Edward VII is oldest person to be crowned as king

Edward VII is oldest person to be crowned as king

British royal family from Edward VII,charles,Diana,GeorgeVI,Queen Elizabeth

British royal family from Edward VII,charles,Diana,GeorgeVI,Queen Elizabeth,

The name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha came to the British Royal Family in 1840 with the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert, son of Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha. Queen Victoria herself remained a member of the House of Hanover.

The only British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was King Edward VII, who reigned for nine years at the beginning of the modern age in the early years of the twentieth century.

King George V replaced the German-sounding title with that of Windsor during the First World War. The name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha survived in other European monarchies, including the current Belgian Royal Family and the former monarchies of Portugal and Bulgaria.

Prince Edward was 59 years and two months old when he became king.

Marriage and family:

Edward married Alexandra, daughter of the king of Denmark on 10 March 1863 at Windsor Castle. The couple had six children. Their second child, Prince George, became King George V. Prince George and his father were very close. Edward wrote in 1894, ‘we are more like brothers than father and son.’

Edward spent most of his life waiting to be king. From the moment of his birth in 1841, his place in British society was as heir apparent to the throne. He had to wait nearly sixty years before taking up his role. As such, he did not have much time to make an impression as king. Despite this, it appears that Edward was remembered fondly. ‘The Edwardian age’ refers to his reign and after the long reign of his mother, it was a time of some change and excitement.

As heir to the throne, Edward undertook several notable engagements. He opened the Thames Embankment in 1871, the Mersey Tunnel in 1886 and Tower Bridge in 1894. He was a member of the Royal Commission on Housing, established in 1884, President of the Royal Society of Arts and was instrumental in the founding of the Royal College of Music.

As king, Edward became known as the ‘Uncle of Europe’, such were his regular visits to a number of European monarchs in an effort to foster good relations and co-operation. It was through such efforts that the Entente Cordiale was signed between Britain and France in 1904.

King Edward founded the Order of Merit in 1902 to recognise exceptional distinction in the arts, science and literature as well as in military and naval affairs.

Edward is one of the oldest people to come to the throne in the whole of British history at the age of 59 years and 2 months. He is the oldest Prince of Wales ever to have become king. Prince Charles has been heir to the throne for 52 years since Queen Elizabeth II’s accession in 1952