King George V was a King for around 25 years, and he would also be the Emperor of India.
He was born during the reign of his grandmother Queen Victoria and he was the second son of
King Edward VII.
He was third in line behind his father and elder brother Albert Victor, but following
his brother’s unexpected death he was then directly in line for the throne.
He would be the King of Britain during the First World War, and he would during his reign
also see the rise of communism and the Indian Independence Movement, which changed the perception
of the British Empire.
Following the First World War, the empires of his cousin Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser
Wilhelm II fell, but his empire grew and expanded.
He was the first monarch of the House of Windsor, but at the age of 70 inside of Sandringham
House, King George V died.
But what is the story of his funeral?
The First World War took a significant toll on the health of King George V. He was seriously
injured in October 1915 when he fell from his horse when he was reviewing soldiers in
France.
He was a very heavy smoker which made his breathing problems much worse and he suffered
from chronic bronchitis.
In 1925 he was advised by doctors to take a private cruise of the Mediterranean to recover
and recuperate, and this would be his last trip abroad.
In November 1928 he got very ill with septicaemia and for the next two years his son resumed
many of his duties.
In 1929 a suggestion of another holiday abroad and a period of rest was sternly rejected
by the King, and he would relax for 3 months at the seaside in England.
But George would never recover.
In his final year he was given oxygen sporadically as he had problems breathing, but following
the death of his sister Victoria, he became rather depressed in December 1935.
However on the evening of the 15th January 1936, George V took to his bedroom and he
said he was suffering from a cold, but he would never come out of his room until he
died.
Over the next few days he got weaker and he would drift in and out of consciousness.
The prime minister would later say, ‘each time he became conscious it was some kind
inquiry or kind observation of someone, some words of gratitude for kindness shown.
But he did say to his secretary when he sent for him: "How is the Empire?"
An unusual phrase in that form, and the secretary said: "All is well, sir, with the Empire",
and the King gave him a smile and relapsed once more into unconsciousness.’
But by the 20th January George was very close to his death.
His doctors issued a statement saying ‘The King’s life is moving peacefully towards
its close,’ and his lasts words were mumbled and were ‘God damn you,’ when he spoke
to a nurse who gave him a sedative.
George V’s death is one that was considered controversial, as it was clear that the doctors
euthanised him to keep him as comfortable as possible, giving him a peaceful death.
The doctor Lord Dawson of Penn stated of the final moments, ‘At about 11 o'clock it was
evident that the last stage might endure for many hours, unknown to the Patient but little
comporting with that dignity and serenity which he so richly merited and which demanded
a brief final scene.
Hours of waiting just for the mechanical end when all that is really life has departed
only exhausts the onlookers & keeps them so strained that they cannot avail themselves
of the solace of thought, communion or prayer.
I therefore decided to determine the end and injected (myself) morphia gr.3/4 [grains]
and shortly afterwards cocaine gr.1 [grains] into the distended jugular vein ... In about
1/4 an hour – breathing quieter – appearance more placid – physical struggle gone.’
Dawson claimed he did this to keep the King’s dignity and to ease the suffering of the Royal
Family, and also so that the King’s death could be announced in the morning edition
of The Times.
The Queen would have not allowed this to happen if she was consulted, but the royal family
did not want the King to endure pain and suffering and they did not want to prolong his life,
but they did not approve of the actions of the doctor.
The doctor had hastened the death by injecting an overdose of morphine and cocaine into the
King’s jugular vein.
But on the 22nd January 1936, the King’s coffin was taken from Sandringham to a nearby
church where it lay in state.
It was then taken to a railway station with the new King Edward VIII and his brothers
walking behind.
The funeral train took the coffin back k to London, and it was carried on a gun carriage
escorted by the Grenadier Guards through the crowded but silent streets with the King and
his brother’s walking behind.
As the coffin approached Westminster Hall, the Maltese cross which surmounted the Imperial
State Crown fell off and landed in the street.
The King then shouted, ‘Christ What is going to happen next!’
The lying in state took place in Westminster Hall, and following the departure of the royal
family, MPs and the Speaker of the House of Commons filed past the coffin of the King.
Then the public came, and it was said that over 800,000 people filed past the coffin
in the hall paying their respects.
During the lying in state the cafalque was guarded by 12 men, and the guard changed every
20 minutes.
The King’s surviving sons would also stand vigil next to it, with this even being known
as ‘The Vigil of the Princes.’
But the funeral procession started at 9:45am on the 28th January and Big Bell tolled.
The coffin was placed on a Royal Navy gun carriage and was pulled by 142 naval sailors.
The gun carriage was followed by the King and royal dukes and then also the King son
Denmark, Romania, Belgium, Norway and Bulgaria, and other dignitaries.
The Queen and other members of the royal family travelled in horse drawn carriages.
The procession was viewed by large crowds and many had waited overnight in the rain
to secure a place.
The route travelled from Westminster Hall to Paddington Station where the coffin was
loaded on the funeral train, and it then was taken to Windsor Castle.
The funeral service was a very simple one, and it lacked any extra additions.
Abide with me was sung, and George V to begin with was interred inside of the royal vault
beneath the Quire at St George’s Chapel.
His body was then later in 1939 transferred into a large monumental tomb and sarcophagus
in the North Aisle of the Nave.
On top of the tomb is the effigy of George and Mary.
Mary would be then laid to rest next to her husband following her funeral in 1953.
The service was broadcasted on the radio and was shown across the Empire.
But the funeral of King George V was a simple and straightforward one and it echoed what
George was like in life.
He was a King who disliked sitting for portraits, and he was a man who preferred to stay at
home and he would rather spend time with his stamp collection and many other people would
consider his life rather dull.
He was not an intellectual, but instead preferred his own hobbies, but he was a man who was
incredibly devoted to Britain and the Empire.
He was a hard working King, but he was a King who was victorious during the First World
War, and his leadership was considered inspiring.
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