Edward VII might have been the son of Queen Victoria, but in this case the apple fell very far from the tree. He truly relished his role as the leader of the social life on England from 187—1910. Moreover, he played a very positive role in establishing an alliance with France. He had many mistresses yet treated all the women of his life, including his wife, with great tenderness. At his funeral, they played “After the Ball is Over,” for it was understood that an era had ended.

 

In turn-of-the-century Paris one of the most dedicated social climbers was Mrs. Kate Moor, an American millionaires. After energetically pursing the Prince for years, she captured her prize trophy, for the Prince accepted her invitation to dinner. The Prince was amused by the American’s vulgarity: “Madam, you shave lived in the days of Louis the Fourteenth, “ he remarked. “ In those days there were kings everywhere.”

 

Edward’s self-permissive conduct as the Prince of Wales and king was partly a reaction to his mother’s impossibly virtuous standards of conduct. When Lady Beaconsfield once suggested that her son must be a great comfort to her, Queen Victoria replied, “Comfort! Why, I caught him smoking a fortnight after his dear father died!”

 

During the 1897 Diamond Jubilee, Edward often had to represent his mother at public events. On the hymns frequently sung and played on these occasions was “Eternal Father, Strong to save.” He once murmured. “ It is all very well about the Eternal Father. But what about my eternal mother?”

 

A pompous young minister once used the royal pronoun “We, referring only to himself, in the presence of Edward VII. The king picked him up at once: Only two people are permitted to refer to themselves as ‘We’—a king, and a man with a tapeworm inside him.”