King George V

Very good biography of George V that presents a very objective portrait. I have been very impressed by that king, notwithstanding some quirks, quite common in his Hanoverian line. I liked how author managed to provide political background, just enough to understand King's action but without going into too much details.

1859 King George V, by Kenneth Rose (read 22 Jul 1984) In December of 1976 I read Harold Nicolson's biography of King George V. This new biography is by the author of Superior Person, which I read in December 1976 and enjoyed immensely. I found this biography of George V very enjoyable--it was not so laudatory as Nicolson's. George V was really a frightfully ordinary person, with a ridiculous penchant for shooting game and a fetish about "proper clothing." The book recounts interesting parliamentary events of the reign. It is pleasant that George V did not have to endure Mrs. Simpson and World War II. The account of the king's last hours is striking: "At 5:30 in the afternoon it was announced that his strength was diminishing. That show more evening, as the Queen and her children dined alone, Dawson picked up a menu card in the household dining-room and on it wrote a farewell simplicity: 'The King's life is moving peacefully towards its close.' The family gathered round the King's bed, and as his earthly life slipped away. the Archbishop read the Twenty-Third Psalm and the prayer that begins "Go forth, O Christian soul.' The final broadcast was broadcast a few minutes after midnight: 'Death came peacefully to the King at 11:55 P.M.'" [No hint of the what Wikpedia now reports thusly: When the King was already comatose and close to death, Dawson admits hastening the King's end by giving him a lethal injection of cocaine and morphine, both to prevent further strain on the family and so that the news of his death could be announced in the morning edition of The Times newspaper.[] show less

Well researched.