George V (1910–1936) – The King Who Created the House of Windsor
Who Was George V?
George V was the son of the fashionable Edward VII and grandson of Queen Victoria, but he was very different from his sociable, extravagant father. George was quiet, serious, loved routine and had originally trained for a career in the Royal Navy because nobody expected him to become king.
That changed when his older brother Albert Victor unexpectedly died in 1892. George became second in line to the throne and even married Princess Mary of Teck, the woman who had previously been engaged to his brother. When Edward VII died in 1910, George became king.
His reign would take Britain through World War I, enormous political and social change and the beginning of the end of Europe's great royal empires. But perhaps his most visible legacy is something the Royal Family still uses today: the name Windsor.
The Problem With Having a German Royal Family
George's grandmother Victoria had married the German Prince Albert, so their descendants belonged to Albert's royal house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. That hadn't been much of a problem. Then Britain went to war with Germany in 1914.
Suddenly having a king with a very German-sounding family name became rather awkward. Anti-German feeling became intense, particularly as German bombing raids killed civilians in Britain. In 1917 George made a brilliant public-relations decision. He abandoned the German dynastic name and announced that his family would instead be known as the House of Windsor.
Why Windsor? Because Windsor Castle was ancient, royal and unmistakably British.
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was out. Windsor was born. King Charles III belongs to the same House of Windsor today.
George's Cousin Was the German Kaiser
Here's where European royal family trees become extraordinary.
George V and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany were first cousins. Their grandmother was Queen Victoria. George was therefore fighting a country ruled by his own cousin during World War I. And that's not all.
George's other cousin was Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. George and Nicholas looked so remarkably alike that photographs of the two men together can be genuinely confusing.
Nicholas's mother and George's mother were sisters.
So World War I involved countries whose royal families were literally related to one another. Unfortunately, being cousins didn't stop millions of people going to war.
World War I Changes Everything
When World War I began in 1914, Britain joined France and Russia against Germany and its allies.
George couldn't run the war—that was the job of the elected government—but he became an important national symbol. He visited troops, hospitals, factories and military units and made hundreds of visits during the conflict.
The war transformed Britain. Around three-quarters of a million British military personnel died, millions more were wounded, and almost every community was affected. It also destroyed or weakened several of Europe's great monarchies. The German Kaiser lost his throne, the Russian Tsar was overthrown and the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed. George survived. The British monarchy had to adapt to a very different world.
What Happened to Tsar Nicholas II?
George's cousin Nicholas II had been forced to abdicate during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Nicholas, his wife Alexandra and their five children were eventually imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and executed in 1918.
There had been discussions about the Russian royal family possibly coming to Britain, but no rescue happened. The question of George V's role is more complicated than the popular story that he simply refused to save his cousin; the British government, wartime politics and concerns about public opinion were all involved. Nevertheless, the image is striking. One cousin remained king in Britain. Another lost his throne in Germany. Another was murdered with his family in Russia. World War I had completely changed European monarchy.
Queen Mary – And Her Fabulous Jewellery
George's wife Queen Mary became an important figure in the modern Royal Family.
She was formal, dutiful and extremely knowledgeable about royal history—and had a famous enthusiasm for jewellery, furniture and objects with royal connections.
Many pieces associated with Queen Mary remain in the Royal Collection and have been worn by later queens. She and George also helped reshape the monarchy around duty, public service and family life, rather than the glamorous social world associated with Edward VII. That idea of the Royal Family being seen constantly performing public duties would become enormously important under their granddaughter Elizabeth II.
The King Goes on the Radio
George's reign also saw something completely new: the monarch could suddenly speak directly to millions of ordinary people.
In 1932, George delivered the first royal Christmas broadcast, speaking by radio to people across Britain and the Empire. The words were written by Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book. Today the monarch's Christmas message feels like an ancient royal tradition. It isn't. It began with George V. Technology was changing the relationship between monarch and public, and the Royal Family was learning that surviving in the modern world meant using it.
Three Things to See
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace acquired the familiar appearance we recognise today during George V's reign. The famous east front—the side facing The Mall with the royal balcony—was refaced in Portland stone in 1913. So when you're standing outside Buckingham Palace taking the classic photograph, you're essentially looking at George V's version of the palace.
The Cenotaph, Whitehall
One of the most important memorials connected with George's reign is the Cenotaph on Whitehall, created after World War I. Its name means "empty tomb". George V unveiled the permanent memorial in 1920, and it became Britain's national focus for remembrance of the war dead. Every November, the monarch, Royal Family, politicians and veterans gather here for the national Remembrance Sunday service.
Windsor Castle
If there's one building that symbolises George V's reign, it has to be Windsor Castle.
In 1917 George chose Windsor as the new name of his dynasty because it sounded historic, royal and thoroughly British. So when you're looking at Windsor Castle, remember: the castle didn't take its name from the Royal Family—the Royal Family took its name from the castle.
Did You Know? – George V and the Russian Tsar Looked Almost Identical
George V and his cousin Tsar Nicholas II of Russia looked astonishingly similar. They had similar eyes, beards, height and facial features, and when they dressed in similar military uniforms they could almost pass for brothers. They weren't brothers—their mothers were sisters—but the resemblance is one of the best illustrations of just how closely related Europe's royal families had become. Look at a photograph of them together and see if you can tell which one is George. Hint: George usually has the slightly broader face.
Historical Highlights
1865 – George is born.
1893 – Marries Princess Mary of Teck.
1910 – Becomes king after Edward VII dies.
1914 – Britain enters World War I.
1917 – George changes the royal family's name to Windsor.
1918 – World War I ends.
1920 – George unveils the Cenotaph.
1932 – Gives the first royal Christmas broadcast.
1935 – Celebrates his Silver Jubilee.
1936 – George V dies.
Imagine This...
It's 1917 and Britain has been at war with Germany for three terrible years. German bombs have fallen on British civilians, soldiers are dying in enormous numbers on the Western Front and anti-German feeling is everywhere. Sitting in Buckingham Palace is King George V, grandson of a German prince, head of a dynasty called Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and first cousin of the German Kaiser Britain is fighting. Something has to change. George gives up his family's German titles and announces a new name taken from one of Britain's most ancient royal castles: Windsor. More than a century later, after another world war, an abdication, the 70-year reign of Elizabeth II and the accession of Charles III, the Royal Family still carries the name George chose that day.
Guide's Insider Tip
When you're standing outside Buckingham Palace, look at the famous balcony and the pale stone façade around it. That frontage dates from George V's reign, so the classic palace view recognised around the world is actually relatively modern by royal standards.
Then walk down The Mall towards Whitehall and the Cenotaph. It's a powerful way to connect George's reign with World War I. The Cenotaph may look incredibly simple compared with London's enormous statues and monuments, but that's deliberate. Its simplicity gives it extraordinary impact, particularly on Remembrance Sunday when the monarch lays a wreath here.
And when you visit Windsor Castle, remember the best George V fact of all: the Royal Family is called Windsor because of this castle. In 1917, an ancient royal fortress effectively became the branding solution to a very modern public-relations problem.
What Happened Next?
When George V died in January 1936, his eldest son became Edward VIII. Edward was handsome, fashionable, enormously popular and very different from his serious father.
But he was also in love with an American woman named Wallis Simpson. She was divorced.
And she was still married to her second husband when their relationship became serious.
Within less than a year, Britain's new king would make one of the most extraordinary decisions in royal history. He chose Wallis over the throne.
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