Edward VII, King of Great Britain, 1841-1910

Edward VII; Albert Edward; Reign 22 January 1901 – 6 May 1910; Coronation 9 August 1902; Born 9 November 1841, Buckingham Palace, London; Died 6 May 1910 (aged 68), Buckingham Palace, London; 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; He was known as Bertie to the royal family throughout his life; matriculated as an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford.[10] Now released from the educational strictures imposed by his parents, he enjoyed studying for the first time and performed satisfactorily in examinations. In 1861, he transferred to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was tutored in history by Charles Kingsley, Regius Professor of Modern History; In 1860, Edward undertook the first tour of North America by a Prince of Wales; 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; Edward had hoped to pursue a career in the British Army, but his mother vetoed an active military career; Edward married Alexandra of Denmark at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on 10 March 1863. He was 21; she was 18; During Queen Victoria's widowhood, Edward pioneered the idea of royal public appearances as they are understood today; Edward was regarded worldwide as an arbiter of men's fashions; Edward was a patron of the arts and sciences and helped found the Royal College of Music; When Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901, Edward became King of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India and, in an innovation, King of the British Dominions; Edward was related to nearly every other European monarch, and came to be known as the "uncle of Europe"; In the last year of his life, Edward became embroiled in a constitutional crisis when the Conservative majority in the House of Lords refused to pass the "People's Budget" proposed by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Asquith. The crisis eventually led—after Edward's death—to the removal of the Lords' right to veto legislation; On 6 May, the King 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." Between moments of faintness, his son the Prince of Wales (shortly to be King George V) told him that his horse, Witch of the Air, had won at Kempton Park that afternoon. The King replied, "Yes, I have heard of it. I am very glad": his final words. At 11:30 p.m. he lost consciousness for the last time and was put to bed. He died 15 minutes later; Before his accession to the throne, Edward was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He was surpassed by his great-great-grandson Prince Charles on 20 April 2011; children: Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence; George V; Louise, Princess Royal; Princess Victoria; Maud, Queen of Norway; Prince Alexander John of Wales