Profile of the Day: Edward VII

Edward VII

Have you found your connection to royalty? On this day in 1841, King Edward VII was born in Buckingham Palace. The eldest son of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, Edward VII held the record for the longest serving heir-apparent in British history at 59 years, until he was surpassed by his second great grandson Prince Charles in 2011.

He was named Albert Edward after his father and his maternal grandfather, Prince Edward Duke of Kent and Strathearn. He was known as “Bertie” within the royal family throughout his life. A bit of a playboy in his youth, Edward had a brief affair with an actress while serving in the army. Two-weeks after his father visited him personally to reprimand him, Prince Albert fell ill and died of typhoid. Queen Victoria fell into a deep depression and blamed her son for Albert’s death.

In 1901, he succeeded to the throne following the death of his mother. He ruled until his death on May 6, 1910 at the age of 68.

Explore Edward VII’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re related to the British monarch.
 

View Edward VII’s Geni Profile

Image: Wikimedia Commons