George V (1865-1936) was king of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and emperor of India from 1910 to 1936. He maintained the monarchy as a stabilizing influence in a period of rapid international and domestic changes.

Born June 3, 1865, at Marlborough House, London, George V was the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). Though over the years the royal family had several homes, it was to Sandringham in Norfolk, constructed by his father, that George as prince and later as king was especially attached. His early education was by private tutors, but the strongest influence on him was his mother. As the second son, he was to have a naval career, and in 1877 he became a naval cadet. He trained at sea, passed his examination to become a midshipman, attended the Royal Naval College at Greenwich, and served from 1886 to 1888 in...