923 |place=London |publisher=John Murray |author-link=Edward Eden Bradford}}</ref>
[[File:Edward VII and Willhelm II.jpg|thumb|upright|Edward VII (left) and Kaiser Wilhelm II (right)]]
Edward was rarely interested in politics, although his views on some issues were notably progressive for the time. During his reign, he said use of the word ''[[nigger]]'' was "disgraceful", despite it then being in common parlance.<ref>{{Citation |last=Rose |first=Kenneth |title=King George V |page=65 |date=1983 |place=London |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |author-link=Kenneth Rose |isbn=9780297782452}}</ref> In 1904, Wilhelm II and Edward met during an Anglo-German summit in [[Kiel]]. Wilhelm, with the Russo-Japanese War in mind, started to go on about the "[[Yellow Peril]]", which he called "the greatest peril menacing&nbsp;... [[Christendom]] and [[Western culture|European civilisation]]. If the Russians went on giving ground, the yellow race would, in twenty years time, be in Moscow and [[Poznań|Posen]]".<ref name="macdonogh">{{Citation |last=MacDonogh |first=Giles |author-link=George MacDonogh |title=The Last Kaiser |isbn=0312305575 |page=277 |date=2003 |place=New York |publisher=St Martin's Press}}</ref> Wilhelm went on to attack his British guests for supporting Japan against Russia, suggesting that the British were committing "race treason". In response, Edward stated that he "could not see it. The Japanese were an intelligent, brave and chivalrous nation, quite as civilised as the Europeans, from whom they only differed by the pigmentation of their skin".<ref name="macdonogh" /> Although Edward lived a life of luxury often far removed from that of the majority of his subjects, they expected it, and his personal charm with all levels of society and his strong condemnation of prejudice went some way to assuage republican and racial tensions building during his lifetime.<ref name="dnb" />

===Constitutional crisis===
In the last year of his life, Edward became embroiled in a constitutional crisis when the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] majority in the [[House of Lords]] refused to pass the "[[People's Budget]]" proposed by the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] government of Prime Minister Asquith. The crisis eventually led—after Edward's death—to the removal of the Lords' right to veto legislation. The King was displeased at Liberal attacks on the peers, which included a polemical speech by [[David Lloyd George]] at [[Limehouse]].<ref>[[#Heffer|Heffer]], pp. 276–277; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 437</ref> Cabinet minister [[Winston Churchill]] publicly demanded a general election, for which Asquith apologised to the King's adviser [[Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys|Lord Knollys]] and rebuked Churchill at a Cabinet meeting. Edward was so dispirited at the tone of class warfare—although Asquith told him that party rancour had been just as bad over the [[First Home Rule Bill]] in 1886—that he introduced his son to [[Secretary of State for War]] [[Richard Haldane]] as "the last King of England".<ref>[[#Heffer|Heffer]], pp. 282–283</ref> After the King's horse [[Minoru (horse)|Minoru]] won the Derby on 26 July 1909, he returned to the racetrack the following day and laughed when a man shouted: "Now, King. You've won the Derby. Go back home and dissolve this bloody Parliament!"<ref>[[#Magnus|Magnus]], p. 526</ref>

In vain, the King urged Conservative leaders [[Arthur Balfour]] and Lord Lansdowne to pass the budget, which [[Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher|Lord Esher]] had advised him was not unusual, as Queen Victoria had helped to broker agreements between the two Houses over [[Irish disestablishment]] in 1869 and the [[Third Reform Act]] in 1884.<ref>[[#Magnus|Magnus]], p. 534; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 440–441</ref> On Asquith's advice, however, he did not offer them an election (at which, to judge from recent by-elections, they were likely to gain seats) as a reward for doing so.<ref>[[#Heffer|Heffer]], pp. 281–282</ref>
[[File:Francis Derwent Wood - Edouard VII.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bust by [[Francis Derwent Wood]]]]
[[File:Edward VII Halfpenny.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Profile of Edward VII on a [[Halfpenny (British pre-decimal coin)|halfpenny]], 1902]]
The Finance Bill passed the Commons on 5 November 1909, but was rejected by the Lords on 30 November; they instead passed a resolution of Lord Lansdowne's stating that they were entitled to oppose the bill as it lacked an electoral mandate. The King was annoyed that his efforts to urge passage of the budget had become public knowledge<ref>[[#Magnus|Magnus]], p. 536</ref> and had forbidden Knollys, who was an active Liberal peer, from voting for the budget, although Knollys had suggested that this would be a suitable gesture to indicate royal desire to see the budget pass.<ref>[[#Heffer|Heffer]], pp. 283–284</ref> In December 1909, a proposal to create peers (to give the Liberals a majority in the Lords) or give the prime minister the right to do so was considered "outrageous" by Knollys, who thought the King should abdicate rather than agree to it.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 443</ref>

Talk of removing the Lords' veto played a major role in the [[January 1910 United Kingdom general election|January 1910 election]]. Early in the election campaign, Lloyd George talked of "guarantees" and Asquith of "safeguards" that would be necessary before forming another Liberal government, but such talk ceased after the King informed Asquith that he would not be willing to contemplate creating peers until after a second general election.<ref name="dnb" /><ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], p. 168</ref> Balfour refused to say whether or not he would be willing to form a Conservative government, but advised the King not to promise to create peers until he had seen the terms of any proposed constitutional change.<ref name="Heffer, pp. 286–288">[[#Heffer|Heffer]], pp. 286–288</ref> During the campaign, the leading Conservative [[Walter Long, 1st Viscount Long|Walter Long]] asked Knollys for permission to state that the King did not favour Irish Home Rule, but Knollys refused on the grounds that it was not appropriate for the monarch's views to be known in public.<ref name="Magnus, p. 547">[[#Magnus|Magnus]], p. 547</ref>

The election resulted in a [[hung parliament]], with the Liberal government dependent on the support of the third-largest party, the [[Irish nationalism|nationalist]] [[Irish Parliamentary Party]]. The King suggested a compromise whereby only 50 peers from each side would be allowed to vote, which would also obviate the large Conservative majority in the Lords, but [[Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe|Lord Crewe]], Liberal leader in the Lords, advised that this would reduce the Lords' independence, as only peers who were loyal party supporters would be picked.<ref name="Magnus, p. 547" /> Pressure to remove the Lords' veto now came from the Irish nationalist MPs, who wanted to remove the Lords' ability to block the introduction of Home Rule. They threatened to vote against the budget unless they had their way (an attempt by Lloyd George to win their support by amending whiskey duties was abandoned as the Cabinet felt this would recast the budget too much). Asquith now revealed that there were no "guarantees" for the creation of peers. The Cabinet considered resigning and leaving it up to Balfour to try to form a Conservative government.<ref>[[#Heffer|Heffer]], pp. 290–293</ref>

The King's [[speech from the throne]] on 21 February made reference to introducing measures restricting the Lords' power of veto to one of delay, but Asquith inserted a phrase "in the opinion of my advisers" so the King could be seen to be distancing himself from the planned legislation.<ref>[[#Heffer|Heffer]], p. 291</ref> The Commons passed resolutions on 14 April that would form the basis for the [[Parliament Act 1911]]: to remove the power of the Lords to veto money bills, to replace their veto of other bills with a power to delay, and to reduce the term of Parliament from seven years to five (the King would have preferred four<ref name="Heffer, pp. 286–288" />). However, in that debate Asquith hinted—to ensure the support of the nationalist MPs—that he would ask the King to break the deadlock "in that Parliament" (i.e. contrary to Edward's earlier stipulation that there be a second election). The budget was passed by both Commons and Lords in April.<ref>[[#Heffer|Heffer]], p. 293</ref>

By April, the Palace was having secret talks with Balfour and [[Randall Davidson]], Archbishop of Canterbury, who both advised that the Liberals did not have sufficient mandate to demand the creation of peers. The King thought the whole proposal "simply disgusting" and that the government was "in the hands of [[John Redmond|Redmond]] & Co". [[Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe|Lord Crewe]] announced publicly that the government's wish to create peers should be treated as formal "[[advice (constitutional law)|ministerial advice]]" (which, by convention, the monarch must accept), although Lord Esher argued that the monarch was entitled ''in extremis'' to dismiss the government rather than take their "advice".<ref>[[#Heffer|Heffer]], pp. 294–296</ref> Esher's view has been called "obsolete and unhelpful".<ref>[[#Magnus|Magnus]], pp. 555–556</ref>

==Death==
{{main|Death and state funeral of Edward VII}}
[[File:King Edward VII after death.jpg|thumb|[[Post-mortem photography|Deathbed photograph]], May 1910]]
[[File:4125s2.ogv|thumb|[[Death and state funeral of Edward VII|Funeral procession of Edward VII]], London, 1910]]
Edward habitually smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day. In 1907, a [[rodent ulcer]], a type of cancer affecting the skin next to his nose, was cured with [[radium]].<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 409</ref> Towards the end of his life he increasingly suffered from [[bronchitis]].<ref name="dnb" /> He suffered a momentary loss of consciousness during a state visit to Berlin in February 1909.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], p. 676; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 432</ref> In March 1910, he was staying at [[Biarritz]] when he collapsed. He remained there to convalesce, while in London Asquith tried to get the Finance Bill passed. The King's continued ill health was unreported, and he attracted criticism for staying in France while political tensions were so high.<ref name="dnb" /> On 27 April he returned to Buckingham Palace, still suffering from severe bronchitis. Alexandra returned from visiting her brother, [[George I of Greece]], in [[Corfu]] a week later on 5 May.

On 6 May, Edward suffered several heart attacks, but refused to go to bed, saying, "No, I shall not give in; I shall go on; I shall work to the end."<ref name="p151">[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 151</ref> Between moments of faintness, his son the Prince of Wales (shortly to be King [[George&nbsp;V]]) told him that his horse, Witch of the Air, had won at [[Kempton Park Racecourse|Kempton Park]] that afternoon. The King replied, "Yes, I have heard of it. I am very glad": his [[List of last words (20th century)#1910–1919|final words]].<ref name="dnb" /> At 11:30&nbsp;pm he lost consciousness for the last time and was put to bed. He died 15 minutes later.<ref name="p151" />

Alexandra refused to allow Edward's body to be moved for eight days afterwards, though she allowed small groups of visitors to enter his room.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 558</ref> On 11 May, the late king was dressed in his uniform and placed in a massive oak coffin, which was moved on 14 May to the throne room, where it was sealed and lay in state, with a guardsman standing at each corner of the bier. Despite the time that had elapsed since his death, Alexandra noted his body remained "wonderfully preserved".<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 560–561</ref> On the morning of 17 May, the coffin was placed on a gun carriage and drawn by black horses to [[Westminster Hall]], with the new king, his family and Edward's favourite dog, [[Caesar (dog)|Caesar]], walking behind. Following a brief service, the royal family left, and the hall was opened to the public; over 400,000 people filed past the coffin over the next two days.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 563–565</ref> As [[Barbara Tuchman]] noted in ''[[The Guns of August]]'', his funeral, held on 20 May 1910, marked "the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last." A royal train conveyed the King's coffin from London to Windsor Castle, where Edward was buried at [[St George's Chapel]].<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 568</ref>

==Legacy==
{{further|Cultural depictions of Edward VII|Royal eponyms in Canada}}
{{Multiple image
|total_width=500
|image1=King Edward VII 0918.jpg
|caption1=Statue in [[Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne]]
|image2=Edward Edinburgh.jpg
|caption2=Statue outside [[Holyrood Palace]], Edinburgh
|image3=Edward VII Front Full, Bangalore.JPG
|caption3=[[Statue of Edward VII, Bangalore]], India
|footer=Statues of Edward can be found throughout the former empire.
}}

Before his accession to the throne, Edward was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He was surpassed by his great-great-grandson [[Charles III]] on 20 April 2011.<ref>{{Citation |title=Prince Charles becomes longest-serving heir apparent |date=20 April 2011 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13133587 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=30 January 2016 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925202124/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13133587 |url-status=live}}</ref> The title Prince of Wales is not automatically held by the heir apparent; it is bestowed by the reigning monarch at a time of his or her choosing.<ref name="clarence">{{Citation |title=Previous Princes of Wales |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/titles-and-heraldry/previous-princes-of-wales |publisher=Clarence House |access-date=30 January 2016 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014191303/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/titles-and-heraldry/previous-princes-of-wales |url-status=live}}</ref> Edward was the longest-serving holder of that title until surpassed by Charles on 9 September 2017.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bryan |first=Nicola |title=Prince Charles is longest-serving Prince of Wales |date=9 September 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-41179772 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=9 September 2017 |archive-date=9 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909153555/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-41179772 |url-status=live}}</ref> Edward was Prince of Wales between 8 December 1841 and 22 January 1901 (59 years, 45 days); Charles held the title between 26 July 1958 and 8 September 2022 ({{Age in years and days|1958|07|26|2022|09|08}}).<ref name="clarence" /><ref>{{Citation |last=Richardson |first=Matt |title=The Royal Book of Lists |page=56 |date=2001 |place=Toronto |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn=978-0-88882-238-3}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Lloyd |first1=Will |title=King Charles is no longer Hamlet |url=https://unherd.com/thepost/goodnight-sweet-prince/ |access-date=12 September 2022 |work=[[UnHerd]] |date=9 September 2022}}</ref>

As king, Edward VII proved a greater success than anyone had expected,<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 349, 473, 476</ref> but he was already past the average life expectancy and had little time left to fulfil the role. In his short reign, he ensured that his second son and heir, [[George V]], was better prepared to take the throne. Contemporaries described their relationship as more like affectionate brothers than father and son,<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 155</ref> and on Edward's death George wrote in his diary that he had lost his "best friend and the best of fathers&nbsp;... I never had a [cross] word with him in my life. I am heart-broken and overwhelmed with grief".<ref>King George V's diary, 6 May 1910. Royal Archives</ref>

Edward has been recognised as the first truly constitutional British sovereign and the last sovereign to wield effective political power.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 576</ref> Though lauded as "Peacemaker",<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 157; [[#Lee|Lee]], p. 738</ref> he had been afraid that German Emperor Wilhelm II, who was one of his nephews, would tip Europe into war.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], pp. 358, 650, 664; [[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 176, 179; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 474</ref> Four years after Edward's death, the [[First World War]] broke out. The naval reforms he had supported and his part in securing the [[Triple Entente]] between Britain, France, and Russia, as well as his relationships with his extended family, fed the paranoia of the German Emperor, who blamed Edward for the war.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 474</ref> Publication of the official biography of Edward was delayed until 1927 by its author, [[Sidney Lee]], who feared German propagandists would select material to portray Edward as an anti-German warmonger.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 487</ref> Lee was also hampered by the extensive destruction of Edward's personal papers; Edward had left orders that all his letters should be burned on his death.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 482–483</ref> Subsequent biographers have been able to construct a more rounded picture of Edward by using material and sources that were unavailable to Lee.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 494–495</ref>

Historian [[R. C. K. Ensor]], writing in 1936, praised the King's political personality:

<blockquote> ...he had in many respects great natural ability. He knew how to be both dignified and charming; he had an excellent memory; and his tact in handling people was quite exceptional. He had a store of varied, though unsystematised, knowledge gathered at first-hand through talking to all sorts of eminent men. His tastes were not particularly elevated, but they were thoroughly English; and he showed much (though not unfailing) comprehension for the common instincts of the people over whom he reigned. This was not the less remarkable because, though a good linguist in French and German, he never learned to speak English without a German accent.<ref>[[#Ensor|Ensor]], p. 343</ref></blockquote>

Ensor rejects the widespread notion that the King exerted an important influence on British foreign policy, believing he gained that reputation by making frequent trips abroad, with many highly publicised visits to foreign courts. Ensor thought surviving documents showed "how comparatively crude his views on foreign policy were, how little he read, and of what naïve indiscretions he was capable."<ref>[[#Ensor|Ensor]], pp. 567–569</ref> Edward received criticism for his apparent pursuit of self-indulgent pleasure, but he received great praise for his affable manners and diplomatic tact. As his grandson [[Edward&nbsp;VIII]] wrote, "his lighter side&nbsp;... obscured the fact that he had both insight and influence."<ref>[[#Windsor|Windsor]], p. 69</ref> "He had a tremendous zest for pleasure but he also had a real sense of duty", wrote J. B. Priestley.<ref>[[#Priestley|Priestley]], p. 25</ref> Lord Esher wrote that Edward VII was "kind and debonair and not undignified—but too human".<ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], p. 17</ref>

==Honours==
[[File:Portrait of King Edward VII with the Robes of the Order of the Star of India.png|thumb|Edward VII wearing the [[Order of the Star of India]]. He became an extra knight of the order in 1861, while Prince of Wales.<ref name="p306" /> Portrait by Alfred James Downey.]]
;British honours<ref name="cp">{{Citation |last=Cokayne |first=G. E. |title=The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom |url=https://archive.org/stream/completepeerageo03coka#page/450/mode/2up |volume=4 |pages=451–452 |date=1910 |editor-last=Gibbs |editor-first=Vicary |place=London |publisher=St Catherine's Press |author-link=George Cokayne}}</ref>
* '''KG''': [[Order of the Garter|Royal Knight Companion of the Garter]], ''9 November 1858''<ref name="p60">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 60</ref>
* '''GCSI''': [[Order of the Star of India|Extra Knight Companion of the Star of India]], ''25 June 1861'';<ref name="p306">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 306</ref> Extra Knight Grand Commander, ''24 May 1866''<ref name="p308">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 308</ref>
* '''FRS''': Fellow of the [[Royal Society]], ''12 February 1863''
* '''PC''': Member of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom]], ''8 December 1863''
* '''GCB''': [[Knight Grand Cross of the Bath]] (military), ''10 February 1865'';<ref name="p194">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 194</ref> [[Great Masters of the Order of the Bath|Great Master]], ''22 June 1897''<ref>{{Citation |last=Galloway |first=Peter |title=The Order of the Bath |pages=247 |date=2006 |place=Chichester |publisher=Phillimore & Co. Ltd. |isbn=978-1-86077-399-0 |author-link=Peter Galloway}}</ref>
* '''KT''': [[Order of the Thistle|Extra Knight of the Thistle]], ''24 May 1867''<ref name="p86">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 86</ref>
* '''KP''': [[Order of St Patrick|Extra Knight of St. Patrick]], ''18 March 1868''<ref name="p102">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 102</ref>
* '''PC(I)''': Member of the [[Privy Council of Ireland]], ''21 April 1868''
* '''GCStJ''': [[Venerable Order of St. John|Knight of Justice of St. John]], ''1876'';<ref>{{Citation |title=[[Burke's Peerage|Burke's Peerage & Baronetage]] |date=1970 |publisher=Burke's Peerage Ltd |editor-last=Townend |editor-first=Peter |editor-link=Peter Townend (editor) |edition=105th |location=London |page=lxvii (ROYAL LINEAGE)}}</ref> [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)#List of Grand Priors|Grand Prior]], ''1888''<ref name="Tozer78">{{Citation |last=Tozer |first=Charles W. |title=The Insignia and Medals of the Grand Priory of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem |date=1975 |publisher=J. B. Hayward and Son |location=London |page=78}}</ref>
* '''GCMG''': [[Order of St Michael and St George|Extra Knight Grand Cross of St Michael and St George]], ''31 May 1877''<ref name="p337">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 337</ref>
* '''GCIE''': [[Order of the Indian Empire|Extra Knight Grand Commander of the Indian Empire]], ''21 June 1887''<ref name="p401">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 401</ref>
* '''GCVO''': [[Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]], ''6 May 1896''<ref name="p417">[[#Shaw|Shaw]], p. 417</ref>
* [[Albert Medal (Royal Society of Arts)|Albert Medal]] of the [[Royal Society of Arts]], ''1901''<ref>{{Citation |title=The Albert Medal |url=http://www.thersa.org/about-us/history-and-archive/medals/albert-medal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608193010/http://www.thersa.org/about-us/history-and-archive/medals/albert-medal |archive-date=8 June 2011 |access-date=9 March 2011 |publisher=[[Royal Society of Arts]], London, UK}}</ref>
* Founder and Sovereign of the [[Order of Merit]], ''26 June 1902''<ref>{{Citation |last=Martin |first=Stanley |title=The Order of Merit: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zWVscq9SdgYC |page=1 |date=2007 |place=New York City |publisher=I.B. Tauris & Co. |isbn=978-1-86064-848-9 |access-date=19 October 2019 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125152915/https://books.google.com/books?id=zWVscq9SdgYC |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Founder and Sovereign of the [[Imperial Service Order]], ''8 August 1902''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27463 |date=8 August 1902 |page=5171}}</ref>
* Founder of the [[Royal Victorian Chain]], ''1902''<ref>"Court Circular" (12 August 1902) ''The Times'' Issue 36844, p. 8.</ref>

;Foreign honours
[[File:Coat of Arms of the 62nd Infantry Regiment Arapiles.svg|thumb|Armorial achievement of the [[Spanish Army]] 62nd Regiment of Infantry "[[Arapiles, Salamanca|Arapiles]]".<br /> King Edward's [[Royal cypher|cypher]] and the name of the [[16th The Queen's Lancers|British Army unit]] that played a prominent role in the [[Battle of Salamanca]] were added at the beginning of the [[Peninsular War]] Centenary (1908).<ref>[http://www.ejercito.mde.es/unidades/Gerona/rczm_arapiles62/Historial/index.html History of the 62nd Mountain Hunters Regiment "Arapiles"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305182329/http://www.ejercito.mde.es/unidades/Gerona/rczm_arapiles62/Historial/index.html |date=5 March 2011}}. Spanish Army website (in Spanish), retrieved 28 April 2016</ref>]]
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em
|1=* [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxony]]: [[Order of the Rue Crown|Knight of the Rue Crown]], ''1844''<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SBFTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA4 |title=Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1865/66 |publisher=Heinrich |date=1866 |page=4 |access-date=21 November 2019 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801073634/https://books.google.com/books?id=SBFTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA4 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Russian Empire|Russia]]:<ref name="Naotaka">{{Citation |last=Kimizuka |first=Naotaka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T13tPAAACAAJ |title=女王陛下のブルーリボン: ガーター勲章とイギリス外交 |date=2004 |publisher=NTT Publishing |isbn=978-4-7571-4073-8 |location=Tokyo |pages=300–302 |language=ja |trans-title=Her Majesty The Queen's Blue Ribbon: The Order of the Garter and British Diplomacy |access-date=14 September 2020 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125152611/https://books.google.com/books?id=T13tPAAACAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref>
** [[Order of St. Andrew|Knight of St. Andrew]], with Collar, ''1844''
** [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky|Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky]], ''1844''
** [[Order of the White Eagle (Russia)|Knight of the White Eagle]], ''1844''
** [[Order of St. Anna|Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class]], ''1844''
** [[Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov)|Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class]], ''1844''
** [[Order of St. Vladimir|Knight of St. Vladimir, 3rd Class]], ''1881''
* Netherlands: [[Order of the Netherlands Lion|Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion]], ''1849''<ref name="Naotaka" />
* [[Restoration (Spain)|Spain]]:
** [[Order of the Golden Fleece|Knight of the Golden Fleece]], ''7 May 1852''<ref>{{Citation |title=Guía Oficial de España |date=1887 |page=146 |chapter=Caballeros de la insigne orden del toisón de oro |chapter-url=http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000941464&search=&lang=es |place=Madrid |language=es |access-date=21 March 2019 |archive-date=22 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222032234/http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000941464&search=&lang=es |url-status=live}}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of Charles III]], with Collar, ''6 May 1876''<ref>{{Citation |title=Guía Oficial de España |date=1887 |page=148 |chapter=Real y distinguida orden de Carlos III |chapter-url=http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000941464&search=&lang=es |place=Madrid |language=es |access-date=21 March 2019 |archive-date=22 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222032234/http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000941464&search=&lang=es |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]]:<ref name="Agraciamentos">{{Citation |last=Bragança |first=Jose Vicente de |date=2014 |title=Agraciamentos Portugueses Aos Príncipes da Casa Saxe-Coburgo-Gota |trans-title=Portuguese Honours awarded to Princes of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |url=https://www.academia.edu/10576008 |journal=Pro Phalaris |language=pt |volume=9–10 |page=12 |access-date=28 November 2019 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125152639/https://www.academia.edu/10576008 |url-status=live}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Tower and Sword|Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword]], ''25 November 1858''
** Grand Cross of the [[Sash of the Two Orders]], ''7 June 1865''; [[Sash of the Three Orders|Three Orders]], ''8 February 1901''
* [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]:<ref>{{citation |title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste |journal=Preussische Ordens-Liste |volume=1 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021 |pages=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=13&skin=2021 5], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=31&skin=2021 23], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=640&skin=2021 632], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=1007&skin=2021 935], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=1120&skin=2021 1048] |language=German |location=Berlin |publisher=Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei |year=1886 |access-date=18 August 2021 |archive-date=18 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818034008/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Black Eagle|Knight of the Black Eagle]], ''22 December 1858''; with Collar, ''1869''
** [[Order of the Red Eagle|Grand Cross of the Red Eagle]], ''2 March 1874''
** Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal [[House Order of Hohenzollern]], ''11 March 1878''
** Knight of the [[Order of the Crown (Prussia)|Royal Crown Order]], 3rd Class with Red Cross on White Field on Commemorative Band, ''4 April 1881''
** Knight of Honour of the [[Johanniter Order]], ''19 May 1884''
* Belgium: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]] (civil), ''11 January 1859''<ref>{{Citation |title=Almanach Royal Officiel |page=50 |date=1860 |chapter=Liste des Membres de l'Ordre de Léopold |chapter-url=https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AR/ALMANACH%20ROYAL%20OFFICIEL_1860_R%20208/ALMANACH%20ROYAL%20OFFICIEL_1860_R%20208#page/25 |language=french |via=Archives de Bruxelles |access-date=13 March 2021 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125152950/https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AR/ALMANACH%20ROYAL%20OFFICIEL_1860_R%20208/ALMANACH%20ROYAL%20OFFICIEL_1860_R%20208#page/25 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Sardinia]]: [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation|Knight of the Annunciation]], ''20 February 1859''<ref>{{Citation |last=Cibrario |first=Luigi |author-link=Luigi, Count Cibrario |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2aP6enNFoYC&q=Ordine%20supremo%20della%20Santissima%20Annunziata&pg=PA116 |title=Notizia storica del nobilissimo ordine supremo della santissima Annunziata. Sunto degli statuti, catalogo dei cavalieri |date=1869 |publisher=Eredi Botta |page=116 |language=it |access-date=4 March 2019 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125152950/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2aP6enNFoYC&q=Ordine+supremo+della+Santissima+Annunziata&pg=PA116 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Ernestine duchies]]: Grand Cross of the [[Saxe-Ernestine House Order]], ''December 1859''<ref>''Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtums Sachsen-Altenburg'' (1869), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" [https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00243702/Parladrusa_Staatshandbuch_SA_166810592_1869_0032.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jparticle_00472815 p. 18] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108212300/https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00243702/Parladrusa_Staatshandbuch_SA_166810592_1869_0032.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jparticle_00472815 |date=8 November 2021}}</ref>
* [[Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]]: [[Order of the White Falcon|Grand Cross of the White Falcon]], ''17 April 1860''<ref>''Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach'' (1864), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" [https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00285409/Staatshandbuch_Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach_1864_0023.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jpvolume_00095965 p. 13] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125152926/https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00285409/Staatshandbuch_Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach_1864_0023.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jpvolume_00095965 |date=25 November 2021}}</ref>
* [[Grand Duchy of Baden|Baden]]:<ref name="HandbuchBaden">''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden'' (1862), "Großherzogliche Orden" [https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1872216 pp. 33] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024090042/https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1872216 |date=24 October 2019}}, [https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1872228 45] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024090048/https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/periodical/pageview/1872228 |date=24 October 2019}}</ref>
** Knight of the [[House Order of Fidelity]], ''1861''
** [[Order of the Zähringer Lion|Grand Cross of the Zähringer Lion]], ''1861''
* [[Ottoman Empire]]:
** [[Order of Osmanieh]], 1st Class, ''25 May 1862''<ref>{{Citation |title=Star of the Order of Osmanieh |url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/35/collection/441053/star-of-the-order-of-osmanieh-turkey |access-date=12 December 2019 |publisher=Royal Collection |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402195830/https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/35/collection/441053/star-of-the-order-of-osmanieh-turkey |url-status=live}}</ref>
** [[Order of the House of Osman]], ''June 1902''<ref>"Court Circular" (26 June 1902) ''The Times'' Issue 36804, p. 9</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]]: [[Order of the Redeemer|Grand Cross of the Redeemer]], ''29 May 1862''<ref>{{Citation |title=Star of the Order of the Redeemer |url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/441576/star-of-the-order-of-the-redeemer-greece-1st-type-edward-viis-star |access-date=12 December 2019 |publisher=Royal Collection |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402195830/https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/34/collection/441576/star-of-the-order-of-the-redeemer-greece-1st-type-edward-viis-star |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Hesse and by Rhine]]:<ref>{{citation |title=Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112106515601&view=1up&seq=3&skin=2021 |pages=3, 6, 28 |language=German |location=Darmstadt |year=1909 |publisher=Staatsverlag |via=HathiTrust}}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Ludwig Order]], ''8 October 1862''
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of Philip the Magnanimous|Merit Order of Philip the Magnanimous]], with Swords, ''18 February 1878''
** [[House Order of the Golden Lion (Hesse)|Knight of the Golden Lion]], ''18 June 1882''
* [[Second French Empire|France]]: Grand Cross of the [[Legion of Honour]], ''15 March 1863''<ref>{{Citation |last=M. & B. Wattel |title=Les Grand'Croix de la Légion d'honneur de 1805 à nos jours. Titulaires français et étrangers |date=2009 |publisher=Archives & Culture |isbn=978-2-35077-135-9 |location=Paris |page=460}}</ref>
* Denmark:<ref>{{Citation |url=https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/921888.pdf#page=39 |title=Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1910 |publisher=J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri |date=1910 |editor-last=Bille-Hansen |editor-first=A. C. |series=Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender |location=Copenhagen |pages=3, 6 |language=da |trans-title=State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1910 |access-date=2 September 2020 |orig-date=1st pub.:1801 |editor2-last=Holck |editor2-first=Harald |via=[[:da:DIS Danmark]] |archive-date=22 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022000440/https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/921888.pdf#page=39 |url-status=live}}</ref>
** [[Knight of the Elephant]], ''16 November 1863''
** [[Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog]], ''14 October 1864''
** Commemorative Medal for the Golden Wedding of King Christian IX and Queen Louise, ''1892''
** [[Grand Commander of the Dannebrog]], ''9 September 1901''
* Sweden:
** [[Order of the Seraphim|Knight of the Seraphim]], with Collar, ''27 September 1864''<ref>{{Citation |title=Sveriges och Norges Statskalender |url=https://runeberg.org/sonkal/1865/0464.html |page=428 |date=1865 |language=sv |access-date=20 February 2019 |via=runeberg.org |archive-date=7 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207224745/http://runeberg.org/sonkal/1865/0464.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
** Knight of the [[Order of Charles XIII]], ''21 December 1868''<ref>{{Citation |last=Anton Anjou |title=Riddare af Konung Carl XIII:s orden: 1811–1900: biografiska anteckningar |date=1900 |page=[http://www.archive.org/stream/riddareafkonung00anjogoog#page/n184/mode/2up 177] |language=sv |chapter=Utländske Riddare |publisher=Eksjö, Eksjö tryckeri-aktiebolag |chapter-url=http://www.archive.org/stream/riddareafkonung00anjogoog#page/n10/mode/1up}}</ref>
** Commander Grand Cross of the [[Order of Vasa]], with Collar, ''26 April 1908''<ref>{{Citation |url=https://sok.riksarkivet.se/bildvisning/E0000842_00127#?c=&m=&s=&cv=126&xywh=124%2C1249%2C3120%2C1710 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610050024/https://sok.riksarkivet.se/bildvisning/E0000842_00127#?c=&m=&s=&cv=126&xywh=124%2C1249%2C3120%2C1710 |publisher=[[Royal Court of Sweden]] |work=Kungl. Maj:ts Ordens arkiv |title=Matriklar (D 1) |trans-title=Directory (D 1) |volume=7 |page=298 |date=1900–1909 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |access-date=18 December 2024 |language=sv |via=[[National Archives of Sweden]] |url-access=registration}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Hanover|Hanover]]:<ref name="Hannover1865">{{Citation |last=Staat Hannover |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_bAFTAAAAcAAJ |title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1865 |publisher=Berenberg |date=1865 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_bAFTAAAAcAAJ/page/n56 38], [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_bAFTAAAAcAAJ/page/n99/mode/2up 81]}}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Royal Guelphic Order]], ''1864''
** [[Order of St. George (Hanover)|Knight of St. George]], ''1865''
* [[Mecklenburg]]: [[House Order of the Wendish Crown|Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown]], with Crown in Ore, ''13 August 1865''<ref>{{Citation |url=https://archive.org/details/hof-und-staats-handbuch-des-grossherzogthums-mecklenburg-strelitz-fur-1878/page/n1/mode/2up |title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Mecklenburg-Strelitz: 1878 |chapter=Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen |location=Neustrelitz |publisher=Druck und Debit der Buchdruckerei von G. F. Spalding und Sohn |date=1878 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hof-und-staats-handbuch-des-grossherzogthums-mecklenburg-strelitz-fur-1878/page/n27/mode/2up 11] |language=German}}</ref>
* [[House of Nassau|Nassau]]: [[Order of the Golden Lion of Nassau|Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau]], ''August 1865''<ref>{{citation |title=Staats- und Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Nassau |year=1866 |chapter=Herzogliche Orden |page=[https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10021632?page=25 9] |location=Wiesbaden |publisher=Druck der A. Stein'schen Buchdruckerei |chapter-url=https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10021632?page=25 |access-date=1 December 2019 |archive-date=21 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221063238/https://reader.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/fs1/object/display/bsb10021632_00025.html?rotate=360&zoom=0.55 |url-status=live}}.</ref>
* [[Austria-Hungary]]: Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary|Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen]], ''13 June 1867''<ref name="burkes">{{Citation |title=Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage |page=12 |date=1910 |publisher=Burke's Peerage Ltd}}</ref>
* [[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]]: [[Order of the Southern Cross|Grand Cross of the Southern Cross]], ''11 July 1871''<ref name="burkes" />
* [[Ethiopian Empire|Ethiopia]]:
** [[Order of the Seal of Solomon|Grand Cross of the Seal of Solomon]], ''1874''<ref>"[http://www.ethiopiancrown.org/decorations.htm#TheOrderofSolomonsSeal The Imperial Orders and Decorations of Ethiopia] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226054014/http://www.ethiopiancrown.org/decorations.htm#TheOrderofSolomonsSeal |date=26 December 2012}}", ''The Crown Council of Ethiopia''. Retrieved 21 November 2019.</ref>
** [[Order of the Star of Ethiopia|Grand Cross of the Star of Ethiopia]], ''9 October 1901''<ref>"Court Circular" (10 October 1901) ''The Times'' Issue 36582, p. 7</ref>
* Norway: [[Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav|Grand Cross of St. Olav]], with Collar, ''3 October 1874''<ref>{{citation |title=Norges Statskalender |language=Norwegian |year=1908 |pages=869–870 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bFU1AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA869 |chapter=Den kongelige norske Sanct Olavs Orden |access-date=17 September 2021 |author1=Norway |archive-date=17 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917125337/https://books.google.com/books?id=bFU1AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA869 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]]: [[House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis|Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig]], with Golden Crown, ''24 February 1878''<ref>{{Citation |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AD6sPIakAuMC&pg=PR1 |title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: 1879 |chapter=Der Großherzogliche Haus-und Verdienst-orden des Herzogs Peter Friedrich Ludwig |location=Oldenburg |publisher=Schulze |date=1879 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AD6sPIakAuMC&pg=PA35 35] |access-date=22 June 2020 |archive-date=29 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829184458/https://books.google.com/books?id=AD6sPIakAuMC&pg=PR1 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Siam]]:
** Knight of the [[Order of the Royal House of Chakri]], ''1880''<ref name="Naotaka" />
** [[Order of the White Elephant|Grand Cross of the White Elephant]], ''1887''<ref name="burkes" />
* [[Military Order of Malta]]: Knight, ''14 June 1881'';<ref name="burkes" /> Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion<ref name="p37">Justus Perthes, ''Almanach de Gotha'' (1910) [https://archive.org/details/almanachdegotha00unse_91/page/36 p. 37]</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Hawaii|Hawaii]]: Grand Cross of the [[Royal Order of Kalākaua|Order of Kalākaua]], with Collar, ''July 1881''<ref>Kalakaua to his sister, 24 July 1881, quoted in Greer, Richard A. (editor, 1967) "[https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10524/186/JL05085.pdf The Royal Tourist{{snd}}Kalakaua's Letters Home from Tokio to London]", ''Hawaiian Journal of History'', vol. 5, p. 100. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019083943/https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10524/186/JL05085.pdf |date=19 October 2019}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]]:
** [[Order of the Star of Romania|Grand Cross of the Star of Romania]], ''1882''<ref name="Naotaka" />
** Collar of the [[Order of Carol I]], ''1906''<ref>{{Citation |title=Ordinul Carol I |trans-title=Order of Carol I |url=https://familiaregala.ro/ordine-si-decoratii/ordinul-carol-i |access-date=17 October 2019 |website=[[Romanian royal family|Familia Regală a României]] |language=ro |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506011333/https://familiaregala.ro/ordine-si-decoratii/ordinul-carol-i |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Württemberg|Württemberg]]: [[Order of the Crown (Württemberg)|Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown]], ''1883''<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Pc5CAAAAYAAJ/page/n63 Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg]'' (1896), "Königliche Orden" p. 28</ref>
* [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]], ''20 September 1886''; Collar, ''13 April 1902''<ref>{{Citation |last=刑部芳則 |url=http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf |title=明治時代の勲章外交儀礼 |publisher=明治聖徳記念学会紀要 |date=2017 |pages=144, 149 |language=ja |access-date=17 August 2020 |archive-date=28 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328221535/http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Bavaria|Bavaria]]: [[Order of St. Hubert|Knight of St. Hubert]], ''19 March 1901''<ref name="burkes" />
* Monaco: [[Order of Saint-Charles|Grand Cross of St. Charles]], ''25 June 1902''<ref>{{Citation |journal=[[Journal de Monaco]] |url=https://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/var/jdm/storage/original/application/9d3f9bde1680d8106a869be9e831a7d1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319030916/https://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/var/jdm/storage/original/application/9d3f9bde1680d8106a869be9e831a7d1.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2022 |url-status=live |date=15 July 1902 |issue=2297 |title=Partie officielle |page=1}}</ref>
* San Marino: Grand Cross of the [[Order of San Marino]], ''August 1902''<ref>"Court News" (6 September 1902) ''The Times'' Issue 36866, p. 7</ref>
* [[Principality of Montenegro|Montenegro]]: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Prince Danilo I]], ''1902''<ref>[http://www.orderofdanilo.org/en/news/051207.htm "The Order of Sovereign Prince Danilo I"], ''orderofdanilo.org''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009012208/http://www.orderofdanilo.org/en/history/index.htm |date=9 October 2010 |data=9 October 2010}}</ref>
* [[Qajar Iran|Persia]]: [[Neshan-e Aqdas|Order of the Aqdas]], 1st Class, ''1904''<ref>{{Citation |last=Mulder |first=C. P. |title=Persian Orders 1808–1925 |publisher=Orders and Medals Society of Denmark |date=1990 |isbn=87-88513-08-4 |location=Copenhagen |page=14}}</ref>
}}

===Honorary foreign military appointments===
* ''1870'': Honorary Colonel of the [[Guard Hussar Regiment (Denmark)]]<ref>{{Citation |title=Galla Uniform |url=http://forsvaret.dk/ghr/om%20ghr/kendetegn/gallauniform/Pages/default.aspx |language=da |access-date=30 January 2016 |archive-date=4 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604115023/http://forsvaret.dk/ghr/om%20ghr/kendetegn/gallauniform/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''1883'': Field Marshal ''([[Generalfeldmarschall]])'' of the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]]<ref name="TT28061902" />
* ''5 February 1901'': Honorary Colonel of the 27th (King Edward's) Regiment of Dragoons of Kiev<ref>"The Coronation" (3 June 1902) ''The Times'' Issue 36784, p. 10</ref>
* ''26 June 1902'': Admiral of the Fleet ''([[Großadmiral]])'' ''à la suite'' of the [[Imperial German Navy]]<ref name="TT28061902">"The German Emperor and the King" (28 June 1902) ''The Times'' Issue 36806, p. 5</ref>
* Honorary [[Captain general of the Army|Captain General]] of the [[Spanish Army]]<ref name="SPAhonours">"[http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1910/05/07/012.html Muerte del Rey Eduardo VII] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531112436/http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1910/05/07/012.html |date=31 May 2016}}" (7 May 1910) '' [[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]]'' (1st ed.), p. 12, retrieved 28 April 2016.</ref>
* Honorary Admiral of the [[Spanish Navy]]<ref name="SPAhonours" />
* Colonel-in-Chief of the German regiment 5th (Pomeranian) Hussars "Prince Blücher of Wahlstatt"<ref name="TT28061902" />
* Colonel-in-Chief 1st Guards Dragoons "Queen of Great Britain and Ireland"<ref name="TT28061902" />
* Honorary Colonel of the Infantry Regiment "[[Zamora, Spain|Zamora]]" No. 8 (Spain)<ref name="SPAhonours" />
* ''1905'': Honorary Admiral of the [[Swedish Navy]]<ref>{{Citation |url=https://runeberg.org/rikskal/1908/0313.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709035225/http://runeberg.org/rikskal/1908/0313.html |title=Svensk rikskalender 1908 |year=1908 |publisher=P. A. Nordstedt & Söner |location=Stockholm |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|498191}} |page=229 |access-date=20 February 2019 |archive-date=9 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''1908'': Honorary General of the [[Swedish Army]]<ref>{{Citation |url=https://runeberg.org/rikskal/1909/0239.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224090639/http://runeberg.org/rikskal/1909/0239.html |title=Svensk rikskalender 1909 |year=1908 |publisher=P. A. Nordstedt & Söner |location=Stockholm |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|498191}} |page=155 |access-date=20 February 2019 |archive-date=24 December 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Honorary Admiral of the [[Greek Navy]]<ref name="p37" />
* Honorary General of the [[Norwegian Army]]<ref name="p37" />

==Arms==
[[File:Proposed Personal Royal Standard of Edward VII.svg|thumb|Shortly after Edward's accession, he proposed an alternative version of the Royal Standard for use by the Sovereign, defaced in the centre with a purple oval containing the cypher and crown of the reigning monarch. However, he was persuaded that such a proposal was impractical.<ref name="David Prothero">{{Citation |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb_roed7.html#prop |title=British Royal Flags, Reign of Edward VII: Proposal for a Personal Royal Standard of King Edward VII |author=David Prothero |date=12 April 2007 |work=Flags of the World |access-date=3 October 2022}}</ref>]]
Edward's [[Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales|coat of arms as the Prince of Wales]] was the [[royal arms]] [[Difference (heraldry)|differenced]] by a [[Label (heraldry)|label]] of three points [[argent]] and an [[inescutcheon]] of the [[Coat of arms of Saxony|Duchy of Saxony]], representing his paternal arms. When he acceded as King, he gained the royal arms undifferenced.<ref>{{Citation |last=Velde |first=François |title=Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family |date=19 April 2008 |url=http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm |publisher=Heraldica |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=17 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317070105/http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{multiple image
|align             = center
|total_width       = 700
|perrow            =
|image1            = Coat of Arms of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (1841-1901).svg
|caption1          = Coat of arms as Prince of Wales, 1841–1901
|image2            = Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1901–1952, variant 1).svg
|caption2          = Royal coat of arms outside Scotland
|image3            = Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom in Scotland (1837-1952).svg
|caption3          = Royal coat of arms in Scotland
|image4            = Royal Cypher of King Edward VII.svg
|caption4          = [[Royal cypher]]<ref name="Genealogical Magazine 1902">{{Citation |orig-date=First published July 1901 |year=1902 |title=The Royal Arms and Cypher for the Present Reign |url=https://archive.org/details/genealogicalmaga5190unse/page/92/mode/2up |journal=The Genealogical Magazine |volume=5 |pages=93–94 |doi= |access-date=28 June 2024 }}</ref>
|footer            =
}}

==Issue==
{{Further|Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark#Children of Alexandra and Edward VII}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name!! Birth!! Death!! Marriage/notes
|-
|[[Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale]]||8 January 1864||14 January 1892 (aged&nbsp;28) ||engaged 1891, to Princess Victoria [[Mary of Teck]]
|-
|[[George&nbsp;V]]||3 June 1865||20 January 1936 (aged&nbsp;70) ||1893, Princess Victoria [[Mary of Teck]]; had issue including [[Edward&nbsp;VIII]] and [[George&nbsp;VI]]
|-
|[[Louise, Princess Royal]]||20 February 1867||4 January 1931 (aged&nbsp;63) ||1889, [[Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife]]; had issue
|-
|[[Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom|Princess Victoria]]||6 July 1868||3 December 1935 (aged&nbsp;67) ||never married and without issue
|-
|[[Maud of Wales|Princess Maud]]||26 November 1869||20 November 1938 (aged&nbsp;68)||1896, [[Haakon VII of Norway|Prince Carl of Denmark (King of Norway as Haakon VII from 1905)]]; had issue including [[Olav V of Norway|Prince Alexander (later Olav V)]]
|-
|Prince Alexander John of Wales||6 April 1871||7 April 1871||born and died at [[Sandringham House]]
|}

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes|align=center |ref=<ref>[[Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh]] (ed.) (1977). ''Burke's Royal Families of the World, 1st edition''. London: Burke's Peerage</ref><ref>Huberty, M., Giraud, A., Magdelaine, F. & B. (1976–1994). ''L'Allemagne Dynastique, Vols I–VII''. Le Perreux, France: Alain Giraud</ref><ref name="louda">{{Citation |last1=Louda |first1=Jiří |title=Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe |page=34 |date=1999 |place=London |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=978-1-85605-469-0 |last2=Maclagan |first2=Michael |author-link=Jiří Louda |author-link2=Michael Maclagan}}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Edward VII of the United Kingdom'''
|2= 2. [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|3= 3. [[Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom]]
|4= 4. [[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|5= 5. [[Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
|6= 6. [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]
|7= 7. [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
|8= 8. [[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]] (= 14)
|9= 9. [[Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf]] (= 15)
|10= 10. [[Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
|11= 11. [[Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|12= 12. [[George III of the United Kingdom]]
|13= 13. [[Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|14= 14. [[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]] (= 8)
|15= 15. [[Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf]] (= 9)
}}

==See also==
* [[Love chair]] ({{lang|fr|siège d'amour}}), sex chair invented for Edward
* [[Household of Edward VII and Alexandra]]
* ''[[Edward the Seventh]]'', a 1975 television miniseries.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Citation |ref=Bentley-Cranch |last=Bentley-Cranch |first=Dana |title=Edward VII: Image of an Era 1841–1910 |date=1992 |place=London |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |isbn=978-0-11-290508-0}}
* {{Citation |ref=Ensor |last=Ensor |first=R. C. K. |title=England, 1870–1914 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.155599 |date=1936 |place=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |author-link=R. C. K. Ensor}}
* {{Citation |last=Hattersley |first=Roy |title=The Edwardians |date=2004 |place=London |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=978-0-316-72537-8 |ref=Hattersley |author-link=Roy Hattersley}}
* {{Citation |last=Heffer |first=Simon |title=Power and Place: The Political Consequences of King Edward VII |date=1998 |place=London |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |isbn=978-0-297-84220-0 |ref=Heffer |author-link=Simon Heffer}}
* {{Citation |last=Hough |first=Richard |title=Edward & Alexandra: Their Private and Public Lives |date=1992 |place=London |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |isbn=978-0-340-55825-6 |ref=Hough |author-link=Richard Hough}}
* {{Citation |ref=Lee |last=Lee |first=Sidney |title=King Edward VII: A Biography |date=1927 |place=London |publisher=Macmillan |volume=II |author-link=Sidney Lee}}
* {{Citation |ref=Magnus |last=Magnus |first=Philip |title=King Edward The Seventh |date=1964 |place=London |publisher=John Murray |author-link=Sir Philip Magnus-Allcroft, 2nd Baronet}}
* {{Citation |last=Middlemas |first=Keith |title=The Life and Times of Edward VII |date=1972 |editor-last=[[Antonia Fraser]] |place=London |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |isbn=978-0-297-83189-1 |ref=Middlemas |author-link=Keith Middlemas}}
* {{Citation |last=Priestley |first=J. B. |title=The Edwardians |date=1970 |place=London |publisher=Heinemann |isbn=978-0-434-60332-9 |ref=Priestley |author-link=J. B. Priestley}}
* {{Citation |ref=Ridley |last=Ridley |first=Jane |author-link=Jane Ridley |title=Bertie: A Life of Edward VII |date=2012 |place=London |publisher=Chatto & Windus |isbn=978-0-7011-7614-3}}
* {{Citation |ref=Shaw |last1=Shaw |first1=William Arthur |author1-link=William Arthur Shaw |last2=Burtchaell |first2=George Dames |author2-link=George Dames Burtchaell |title=The knights of England; a complete record from the earliest time to the present day of the knights of all the orders of chivalry in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of knights bachelors |date=1906 |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924092537418/ |place=London |publisher=Central chancery of the orders of knighthood, Sherratt and Hughes}}
* {{Citation |last=Windsor |first=HRH The Duke of |title=A King's Story |date=1951 |place=London |publisher=Cassell and Co |ref=Windsor |author-link=Edward VIII}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin |30em}}
* {{Citation |last=Andrews |first=Allen |title=The Follies of King Edward VII |date=1975 |publisher=Lexington |isbn=978-0-904312-15-7 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Beer |first=Peter |title=Playboy Princes: The Apprentice Years of Edward VII and VIII |publisher=Peter Owen |year=2016 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Buckner |first=Phillip |title=Casting daylight upon magic: Deconstructing the royal tour of 1901 to Canada |journal=Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History |volume=31 |issue=2 |year=2003 |pages=158–189 |doi=10.1080/03086530310001705656 |s2cid=162347515 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Butler |first=David |title=Edward VII, Prince of Hearts |date=1975 |publisher=Littlehampton Book Services Ltd |isbn=978-0-297-76897-5 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Cornwallis |first=Kinahan |title=Royalty in the New World: Or, the Prince of Wales in America |date=2009 |orig-date=1860 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-00298-1 |author-link=Kinahan Cornwallis (writer) |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Cowles |first=Virginia |title=Edward VII and his Circle |date=1956 |publisher=H. Hamilton |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Farrer |first=James Anson |title=England Under Edward VII |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1912 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Glencross |first=Matthew |title=The State Visits of Edward VII: Reinventing Royal Diplomacy for the Twentieth Century |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2016 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Hibbert |first=Christopher |title=Edward VII: The Last Victorian King |date=2007 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-4039-8377-0 |author-link=Christopher Hibbert |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Neilson |first=Francis |title=Edward VII and the Entente Cordiale, I. |journal=American Journal of Economics and Sociology |volume=16 |issue=4 |year=1957 |pages=353–368 |doi=10.1111/j.1536-7150.1957.tb00197.x |jstor=3484884 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Plumptre |first=George |title=Edward VII |date=1997 |publisher=Trafalgar Square Publishing |isbn=978-1-85793-846-3 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Ponsonby |first=Frederick |title=Recollections of Three Reigns |date=1951 |place=London |publisher=Eyre & Spottiswoode |author-link=Frederick Ponsonby, 1st Baron Sysonby |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Ridley |first=Jane |title='The Sport of Kings': Shooting and The Court of Edward VII |journal=The Court Historian |volume=18 |issue=2 |year=2013 |pages=189–205 |doi=10.1179/cou.2013.18.2.004 |s2cid=159750104 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Ridley |first=Jane |chapter=Bertie Prince of Wales: Prince Hal and the Widow of Windsor |title=Royal Heirs and the Uses of Soft Power in Nineteenth-Century Europe |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=London |year=2016 |pages=123–138 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Roby |first=Kinley E. |title=The King, the Press and the People: A Study of Edward VII |date=1975 |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins |isbn=978-0-214-20098-4 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Ryan |first=A. P. |title=The Diplomacy of Edward VII |work=History Today |volume=3 |issue=5 |pages=352–360 |date=1953 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=St Aubyn |first=Giles |title=Edward VII, Prince and King |url=https://archive.org/details/edwardviiprincek00stau |date=1979 |publisher=Atheneum |isbn=978-0-689-10937-9 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Tuchman |first=Barbara |title=The Guns of August |date=1964 |place=New York |publisher=Macmillan |author-link=Barbara Tuchman |title-link=The Guns of August |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Walker |first=Richard |title=The Savile Row Story: An Illustrated History |date=1988 |place=London |publisher=Prion |isbn=978-1-85375-000-7 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Watson |first=Alfred Edward Thomas |title=King Edward VII. as a sportsman |publisher=Longmans, Green and Company |year=1911 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKDSAAAAMAAJ |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Weintraub |first=Stanley |title=Edward the Caresser: The Playboy Prince Who Became Edward VII |url=https://archive.org/details/edwardcaresserpl00wein |date=2001 |publisher=Free Press |isbn=978-0-684-85318-5 |author-link=Stanley Weintraub |ref=none}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Edward VII-article.ogg|date=14 July 2014}}
{{Sister project links| wikt=no | commons=Edward VII of the United Kingdom | b=no | n=no | q=no | s=Author:Edward VII of the United Kingdom | v=no | voy=no | species=no | d=q20875}}
* [https://www.royal.uk/edward-vii Edward VII] at the official website of the [[British monarchy]]
* [https://www.rct.uk/collection/people/king-edward-vii-king-of-the-united-kingdom-1841-1910#/type/subject Edward VII] at the official website of the [[Royal Collection Trust]]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/edward_vii_king.shtml Edward VII] at BBC History
* {{Gutenberg author | id=36073| name=Edward VII}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Edward VII}}
** Macaulay, James (editor) (1889). [https://archive.org/details/speechesaddresse00edwaiala ''Speeches and addresses of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales: 1863–1888''] London: Murray
* {{NPG name|name=King Edward VII}}

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{{Edward VII}}
{{English, Scottish and British monarchs}}
{{Canadian monarchy}}
{{British princes}}
{{Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}}
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