The series made its US premiere on PBS in 1979 under the title EDWARD THE KING (I guess because they didn’t want to confuse viewers into thinking it was a sequel).
My family has a connection to this king. My grandfather, as a member of the Grenadier Guards, served as a pallbearer for King Edward VII in 1010. Timothy West brings Edward to life.
The Shadow of the Tower The Six Wives of Henry VIII Elizabeth R The Fall of Eagles Edward the Seventh Those are my favourite historical tv dramas. Honestly, the acting was superb 👏
King Edward VII in reality was looking much much younger! And His Majesty Wife , in Her 60th still was young and really beautiful woman, real girl in her 28 years! Sorry for my mistakes, l'm from Ukraine but still i love you country - GB and Royal Family !
All of Alexandra's portraits & photos were "touched up". She also wore a very heavy makeup during her husband's reign. Although she did remain slim & good-looking, age did not completely leave her untouched.
Queen Alex looks spectacular in every gown, and I was very glad to see she trumped Mrs Keppel by wearing a different colour than the expected black, thus standing out from her and any other former, current and future mistresses.
@@maureenogorman8740 One thing about Alexandra isn't shown at all in the series and that's her deafness, which made her very isolated and forced to lead a withdrawn social life.
Me too 😁 I loved it! And Upstairs, Downstairs. I met Timothy West and his wife a few times through my job. One day, he shook my hand and all I could think was, Edward VII just shook my hand! 🥰 Not to mention Bradley Hardacre 🤣
(September the 8th 2022) Well Charles waited much longer to become King than George IV and Edward VII did but here we go. Pretty much the mood is like this right now there in the UK
I agree, Cristian: I think Helen Ryan's portrayal of Queen Alexandra is magical. (She reprised the role in the film "The elephant man": a small cameo but wonderful.)
@@pedanticradiator1491 I didn't see all of the Sherlock Holmes episodes; I'm sorry I missed the one in which Helen Ryan reprised the role of Alexandra.
@@pedanticradiator1491 I agree, Pedantic. As but one example, here is a well-known photograph taken in 1905 of Queen Alexandra holding her grandson Prince George (the future Duke of Kent) in which the resemblance between Miss Ryan and the Queen is particularly noticeable.
@@margaretlavender9647 Yes, as Margaret Meldrew, Victor Meldrew's long suffering wife in BBC's 1990s sitcom 'One Foot in the Grave'. But she has played many other roles, one of my favourites being Janet MacPherson, the housekeeper, in ITVs 1990s drama series 'Dr Finlay'.
This is a show that starts with the Duke of wellington in the first scene. By the end of it we see the aunts and uncles and relatives who were well known to Elizabeth II.
I'm only 11 minutes in and the attention to accuracy is incredible, the casting is spot on, even the Kaiser's arm is not being used (as per his birth defect).
@ 6 minutes we get “Salisbury tows his nephew [Balfour] around like an old tug boat towing a battlecruiser” a clear anachronism as the first battlecruiser wasn’t laid down until 1906 and this is in 1901. At the time of launch those ships were officially armoured cruisers though they were also called Dreadnaught cruisers. The term battlecruiser wasn’t in common usage until the 1910’s. This is very much like someone using the term laptop in a program set in 1981.
The impression I get from this series is that Queen Victoria, however unintentionally, was responsible for the erosion of most of what was left of the British Monarchy's influence over the governing of the nation. Victoria's self-imposed isolation and her refusal to allow her son to have any impact on matters of state gave the British government the breathing space and confidence to reject the influence of royalty.
Queen Elizabeth is doing something similar now with her stubborn adherence to tradition and not modernizing the monarchy enough. Charles will have a tough (albeit short) road ahead of him if he wants to make changes once he is crowned.
I would say you were right. Her grief was pathological and smacks of mental illness - wearing black for 40 years, expecting everyone else to do so - there are many anecdotal examples of her deterioration. Appearances were kept up of course - Ahem!
Indeed she did!! She was signing documents that she obviously had No idea of what they entailed nor meant over the long-term, virtually signing away the "authority" of the Monarchy. She depended upon Marlborough [which almost caused disaster] and then later Prince Albert, to literally explain everything to her because she really had No political understanding nor qualification to Rule. Although she did indeed grieve Albert, I also believe her long absence from Court also entailed her "fear" of inadequacy. She was now on her own with no one personally to cling to or depend on, therefore she was "hiding" from her responsibilities under the guise of grief. I personally believe that any success accredited to her as Ruler very literally belonged to Albert and "others." Victoria was just the figurehead given credit for living through it all.
In several biographies I have read of Victoria, they have noted that she came to the throne with absolutely no training on what the real powers of the monarchy were, having been purposely kept in the dark by her mother and her mother's 'advisor' Conroy in order to keep her dependent on her in the hopes they would have the real power, particularly if she came to the throne as a minor. Once she became queen, she was very dependent upon her first Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, to be trained as to her duties and powers, and he preferred that she think her powers were extremely limited, whereas her two uncles who had preceded her on the throne fought hard to keep certain prerogatives.
They doubted him because people were used to Queen Victoria's long reign. But he turned out to be a very good king. He put members of the royal families at the service and the centre of the public.
@@racheldemain1940 Bertie lived a very unhealthy lifestyle. He had an inhuman appetite and was morbidly obese long before he came to the throne. His nick name was "tum tum." Much of the food he ate would be considered extremely unhealthy in our day and age. Additionally he was a chain smoker from early adulthood up to the end of his life. A typical day would see him smoke anywhere from ten to twenty cigars and dozens of cigarettes. By 1909 his health was in terminal decline as he battled what modern medical experts suspect to have been emphysema and congestive heart failure.
I own this series. One of the best portrayals of King Edward VII I have seen. And yes his life journey has many similarities to the present King's. Hopefully KC3 with have a longer reign.
it's a job that he really doesn't want, to be honest. frankly, he and the new Queen Consort would be happy to remain basically the favourite aunt and uncle to the Commonwealth - Realms and all - but he will not shirk his duty. KC3 is no dummy. his mother didn't keep him isolated like Victoria did Albert-Edward but Queen Elizabeth had seen what her uncle's abdication did and she would not follow suit. Charles will not abdicate his responsibility, either. She promised to serve whether her life was long or short. Charles will do no less come hell or high water. He will be good.
Edward VII lived a life of such ridiculous excess and self-indulgence as to defy comparison with any heir to the throne or monarch in hundreds of years. Charles is a choir boy in comparison.
They way Vicky was treated in Germany was one of the saddest stories ever that should be told, its such a shame a woman that brilliant and good will was treated worse than a common house servant
@@dianaarneson6590 It was hoped that Vicky and her husband would lead Germany towards a less militaristic path. However, no one could foresee Wilhelm I having such a long reign, or Fritz getting throat cancer and having such a short reign.
Charles has had to wait longer to be King than Bertie did because Elizabeth has surpassed her great-great-grandmother Victoria as the longest reigning Queen ever
for the curious: the music starting at ~ 49:40 is "Zadok the Priest" by G.F. Handel and indeed a coronation anthem, but only used during the anointment part. the real moment of coronation itself is utter void of any music.
+rivenoak Have you noticed when you see Vicky, Fritz, Willie or the Prussians you hear a sound track that sounds kind of like Deutschland, Deutschland über alles?
The days when the big five ITV companies like ATV made period dramas that mattered and had giants of actors like Robert Hardy, Annette Crosbie and Timothy West. Not like now where you have Police dramas by numbers series and other crappy ones where it is always about a missing child or a family is hiding a secret.
The comment @ 13:04 about being squeezed out by the US and Russia was frighteningly accurate, wasn't it? This episode also gives us an impression of how intense it must have felt for Edward and those close to him as they came to grips with the passing of Victoria. After 63 years on the throne, one can only wonder what a vast gulf must have been left by her death. And I love the part at 49:55 where Edward showed some of that affable warmth and tenderness he was later remembered so well for. Even at the height of the seriousness of his duty, he did not shirk a chance to make silly with his grandchildren.
+Moribus109, there is another part in another episode where you can see Edward "making silly" with his grandsons--toast races down his trousers (much to the dismay of a few other adults).
Yes that was very prescient. Made sense from their viewpoint. At that time the USA is the biggest economy in the world. By the 1920s after the great war, the USA is capable of building a fleet as big and battleships as advanced as those in the Royal Navv
When Bertie wouldn't let anything delay the coronation (including a serious health issue) his wife or son should have gotten right in his face yelled "Will you please stop being your mother and open your ears?" From the Edward VII Wikipedia article: ...two days before he was diagnosed with appendicitis. The disease was generally not treated operatively. It carried a high mortality rate, but developments in anaesthesia and antisepsis in the preceding 50 years made life-saving surgery possible. Sir Frederick Treves, with the support of Lord Lister, performed a then-radical operation of draining a pint of pus from the infected abscess through a small incision (through 4½ inch thickness of belly fat and abdomen wall); this outcome showed that the cause was not cancer. The next day, Edward was sitting up in bed, smoking a cigar. Two weeks later, it was announced that he was out of danger. Treves was honoured with a baronetcy (which the King had arranged before the operation) and appendix surgery entered the medical mainstream.
I think quite a lot of people did like the real King Edward VII - but Timothy West's portrayal of him is so fabulous you just can't help liking Bertie! And I like Helen Ryan as Princess Alix!
Likewise in the series "Fall of Eagles" which includes the horribly difficult birth of Wilhelm which almost killed mother and son and resulted in his left arm being a useless appendage for life. Someone had to cut all of his food into bite-sized pieces before he ate.
Not really ‘great attention to detail’. It was known of since he was born, when it happened. No one having anything to do with making this series or any film would already well-know about the Kaiser’s arm. It wasn’t just being ‘attention to detail’ - you could just NOT leave it out.
I truly enjoyed every minute of all the series , and find it hard to explain the joy and excitement every minute of the 11 series. And can imagine what prince Charles is going through, I am so happy at the opportunity u give me to enjoy these beautiful English movies and mostly the series, . Thank u so much . Mostly because I was born in Burma Rangoon and was I yr old when my parents immigrated to India .
"And on tonight's programme lineup, ATV continues with it's thirteen-part dramatisation of the life of Edward the Seventh, the only British king who hasn't been done on the BBC."
Rather odd to be watching this when the monarch who reigned for 70 years has died, and her son was the longest ‘Monarch in waiting’ - HM Queen Elizabeth died on 8th Sept 2022, and her son, King Charles III, accedes to the throne at the age of 73
Mrs Alice Keppel the last mistress of Edward VII was the great grandmother of Camila Parker Bowles now the Duchess of Cornwall and wife of Charles Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne
Guys! I watch Victoria season three and i saw little Bertie, after he gets tortured by Mr Caine the badass educator and saved by his mom Queen Victoria, he made Mr Caine away like a true future king. :)
Fun fact: Daniel Slater, the little boy who is dancing with the king is the real life son of Helen Ryan, who plays Queen Alexandra, and Guy Slater, who plays Charles Carrington.
(Cont)- This series also gives the impression that Victoria suffered from depression for much of her life and because of the period and her position, it was never treated. I am a nurse and I work with people who suffer mental illnesses and I have seen people with long-term depression or bipolar who act and behave in ways very similar to Victoria. They become very self-centred and selfish and they come to expect the rest of the world to revolve around them and their condition. Victoria's apparent aloofness when Edward fell seriously ill was perhaps resentment at the fact that attention was focused on her son and not on her. Victoria seems to have a self-indulgent aspect to her personality which her husband Albert managed to overcome but with him gone, it allowed Victoria to retreat into her own misery, attempting to drag her family along with her.
You are on the money. Victoria is erroneously depicted in America as a strong woman who ruled for 60 odd years. The truth was she was an extremely dependent person. Plus 9 kids must have contributed to some seriously undertreated post partum depression.
adelaide beeman-white He had some serious feelings of inadequacy due to the deformation of his left (?) hand. I've often wondered how different history would have turned out if he had not been injured during his birth by the doctor using his forceps.
@@westlock He wanted his mother to leave Germany and made her as uncomfortable as possible. But she still had unmarried duaghters who would have been left behind. She stood up to her son but paid a heavy price.
I do believe if the Emperor Frederick and his wife (Victoria, Princess Royal), along with King Edward VII, had been able to live longer, World War I (and perhaps II) would have been avoided. It would have lead to peace and a long lasting friendship between Germany and England, which had been the dream of the Prince Consort.
Without doubt. Frederick said that he would never go to war, so he would have done all he could to avoid war. His heavy smoking caused the cancer that cut his reign to 99 days. One of my friends is a member of the German Royal family and has Frederick's cigarette case, with Frederick's finger marks on it.
M Scott Wow!! That is fascinating, indeed. I would love to see a photo of you have it. I think the entire fate of the world would have changed had Emperor Frederick lived longer. He was truly before his time....
you do forgett, that the UK royal family is only one part of the same wider european royal family, virtually everyone is related some way to victoria empress of india, even in 2018, there are royal relatives in 2018**,,,
Hugh Mackay If Wilhelm's father hadn't died after reigning only 99 days there may not have been a war. As a man of peace he would try to stop it, unlike his son who revelled in militarism
@@louisdespreaux5828 It's possible, but I doubt it. Edward VII may have been able to delay the start of WWI if he lived longer, but I believe he couldn't have prevented its inevitable outbreak.
Rule?They don't rule.They decorate the United Kingdom, they don't rule it.They're like overstuffed chairs in a tiny room. Merelyenhancing the place in a very superficial way. In the come,off the go......
jws1948ja why should he give up the throne he has as much right to be king as William has. If I had to wait as long as him id not give up the throne for anyone not least for the stupid motions known as the government
No Michael...…The world definitely does not need the torture of having Charles and Camilla sitting their alcoholic asses on the velvet thrones.Let's open the windows and doors of the stuffy palaces of Buckingham and Sandringham and Windsor Castle and Balmoral,and LET THE SUNSHINE IN WITH A GIGANTIC WAVE OF FRESH AIR.That should be William and Catherine. Who gives a shit how long Charles has been waiting....mummy knows best.
The infant arm of HM Edward VII is a point of interest. HM Queen Victoria had all of her infant children remembered in this way. The prop in the scene is glazed ceramic. I believe that the actual sculptures were carved in white alabaster, or perhaps white Carrera. They are on display at Osbourne, I recall . The display is rather touching - each one rests on a red velvet cushion. GJS
What actors we had at that time . All spent years in Rep before appearing on TV . Compare them with our present crop ......who are completely lacking in stage experience and technique .
I remember seeing this when it debuted here on TV, in the US. I did not remember what the one gentleman said about the new king waiting longer than anyone else to become the monarch. Assuming nothing happens to Charles, he will supplant Edward in that regard.
Does anyone recall the opening scene in the movie "Mrs Brown" (Dame Judi Dench as HM Queen Victoria)? The camera pans to the edge on the roof at either, Balmoral or Sandringham. A full size bust of The Highland Servant, John Brown is unceremoniously tossed to the ground!!
Huntin' shootin' and fuckin' : royal hallmarks forever. How great to know that the grand daughter of one of Edward's tarts should now become Queen of Britain
Those particular doctors were lucky. People did survive after those ridiculous surgeries, I don't know what the success rate was, but Edward VII must have had a decent immune system. He survived typhoid too.
Queen Alexandra was a beautiful woman. My great uncle met her at the end of the war, as a young soldier from Australia. She was selling poppies. He said he had no money because their pay had not come through. She gave him one. He said she was beautiful!
Queen Alexandra was a generous lady. She kept a supply of £5 notes to slip in to letters asking for help. But when she received her new bundle of notes she would just put the remainder of the previous batch in a hat box.
+Howard Glen You really have to wonder what the present Queen E 2 thinks of her great-great granddaughter: Camilla. Safe to say, that will be revealed decades from now. :)
In "Fall of Eagles" I actually think the kaiser is portrayed as somewhat nicer than he really was. Two years earlier Barry Foster, the actor who played him, had played another psychotic in Hitchcock's "Frenzy".
Edward, just like Charles, had to wait a long time to take the reign of kingship. When he did it was just for a decade or so, building up to WW1 and continuing to have a good time with his various ladies. Not really a very consequential kingship in many ways because by this time Parliament basically ruled but as a TV programme the series has been interesting and (I hope) reasonably historically accurate. Thankyou.
Edward VII *was* consequential: he was a francophile and it was he who, following a spectacularly successful state visit to France, instigated the Entente Cordiale, effectively ending 700 years of hostility between England and France: at the time, there were rumblings within government that he was unduly interfering in politics and foreign affairs.
@MrBulky992 I am absolutely no expert on Edward but I think for some actual scholars he has been considered as Francophile. The biography I read about 20 years ago did not. But that was a long time ago and memory fades. With respect to his reign being consequential, for the build up to the world war and its inevitable consequences I thought the king was not on centre stage. On Anglo-French relations he did play a part but not the part of establishing the Entente Cordiale. The Nitty gritty was negotiated by both countries politicians and diplomats I assume as the French had no king anymore and my understanding is that Edward was a constitutional monarch just like Charles now. His own experience was that he loved going to Paris and he also liked to chase around French ladies of the "oldest profession". He may have said and done other things that have caused scholars and us to view E 8 as a Francophile. This episode 'king at last' is the only installment I have seen. Perhaps if I watch the final episode as well my mind could be influenced as in the years immediately before 1914 could be what illustrate him as too French centred for an English monarch (even tho he died in 1910).
@@DrDavidWilson_1xI agree with you about the nitty gritty being sorted out by others after the event but my understanding is that the British government were gobsmacked when they found out that the King had essentially privately promised the French government an entente. This had not been on the British government's agenda and they were presented in effect with a fait accompli from which they could not back away diplomatically. You need only to look at speeches made by the a King whilst in France to establish that he at least claimed to be a francophile. He could have been lying, of course, for reasons of propaganda and he may have loved France for morally dubious reasons (he frequented Parisian brothels in his younger days).
@MrBulky992 The Paris brothels is what I meant by chasing the ladies, lol. Yes OK if that which you have written here seems he was. Francophile fair enough to call him that. Thanks for your response 👍.
@@MrBulky992 Yes I think you have convinced me. Some of the things Edward did I had forgotten, tho I am sure the last bio I read did not call him a Francophile. Have just watched the last episode in the series and regret I jumped the gun a little before. Well done, on balance I think your argument holds better than my previous one ✅.
It's a British drama made in a time where the memory of WW1 was still very strong. Wilhelm was no saint, but I don't take his depiction here seriously.
RIP Timothy West - a magnificent actor who will be sorely missed.
Most definitely. He was a wonderful actor and a lovely bloke.
Omg!!!
0:27 "Well, Reggie, so it's come at last. He's had to wait longer to become king than any other man in history."
King Charles III: "Hold my beer."
More like hold my tea
George VII...hold my chai latte
🤣🤣🤣
Came here to make that exact comment and someone was 2+ years ahead of me lol.
"Nearly 60 years".
RIP Legendary and Great Actor Timothy West. We will miss you
I cry every time they finally put that crown on Bertie's head. I love this production. This was the heyday of the Masterpiece Theatre.
What happened to it?
@@Urlocallordandsavior What happened to WHAT? The crown? Or Masterpiece Theatre? 🤔
Although it was broadcast on PBS, it was never on MASTERPIECE THEATRE.
@@agerard6297 WAS it on PBS? I thought it was only on the BBC? When was this?
The series made its US premiere on PBS in 1979 under the title EDWARD THE KING (I guess because they didn’t want to confuse viewers into thinking it was a sequel).
My family has a connection to this king. My grandfather, as a member of the Grenadier Guards, served as a pallbearer for King Edward VII in 1010. Timothy West brings Edward to life.
He did that.
70's Historical drama series are out STANDING
Agreed. They don't make 'em anywhere near so good these days.
Fall Of Eagles... ? Brilliant !
The Shadow of the Tower
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Elizabeth R
The Fall of Eagles
Edward the Seventh
Those are my favourite historical tv dramas. Honestly, the acting was superb 👏
I, Claudius!
A sad loss,Timothy West, one of my favorite actors.
Edward: I can't believe I waited 60 years to be king... this sucks!!!
Charles: Hold my champagne glass, old chap...
why bertie
King Edward VII in reality was looking much much younger! And His Majesty Wife , in Her 60th still was young and really beautiful woman, real girl in her 28 years! Sorry for my mistakes, l'm from Ukraine but still i love you country - GB and Royal Family !
I hope you are alright, because of what is happening in your country today.
@@SuperTweezy5 Seconded.
I also hope you’re alright
All of Alexandra's portraits & photos were "touched up". She also wore a very heavy makeup during her husband's reign. Although she did remain slim & good-looking, age did not completely leave her untouched.
@susanmorano405 Age has definitely touched Camilla, that's for certain.
R.I.P Edward vii 1841-1910 (König von Großbritannien 1901-1910)
R.I.P Alexandra von Dänemark 1844-1925 (Königin von Großbritannien 1901-1910)
121 years later and the exact same scene is playing out
Mad ting
Sure was ….. word for word
@@Barneyjo yea
@@Barneyjo Yep. Same speech.
@@tashmoobabe8704 what would you have him say that was any different in terms of subject matter?
Queen Alex looks spectacular in every gown, and I was very glad to see she trumped Mrs Keppel by wearing a different colour than the expected black, thus standing out from her and any other former, current and future mistresses.
She skunked the whole court by wearing white.
@@maureenogorman8740 One thing about Alexandra isn't shown at all in the series and that's her deafness, which made her very isolated and forced to lead a withdrawn social life.
@@staffangunnarson2421 Actually, it does show her hearing loss in this episode at 6:39
I remember following this excellent series on the telly....thank you , so very much.
I think king Edward VII Was way more smarter than people given credit for
Love this series. Watched it as a kid and this along with Upstairs, Downstairs etal made me interested in my country's history.
Me too 😁 I loved it! And Upstairs, Downstairs. I met Timothy West and his wife a few times through my job. One day, he shook my hand and all I could think was, Edward VII just shook my hand! 🥰
Not to mention Bradley Hardacre 🤣
(September the 8th 2022)
Well Charles waited much longer to become King than George IV and Edward VII did but here we go. Pretty much the mood is like this right now there in the UK
I love the actress who plays Queen Alexandra. There is something in her voice!
I agree, Cristian: I think Helen Ryan's portrayal of Queen Alexandra is magical. (She reprised the role in the film "The elephant man": a small cameo but wonderful.)
@@willyboy3581 she also played Alexandra in an episode of Sherlock Holmes
@@pedanticradiator1491 I didn't see all of the Sherlock Holmes episodes; I'm sorry I missed the one in which Helen Ryan reprised the role of Alexandra.
She does bear a resemblance to the real Alexandra
@@pedanticradiator1491 I agree, Pedantic. As but one example, here is a well-known photograph taken in 1905 of Queen Alexandra holding her grandson Prince George (the future Duke of Kent) in which the resemblance between Miss Ryan and the Queen is particularly noticeable.
This was one of the best British TV series. Mrs Meldrew as Queen Victoria was epic and one of West's best performances.
Mrs. Meldrew? Is that a role Annette Crosbie played.
@@coquinegra Yes I ask this too?
@@margaretlavender9647 Yes, as Margaret Meldrew, Victor Meldrew's long suffering wife in BBC's 1990s sitcom 'One Foot in the Grave'. But she has played many other roles, one of my favourites being Janet MacPherson, the housekeeper, in ITVs 1990s drama series 'Dr Finlay'.
I love the bit where Bertie plays with his grandkids. That's really sweet!
Just think: the tallest would become the Duke of Windsor, and the next, George the Sixth.
This is a show that starts with the Duke of wellington in the first scene. By the end of it we see the aunts and uncles and relatives who were well known to Elizabeth II.
It is indeed
@@bradjohnston8193I think you misses a generation
I can't help thinking of the day Prince Charles will ascend the throne. His life mirrors Bertie's in so many ways....
Kalman Bucy I don't want the Queen to die!
Kalman Bucy At least the present Queen does give Charles the opportunity to DO something. Victoria would not allow Bertie to do anything at all.
Total absolute delusional garbage!! Where do people like you come from?? Sick!!!!!
Richard Lawson Who is being delusional?
Except Bertie enjoyed life rather than being a whiny little bitch
So happy to see this again after so many years I will definitely watch them all such a great series
121 years later, we're witnessing the coronation of King Charles III.
And the Coronation of Alice's Great Grand-daughter.
I'm only 11 minutes in and the attention to accuracy is incredible, the casting is spot on, even the Kaiser's arm is not being used (as per his birth defect).
He also clearly didn't get David's lil joke, poor Kaiser. And what's with invading personal space ? He's spitting all over the late King and Emporer
@ 6 minutes we get “Salisbury tows his nephew [Balfour] around like an old tug boat towing a battlecruiser” a clear anachronism as the first battlecruiser wasn’t laid down until 1906 and this is in 1901. At the time of launch those ships were officially armoured cruisers though they were also called Dreadnaught cruisers. The term battlecruiser wasn’t in common usage until the 1910’s. This is very much like someone using the term laptop in a program set in 1981.
And even little details like being crowned with the lighter Imperial State Crown, rather than St Edward's Crown - very well researched
I just found this gem. BBC makes the best period dramas
It's ITV not BBC
The impression I get from this series is that Queen Victoria, however unintentionally, was responsible for the erosion of most of what was left of the British Monarchy's influence over the governing of the nation. Victoria's self-imposed isolation and her refusal to allow her son to have any impact on matters of state gave the British government the breathing space and confidence to reject the influence of royalty.
Queen Elizabeth is doing something similar now with her stubborn adherence to tradition and not modernizing the monarchy enough. Charles will have a tough (albeit short) road ahead of him if he wants to make changes once he is crowned.
I would say you were right. Her grief was pathological and smacks of mental illness - wearing black for 40 years, expecting everyone else to do so - there are many anecdotal examples of her deterioration. Appearances were kept up of course - Ahem!
01denese 'Modernizing'? It becomes an obsession!!!
Indeed she did!! She was signing documents that she obviously had No idea of what they entailed nor meant over the long-term, virtually signing away the "authority" of the Monarchy. She depended upon Marlborough [which almost caused disaster] and then later Prince Albert, to literally explain everything to her because she really had No political understanding nor qualification to Rule. Although she did indeed grieve Albert, I also believe her long absence from Court also entailed her "fear" of inadequacy. She was now on her own with no one personally to cling to or depend on, therefore she was "hiding" from her responsibilities under the guise of grief. I personally believe that any success accredited to her as Ruler very literally belonged to Albert and "others." Victoria was just the figurehead given credit for living through it all.
In several biographies I have read of Victoria, they have noted that she came to the throne with absolutely no training on what the real powers of the monarchy were, having been purposely kept in the dark by her mother and her mother's 'advisor' Conroy in order to keep her dependent on her in the hopes they would have the real power, particularly if she came to the throne as a minor. Once she became queen, she was very dependent upon her first Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, to be trained as to her duties and powers, and he preferred that she think her powers were extremely limited, whereas her two uncles who had preceded her on the throne fought hard to keep certain prerogatives.
Had to re-watch this episode today after the first televised accession at St. James's Palace.
It's a shame Edward's reign wasn't longer as he was a great king.
They doubted him because people were used to Queen Victoria's long reign. But he turned out to be a very good king. He put members of the royal families at the service and the centre of the public.
What happened to him?
Rachel Demain he died of a heart attack in 1910 and his son Became King George the fifth Raining from 1910 to 1936
@@racheldemain1940 Bertie lived a very unhealthy lifestyle. He had an inhuman appetite and was morbidly obese long before he came to the throne. His nick name was "tum tum." Much of the food he ate would be considered extremely unhealthy in our day and age. Additionally he was a chain smoker from early adulthood up to the end of his life. A typical day would see him smoke anywhere from ten to twenty cigars and dozens of cigarettes. By 1909 his health was in terminal decline as he battled what modern medical experts suspect to have been emphysema and congestive heart failure.
@@YusufYusuf-ti2rz reigning* ☺️
I own this series. One of the best portrayals of King Edward VII I have seen. And yes his life journey has many similarities to the present King's. Hopefully KC3 with have a longer reign.
Doubt it.
it's a job that he really doesn't want, to be honest. frankly, he and the new Queen Consort would be happy to remain basically the favourite aunt and uncle to the Commonwealth - Realms and all - but he will not shirk his duty. KC3 is no dummy. his mother didn't keep him isolated like Victoria did Albert-Edward but Queen Elizabeth had seen what her uncle's abdication did and she would not follow suit. Charles will not abdicate his responsibility, either. She promised to serve whether her life was long or short. Charles will do no less come hell or high water.
He will be good.
Edward VII lived a life of such ridiculous excess and self-indulgence as to defy comparison with any heir to the throne or monarch in hundreds of years. Charles is a choir boy in comparison.
Don’t bet on it.
Alice Keppel is a great grandmother to Camilla Duchess of Cornwall
Saw this as a child.It stands the test of time.Excellent.They knew how to make historical dramas then.
I watched all the episodes all afternoon.I enjoyed it so much. Thank you .It was so enjoyable.
I’m loving the Kaiser actor. He’s absolutely hamming it up but doing it beautifully.
Wow, this has been a great look inside the personal lives of the British Royals. Thank you for posting!
Oh I just adore those German helmets, esp. the Kaiser's with the pigeon on top!!
Eagle ;)
@@brandongreenhough9379 Not a pigeon but a eagle.
@@DavBlc7 I think alice is being funny.
@@DavBlc7 Alice was taking the piss
They way Vicky was treated in Germany was one of the saddest stories ever that should be told, its such a shame a woman that brilliant and good will was treated worse than a common house servant
david brossett Vicky had a more liberal education, and the Germany nobility expected the ladies to be compliant and docile.
Timrath How was she disloyal?
No, she wasn't. She simply had more liberal ideas than her reactionary, militaristic father-in-law and son.
@@dianaarneson6590 It was hoped that Vicky and her husband would lead Germany towards a less militaristic path. However, no one could foresee Wilhelm I having such a long reign, or Fritz getting throat cancer and having such a short reign.
You haven't actually read much about her, have you?
Charles has had to wait longer to be King than Bertie did because Elizabeth has surpassed her great-great-grandmother Victoria as the longest reigning Queen ever
Timothy West was a fantastic actor!
He is still alive
Timothy West's finest performance.
I read hooked on this show back in the 70's.
West will always be King Edward to me.
Don't excellent casting.
I remember loving this as a kid. Every time I feel a little low, I watch one of the episodes.
for the curious: the music starting at ~ 49:40 is "Zadok the Priest" by G.F. Handel and indeed a coronation anthem, but only used during the anointment part. the real moment of coronation itself is utter void of any music.
+rivenoak Have you noticed when you see Vicky, Fritz, Willie or the Prussians you hear a sound track that sounds kind of like Deutschland, Deutschland über alles?
Anointing! Not anointment! It’s not a sore needing cream ointment!
The days when the big five ITV companies like ATV made period dramas that mattered and had giants of actors like Robert Hardy, Annette Crosbie and Timothy West. Not like now where you have Police dramas by numbers series and other crappy ones where it is always about a missing child or a family is hiding a secret.
I love how crazy Christopher Neame played Wilhelm. It's like the Kool-Aid Man smashing through the wall every time Neame shows up, "Oh yeahhhh!!!"
He was also in the 1970s BBC Colditz series as Dick Player!
He was also in The Secret Army.
That helmet of the Kaiser’s with the eagle! And they say the Germans have no sense of humour! 🤣
Someone else here commented on that helmet and made a joke, calling it a pigeon! The Kaiser would not be amused.
Me as a german: *stomp*
Charlie boy waited for 70 years.
Good!
I remember watching this and enjoying it.
Alexandra held the title Princess of Wales longer than anyone else in history. 1863-1901.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_of_Wales
30:40 Alexandra is like:Bitch please I am the Queen,you wear black but I wear white because I'm perfect😂
Juuso Pietiläinen White in mourning is a Royal prerogative.
The comment @ 13:04 about being squeezed out by the US and Russia was frighteningly accurate, wasn't it?
This episode also gives us an impression of how intense it must have felt for Edward and those close to him as they came to grips with the passing of Victoria. After 63 years on the throne, one can only wonder what a vast gulf must have been left by her death.
And I love the part at 49:55 where Edward showed some of that affable warmth and tenderness he was later remembered so well for. Even at the height of the seriousness of his duty, he did not shirk a chance to make silly with his grandchildren.
+Moribus109, there is another part in another episode where you can see Edward "making silly" with his grandsons--toast races down his trousers (much to the dismay of a
few other adults).
Yes that was very prescient. Made sense from their viewpoint. At that time the USA is the biggest economy in the world.
By the 1920s after the great war, the USA is capable of building a fleet as big and battleships as advanced as those in the Royal Navv
Timothy West played the part to perfection.
Bertie shows the warmth and affability
When Bertie wouldn't let anything delay the coronation (including a serious health issue) his wife or son should have gotten right in his face yelled "Will you please stop being your mother and open your ears?"
From the Edward VII Wikipedia article: ...two days before he was diagnosed with appendicitis. The disease was generally not treated operatively. It carried a high mortality rate, but developments in anaesthesia and antisepsis in the preceding 50 years made life-saving surgery possible. Sir Frederick Treves, with the support of Lord Lister, performed a then-radical operation of draining a pint of pus from the infected abscess through a small incision (through 4½ inch thickness of belly fat and abdomen wall); this outcome showed that the cause was not cancer. The next day, Edward was sitting up in bed, smoking a cigar. Two weeks later, it was announced that he was out of danger. Treves was honoured with a baronetcy (which the King had arranged before the operation) and appendix surgery entered the medical mainstream.
Imagine having to slice through the layers of blubber to reach the
appendix.?!
@@2msvalkyrie529 4½ inches. Yech! Only to then drain 16 fluid ounces of pus. Double Yech!
He seems to have been a very likable, warm person.
I think quite a lot of people did like the real King Edward VII - but Timothy West's portrayal of him is so fabulous you just can't help liking Bertie! And I like Helen Ryan as Princess Alix!
He has waited so long for his moment 😊 he was such a jovial extroverted king😊
Thank you so much for this! I loved seeing it. Magnificent story!
They remembered and included the kaiser’s gimpy left arm. Great attention to detail!
Why should his arm not match his brain?
Likewise in the series "Fall of Eagles" which includes the horribly difficult birth of Wilhelm which almost killed mother and son and resulted in his left arm being a useless appendage for life. Someone had to cut all of his food into bite-sized pieces before he ate.
Not really ‘great attention to detail’. It was known of since he was born, when it happened. No one having anything to do with making this series or any film would already well-know about the Kaiser’s arm. It wasn’t just being ‘attention to detail’ - you could just NOT leave it out.
I truly enjoyed every minute of all the series , and find it hard to explain the joy and excitement every minute of the 11 series.
And can imagine what prince Charles is going through,
I am so happy at the opportunity u give me to enjoy these beautiful English movies and mostly the series, .
Thank u so much .
Mostly because I was born in Burma Rangoon and was I yr old when my parents immigrated to India .
Thank you for your kind words...
Prince Charles. Boo hoo hoo. My heart's just breaking for the poor billionaire.
The last scenes gave me a wry smile. When I was rushed to hospital with a burst appendix I couldn't stand or speak, the pain was so intense.
Alex, loved Edward, she outlived him by 16 yrs.
Camilla won't do that with Charles though.
He had too many lovers.. But Alexandra stood by him. ..
"And on tonight's programme lineup, ATV continues with it's thirteen-part dramatisation of the life of Edward the Seventh, the only British king who hasn't been done on the BBC."
Rather odd to be watching this when the monarch who reigned for 70 years has died, and her son was the longest ‘Monarch in waiting’ - HM Queen Elizabeth died on 8th Sept 2022, and her son, King Charles III, accedes to the throne at the age of 73
I seem to remember that this was on a Saturday evening on ITV. I might remember incorrectly of course, it has been more than 40 years!
1975 it was made
Un ancien plaisir renouvelé, inoubliable!
Imagine having an entire palace to decorate! Alice Keppel had a great idea: Alexandra HATED Buckingham Palace as it was. Let her redecorate the place!
Mrs Alice Keppel the last mistress of Edward VII was the great grandmother of Camila Parker Bowles now the Duchess of Cornwall and wife of Charles Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne
The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree.
Ironic, isn’t it...?!?
Grandmother of CowMilla, huh. Mistresses seem to run in that family.
@@JimMac23Misstress to Charles the Tampon.
Guys! I watch Victoria season three and i saw little Bertie, after he gets tortured by Mr Caine the badass educator and saved by his mom Queen Victoria, he made Mr Caine away like a true future king. :)
Fun fact: Daniel Slater, the little boy who is dancing with the king is the real life son of Helen Ryan, who plays Queen Alexandra, and Guy Slater, who plays Charles Carrington.
(Cont)- This series also gives the impression that Victoria suffered from depression for much of her life and because of the period and her position, it was never treated. I am a nurse and I work with people who suffer mental illnesses and I have seen people with long-term depression or bipolar who act and behave in ways very similar to Victoria. They become very self-centred and selfish and they come to expect the rest of the world to revolve around them and their condition. Victoria's apparent aloofness when Edward fell seriously ill was perhaps resentment at the fact that attention was focused on her son and not on her. Victoria seems to have a self-indulgent aspect to her personality which her husband Albert managed to overcome but with him gone, it allowed Victoria to retreat into her own misery, attempting to drag her family along with her.
And I think Willie might suffer from narcissism.
Good analyse, very good...
You are on the money. Victoria is erroneously depicted in America as a strong woman who ruled for 60 odd years. The truth was she was an extremely dependent person. Plus 9 kids must have contributed to some seriously undertreated post partum depression.
adelaide beeman-white
He had some serious feelings of inadequacy due to the deformation of his left (?) hand. I've often wondered how different history would have turned out if he had not been injured during his birth by the doctor using his forceps.
Ben Robbins The English doctors were not trusted in Germany.
The Kaiser was two people...no wonder his mother was afraid of him
Are you truly surprised that Willem Ii, was mentally unstable? He was, after all, a great-great grandson of George III.
After he came to the throne, he suggested that his mother might be better off moving back to the UK. However, she insisted on staying in Germany.
@@westlock He wanted his mother to leave Germany and made her as uncomfortable as possible. But she still had unmarried duaghters who would have been left behind. She stood up to her son but paid a heavy price.
@@josephpanzarella1417 look up why he disliked his mother so much
I loved this series,I remember it from 1975
I missed Queen Victoria after she died,wasn't the same✝...
I do believe if the Emperor Frederick and his wife (Victoria, Princess Royal), along with King Edward VII, had been able to live longer, World War I (and perhaps II) would have been avoided. It would have lead to peace and a long lasting friendship between Germany and England, which had been the dream of the Prince Consort.
Without doubt. Frederick said that he would never go to war, so he would have done all he could to avoid war. His heavy smoking caused the cancer that cut his reign to 99 days. One of my friends is a member of the German Royal family and has Frederick's cigarette case, with Frederick's finger marks on it.
M Scott Wow!! That is fascinating, indeed. I would love to see a photo of you have it. I think the entire fate of the world would have changed had Emperor Frederick lived longer. He was truly before his time....
@@mscott3918 How lucky are you!!!
But how well would they have been able to deal with Bismarck? As I remember, he was a big influence on Wilhelm.
@@gidzmobug2323 Yes, that’s a good point.
Yes, without King Edward VII the Great War would have begun a good deal earlier.
you do forgett, that the UK royal family is only one part of the same wider european royal family, virtually everyone is related some way to victoria empress of india, even in 2018, there are royal relatives in 2018**,,,
Hugh Mackay If Wilhelm's father hadn't died after reigning only 99 days there may not have been a war. As a man of peace he would try to stop it, unlike his son who revelled in militarism
@@mscott3918 Military training was standard for all the German princes. Fritz tried to seek a peaceful solution.
Had he lived another ten years (to 1920) it is unlikely that there would have been a World War.
@@louisdespreaux5828 It's possible, but I doubt it. Edward VII may have been able to delay the start of WWI if he lived longer, but I believe he couldn't have prevented its inevitable outbreak.
0:33 "nearly sixty years"
Now ask Prince Charles...
The man does not deserve to be king. He has children. Let them rule.
67 years crown prince, and counting...
Rule?They don't rule.They decorate the United Kingdom, they don't rule it.They're like overstuffed chairs in a tiny room. Merelyenhancing the place in a very superficial way. In the come,off the go......
jws1948ja why should he give up the throne he has as much right to be king as William has. If I had to wait as long as him id not give up the throne for anyone not least for the stupid motions known as the government
No Michael...…The world definitely does not need the torture of having Charles and Camilla sitting their alcoholic asses on the velvet thrones.Let's open the windows and doors of the stuffy palaces of Buckingham and Sandringham and Windsor Castle and Balmoral,and LET THE SUNSHINE IN WITH A GIGANTIC WAVE OF FRESH AIR.That should be William and Catherine. Who gives a shit how long Charles has been waiting....mummy knows best.
Great viewing thanks for uploading it
I love how king Edward has a massive argument with the doctor
The infant arm of HM Edward VII is a point of interest. HM Queen Victoria had all of her infant children remembered in this way. The prop in the scene is glazed ceramic. I believe that the actual sculptures were carved in white alabaster, or perhaps white Carrera. They are on display at Osbourne, I recall . The display is rather touching - each one rests on a red velvet cushion. GJS
Wilhelm looks ridiculous with that silver bird upon his helmet.
It’s a Prussian Eagle, military
That bird laid an egg for his breakfast every day.
(10:28) "Yes, David's a chip off the old block." Hahahahahaha! I'm joking because I remember my dad telling me that!
The other little boy was the future King George VI.
Timothy West at his best here...
Yes, he played a wonderful part as Edward VII.
@@gordontaylor5373 Top notch acting tbh...they dont make them anymore unfortunately...
That was a very eloquent speech by the King at his first council.
What actors we had at that time . All spent years in Rep before appearing on TV . Compare them with our present crop ......who are completely lacking in stage experience and
technique .
And unable to speak correct Queen’s English.
I remember seeing this when it debuted here on TV, in the US. I did not remember what the one gentleman said about the new king waiting longer than anyone else to become the monarch. Assuming nothing happens to Charles, he will supplant Edward in that regard.
This was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Does anyone recall the opening scene in the movie "Mrs Brown" (Dame Judi Dench as HM Queen Victoria)? The camera pans to the edge on the roof at either, Balmoral or Sandringham. A full size bust of The Highland Servant, John Brown is unceremoniously tossed to the ground!!
Huntin' shootin' and fuckin' : royal hallmarks forever. How great to know that the grand daughter of one of Edward's tarts should now become Queen of Britain
😅😅
In several ways an unsavory family with weak moral character.
@@wholeNwon That describes Cheater Charlie and Strumpet CowMilla.
Yep his great granddaughter by his strumpet became the tart of his great great grandson by his wife.
The reign of Edward the Caresser.
😅🤣
So true.
Really enjoyed this very much.
No infection control procedure protocols back in those days Doc in civies no gloves amazing he survived at all
Those particular doctors were lucky. People did survive after those ridiculous surgeries, I don't know what the success rate was, but Edward VII must have had a decent immune system. He survived typhoid too.
The letters between the Queen and her daughter remain in the British archives to this day.
Only in the Royal Archives in the Round Tower of Windsor Castle.
Amazing how they made Felicity Kendall look like Vicky.
49:11 truly a wonderful moment.
+goldenthroat86 " A Queen from a fairy tale - come to life . "
The look he had when he walked into the room and saw his queen in all her queenly glory...he was speechless! Priceless!
Queen Alexandra was a beautiful woman. My great uncle met her at the end of the war, as a young soldier from Australia. She was selling poppies. He said he had no money because their pay had not come through. She gave him one. He said she was beautiful!
Queen Alexandra was a generous lady. She kept a supply of £5 notes to slip in to letters asking for help. But when she received her new bundle of notes she would just put the remainder of the previous batch in a hat box.
Who else remembers Dennis Lill as Major Benjy in Mapp and Lucia?
I was watching the DVD of Mapp and Lucia just last week.
Mrs. Keppel was the only one of Edward's mistresses that the Queen liked.
+Howard Glen You really have to wonder what the present Queen E 2 thinks of her great-great granddaughter: Camilla. Safe to say, that will be revealed decades from now. :)
@@sexycougar7140 Camilla is Alice Keppel's great-granddaughter.
She didn’t actually. She was polite to her but after Bertie died she made her dislike very plain.
@@fizzao1342 Before he died The Queen invited Mrs Keppel to visit Edward at the Palace.
She allowed Alice to be at his deathbed but she didn't like her
This series was a 'Tour de Force'. I hope the late Timothy West was proud of the production because he should have been.
The actor who played the kaiser wilhelm ii, in fall of eagles played it better, he looked the part.
In "Fall of Eagles" I actually think the kaiser is portrayed as somewhat nicer than he really was. Two years earlier Barry Foster, the actor who played him, had played another psychotic in Hitchcock's "Frenzy".
Do we think Alix's lack of punctuality was payback to Edward for his affairs? A passive aggressive two fingered salute?
Possibly
No, she was just unusually unpunctual.
i call it the middle finger salute
The Kaiser OBSESSED with dissing English doctors smh
Well he blamed them for his withered arm
Edward, just like Charles, had to wait a long time to take the reign of kingship. When he did it was just for a decade or so, building up to WW1 and continuing to have a good time with his various ladies. Not really a very consequential kingship in many ways because by this time Parliament basically ruled but as a TV programme the series has been interesting and (I hope) reasonably historically accurate. Thankyou.
Edward VII *was* consequential: he was a francophile and it was he who, following a spectacularly successful state visit to France, instigated the Entente Cordiale, effectively ending 700 years of hostility between England and France: at the time, there were rumblings within government that he was unduly interfering in politics and foreign affairs.
@MrBulky992 I am absolutely no expert on Edward but I think for some actual scholars he has been considered as Francophile. The biography I read about 20 years ago did not. But that was a long time ago and memory fades.
With respect to his reign being consequential, for the build up to the world war and its inevitable consequences I thought the king was not on centre stage. On Anglo-French relations he did play a part but not the part of establishing the Entente Cordiale.
The Nitty gritty was negotiated by both countries politicians and diplomats I assume as the French had no king anymore and my understanding is that Edward was a constitutional monarch just like Charles now.
His own experience was that he loved going to Paris and he also liked to chase around French ladies of the "oldest profession". He may have said and done other things that have caused scholars and us to view E 8 as a Francophile.
This episode 'king at last' is the only installment I have seen. Perhaps if I watch the final episode as well my mind could be influenced as in the years immediately before 1914 could be what illustrate him as too French centred for an English monarch (even tho he died in 1910).
@@DrDavidWilson_1xI agree with you about the nitty gritty being sorted out by others after the event but my understanding is that the British government were gobsmacked when they found out that the King had essentially privately promised the French government an entente. This had not been on the British government's agenda and they were presented in effect with a fait accompli from which they could not back away diplomatically.
You need only to look at speeches made by the a King whilst in France to establish that he at least claimed to be a francophile. He could have been lying, of course, for reasons of propaganda and he may have loved France for morally dubious reasons (he frequented Parisian brothels in his younger days).
@MrBulky992 The Paris brothels is what I meant by chasing the ladies, lol. Yes OK if that which you have written here seems he was. Francophile fair enough to call him that. Thanks for your response 👍.
@@MrBulky992 Yes I think you have convinced me. Some of the things Edward did I had forgotten, tho I am sure the last bio I read did not call him a Francophile. Have just watched the last episode in the series and regret I jumped the gun a little before. Well done, on balance I think your argument holds better than my previous one ✅.
The Keiser was definitely a raving lunatic, but he had a sense of humour, to wear that fuckin great pot on his head. ha ha ha. !!!!!!
He took it very very very seriously. He had no sense of humour whatsoever, ever.
@@margaretlavender9647yes he did he was known for his amusing jokes
He was definitely not a lunatic please do ur research and this is used for prussian military clearly dont know ur history
History repeats itself
A wonderful portrayal of Edward V11
What is the matter with these doctors? Lister and Pasteur had already warned of germs and the need for proper operating procedures.
But how many doctors believed them?
One of them is Lister…
The bloke who played the Kaiser did overplay the role a little, and by that, I mean a lot.
Well he WAS an arrogant p.o.s. and he IS being remembered here by a country that HATED him, so...
It's a British drama made in a time where the memory of WW1 was still very strong. Wilhelm was no saint, but I don't take his depiction here seriously.