Biography King Edward VII, depicted in the uniform of a Field Marshal of the British Army, 1904. Known as the "Peacemaker" for his diplomatic skill, Edward is shown with the regalia of the Order of the Garter, England's oldest order of chivalry.
Eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, he ascended the throne in 1901 at the age of fifty-nine, giving his name to the Edwardian era. His personal diplomacy did much to shape the alliances of Europe on the eve of the Great War.
Regiment & Service Appointed Field Marshal of the British Army and Admiral of the Fleet, Edward served as Colonel-in-Chief of numerous regiments, including the Household Cavalry and the Brigade of Guards. Though he never commanded troops in the field, he took a keen personal interest in the dress, tradition and ceremony of the British Army throughout his life.
House & Lineage House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the dynasty founded upon his father Prince Albert. Edward was the first British sovereign of the house, which his son George V would rename Windsor in 1917. Through his many children and their marriages he became known as the "Uncle of Europe", linked by blood to nearly every reigning court of the continent.
- Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
- Sovereign of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
- Sovereign of the Royal Victorian Order
- Sovereign of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath