Photo by Paul Thompson, New York.
Bearing the Coffin of King Edward into St. George's Chapel, Westminster. The Dowager Queen Alexandra and other royal mourners following the body.
Photo by Paul Thompson, N. Y.
The lying-in-state of King Edward VII at Westminster Hall.
Photo by Paul Thompson, N. Y.
The gun carriage bearing King Edward's body drawn by sailors from Windsor Station.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
The New King and His Imperial Responsibilities
In assuming the burden of his great position and manifold duties King George V had the disadvantage of succeeding a great monarch; he had also the advantage of having been trained in statecraft, diplomacy, and the science and practice of government, by a master in the art. He was young in years—only forty-five—strong, so far as was known, in body and health, equipped with a vigorous intelligence and wide experience of home and European politics and, what was of special importance at the time of his accession, instinct with Imperial sentiment and acquainted, practically and personally, with the politics and leaders of every country in the British Empire—notably India, Canada, South Africa and Australia. He was not known to the public as a man of genial temperament but rather as a strong, reserved, quiet thinker and student of men and conditions. Great patience and considerable tact, common sense and natural ability, eloquence in speech and fondness for home life and out-door sports, he had shown as Prince of Wales or Duke of Cornwall. He spoke German, French, and, of course, English with ease and accuracy; he had seen much service in the Royal Navy and was understood to be devotedly attached to the wide spaces of the boundless seas; his Consort was beautiful, kindly, and graceful in bearing, with a profound sense of the importance of her place and duties and a sincere belief in the beneficence and splendid mission of British power.