 George V (1865-1936), the second son of Edward VII, became heir to the throne when his older brother died in 1892. He had been trained for the navy, and became a vice admiral in
1903 before having to resign to take the throne. He was married in 1893 to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. They had six children.
George V came to the throne in 1910
in a time of political crisis: the House of Lords was resisting
the Liberal government's plans for higher income tax to create old
age pensioners and the king was asked to create enough peers to
get the measure passed. King George supported political moves,
such as the Irish Home Rule Bill and he repeatedly warned his
first cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, against warlike
policies.
George V was the first English
monarch to be crowned Emperor of India in Delhi, in 1911, which
had not been the case for his two predecessors, Queen Victoria and
Edward VII. King George was a model royal leader of the nation
during World War I when he and his queen gained immediate and lasting popularity by their courage and devotion to
duty. George V was succeeded by his oldest son, Edward VIII.
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