TR017
King & Country
This latest K&C figure shows King Edward Ⅶ in his coronation robes and wearing the ceremonial dress uniform of a British Field Marshal and carrying his Marshal’s Baton in his right hand.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Edward, nicknamed “Bertie” was related to virtually every Royal Family in Europe.He 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 fashionable, Leisured elite more suited to the race track, the theatre and the company of ladies of dubious virtue. His reputation as a ‘playboy prince’ inevitably soured his relationship with his disapproving mother.
Finally in 1901, upon his mother’s death, Edward inherited the throne and began to take a more serious interest in both his duties and responsibilities.
During his relatively short reign he played a role in the modernization of the Royal Navy as well as the reorganization of the British Army after the Second Boer War of 1899-1902. In foreign relations he fostered good relations with other European countries, especially France with which Britain forged the ‘Entente Cordiale’ a mutual pact to support each other in the event of an attack by any third party.
The one country and one ruler Edward Ⅶ came to dislike was Germany and its ruler, his nephew Kaiser Wilhelm Ⅱ.
In Edward’s eyes this was the one nation that he felt was intent on causing friction on the European Continent while at the same time attempting to build a navy to threaten the global supremacy of Britain’s own mighty fleet.
As a King, Edward Ⅶ proved a more popular success than anyone had expected. He also ensured that his own son and heir, George Ⅴ was better prepared to take the throne upon his death on May 6, 1910.