The death of King George V – and why his doctor hastened his demise

History would repeat itself years later when George’s second son Albert, later George VI, reluctantly succeeded to the throne. This time, it wasn’t a death that thrust responsibility on him – it was his brother Edward’s scandalous abdication.

George V inherited the throne at a politically turbulent time; his reign would be marked by the Indian independence, women’s suffrage and Irish republicanism movements, and fascism and communism began to rise. There was change amongst royalty, too. Before the First World War, the majority of Europe was ruled by George’s relatives. By the time of his death, Austria, Germany, Greece, Spain and Russia had all seen revolutions, and the British royal family’s name had been changed from the distinctly German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English-sounding Windsor.

Why was George V's death controversial?

George's death was embroiled in controversy – but not until in 1986. That was the year that the diaries of his physician, Lord Dawson, came to light.

These diaries revealed that the good doctor had hastened the dying King's demise. To preserve George's dignity (and to ensure that he died in time for the morning edition of The Times) Dawson had administered a lethal injection.

More than 800,000 people visited George V’s body while it lay in state. During his funeral procession, part of the Imperial State Crown fell into the gutter. Edward VIII saw this as an bad omen for his new reign. George V had expressed concerns for his son: “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months”.

Edward VIII would abdicate within the year; his brother, George VI, would emulate their father, guiding the country through the Second World War.