Card of the Day: H.R.H. King George V

After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months.
--King George V about his son, the Prince of Wales.

It’s only fitting that images of King George V would be the centerpiece of the 1935 Silver Jubilee card series produced by Godfrey and Phillips. Here, we see the King lookin quite robust in his formal uniform.

When this photo was taken—circa 1934—his health had already been precarious. While the public was aware that the King often experienced bouts of ill health, most did not know the severity of his illnesses.

It was during this period when the King began to realize that his eldest son would not be the best successor to the throne. The King’s prediction that The Prince of Wales would make a Royal mess of his accession proved true, and the Duke of York took Edward VIII’s place as Sovereign.

Though Queen Mary was quite shaken by the death of her husband and the ensuing abdication kerfuffle, she did take comfort in knowing that as King George VI, her second son was fulfilling her husband’s wishes when he took the throne.