Edward by Whittle, Tyler - 1975

UK: William Heinemann Ltd, 1975. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. BERTIE was about Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the head of smart society and, to the strong disapproval of his mother, Queen Victoria, often at the centre of appalling scandals. EDWARD describes his life as King. Too old to change, Edward VII continued to enjoy himself. In what his daughter-in-law (later Queen Mary) censured as 'the Age of gold and orchids', the King loved the opulence, moving from country house to royal palace or European hotel de luxe, revelling in travel, shooting, racing, cruising, golf, croquet, rich food, theatres, the company of faithful friends and mistresses, and the tricks of young cocottes. He was so evidently human, and his failings were on such a generous scale, that he became dearly loved by the great majority of his subjects. Others appreciated his application to the business of being a sovereign. At last he had something to do, and, though by now well-fixed in his opinions, and not in the least intellectual, his common sense and mistrust of humbug, and, most of all, his unique position as uncle to so many European sovereigns, enabled him to play a unique part in his country's affairs. His greatest success was to initiate and nurse the Entente Cordiale with Republican France. Possibly his worst failure was an inability to be patient with his maddening and arrogant nephew, the Kaiser. But despite a few diplomatic indiscretions and some rebuffs, he rose to the challenge of his new role and, by the end of his reign, had earned the title of Edward the Peacemaker. EDWARD completes Tyler Whittle's wide and colourful panorama of the Victorian and Edwardian eras as seen through life studies of the two British Sovereigns. In all five books the historical facts are impeccable, the design grand in scope, its accomplishment masterly.