History UsefulNotes / TheHouseOfWindsor

On 8 February 1960, the Queen confirmed that she and her children would continue to be known as the House and Family of Windsor. Though the Royal House is named Windsor, it was decreed, via a 1960 Order-in-Council, that those male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip who were not Princes or Princesses of the United Kingdom should have the personal surname Mountbatten-Windsor. In practice all of their children, in honour of their father, have used Mountbatten-Windsor as their surname (although Prince William has "Wales" on his military uniform, reflecting the long-standing tradition that when a surname is required, as for military service, a royal will use his most prestigious title as if it were a surname). Since becoming Queen, she is Elizabeth II, all other names are not used officially. There was a minor flap about her being the first Elizabeth to rule over Scotland (thus making her Elizabeth I there, if that rule were to be believed), but the Royal Family decided that when Scotland and England had different numbers of rulers of the same name, they would follow the higher one whether it was Scottish or English. As it happens, that is the rule that had (accidentally) been followed since the Act of Union 1707. A consequence of this is that if there were to be another King James, he would be James VIII (since James II of England was James VII of Scotland).

As noted, Edward was long noted for his love of a good time. He had a number of mistresses, many of them high profile (including Lilly Langtry;[[note]]Who is alleged--[[BeamMeUpScotty probably wrongly]]--to have had this exchange with him: "Why should I spend any more money on you? I've spent enough on you to build a battleship." "And you've spent enough ''in'' me to float it."[[/note]] Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick;[[note]]Who got the nickname "Babbling" Brooke because (1) her husband, as heir to the Earldom of Warwick, was Lord Brooke, and (2) she couldn't keep her mouth shut. This last proved to be her undoing as a royal mistress.[[/note]] and Alice Keppel[[note]]Great-grandmother of ''another'' mistress of a Prince of Wales, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Of course, Prince Charles was eventually allowed to marry her.[[/note]]) and a number of scandals (some involving his mistresses and some not) as Prince of Wales. He has the dubious distinction of having had to appear as a witness in not one but two high-profile and very scandalous trials, the first being the divorce trial of an MP (where the issue was the MP's wife's cheating on him with the Prince while her husband was at sittings of Parliament) and the second case involved gambling (and had the added indignity of his being forced to testify, rather than willingly taking the stand as he had the previous time). He was, outside of his mistresses, a truly ''notorious'' womanizer; he had liaisons with numerous society women (including UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill's mother Lady Randolph Churchill and actress Sarah Bernhardt), and also had special rooms in some of the top brothels of Paris, including one with a specially-designed ''siège d'amour'' ("love chair") so even with his great weight he could take two prostitutes at once. In the end, though, all of that was, if not forgotten, then easily forgiven--more of a national joke than an embarrassment, especially given how the rest of the late Victorian upper classes carried on. It helped that his wife didn't really mind. He was also a great lover of food--especially French food--and ended up with a [[AdiposeRex 50-plus-inch waist]]; again, fate spared him, and of the whole long line of fat British monarchs (i.e. every single one since George I), he carried it best. He was also (thus far) the ''last'' fat British monarch; his marriage to the slender Alexandra of Denmark seems to have had the lasting effect of ensuring reasonably svelte monarchs for the next five generations. Also, peculiarly for someone so thoroughly in love with fine French cuisine, he was the one who [[TropeCodifier cemented]] the English tradition of eating [[HollywoodCuisine roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and potatoes for the Sunday roast]]. In the end, of his numerous vices, it was his smoking (twelve cigars daily, plus twenty cigarettes) that caught up to him, and he died of heart disease after nine years on the throne in 1910. His funeral was noted by Barbara Tuchman in ''The Guns of August'' to be the greatest assemblage of royalty in history. He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, until Charles beat Edward's record on 20 April 2011. Probably the only Windsor to actually enjoy being a monarch; the others seem to regard it largely as a duty.

A famous Francophile--he had loved France, the French, and French culture ever since coming with his mother and father on their only state visit abroad (to Paris in 1855), and regularly holidayed at the resort of Biarritz in the French Basque Country[[note]]This caused a minor scandal, as when UsefulNotes/HenryCampbellBannerman died in 1908, the King was in Biarritz and had UsefulNotes/HerbertHenryAsquith come to France to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissing_hands kiss hands]] rather than go up to London himself[[/note]]--paved the way for the British alliance with France (and ultimately Russia). As Prince of Wales, he also started the traditions of the British monarch and royals making public "make-a-speech-cut-the-ribbon-and-kiss-the-babies"-type public appearances and going on numerous state visits to strengthen Britain's ties with foreign states;[[note]]The former led to the latter; after laying the cornerstone for the Canadian Parliament at Ottawa during his visit in 1860, he went down to the United States, visiting WashingtonDC--hopping over to Virginia to pay his respects to UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington[=/=]UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}, and UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity.[[/note]] in other words, it's fair to say he invented the modern role of the British monarch and royal family (since those two things occupy more of a modern royal's public exposure than anything else).

As noted, Edward was long noted for his love of a good time. He had a number of mistresses, many of them high profile (including Lilly Langry;[[note]]Who is alleged--[[BeamMeUpScotty probably wrongly]]--to have had this exchange with him: "Why should I spend any more money on you? I've spent enough on you to build a battleship." "And you've spent enough ''in'' me to float it."[[/note]] Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick;[[note]]Who got the nickname "Babbling" Brooke because (1) her husband, as heir to the Earldom of Warwick, was Lord Brooke, and (2) she couldn't keep her mouth shut. This last proved to be her undoing as a royal mistress.[[/note]] and Alice Keppel[[note]]Great-grandmother of ''another'' mistress of a Prince of Wales, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Of course, Prince Charles was eventually allowed to marry her.[[/note]]) and a number of scandals (some involving his mistresses and some not) as Prince of Wales. He has the dubious distinction of having had to appear as a witness in not one but two high-profile and very scandalous trials, the first being the divorce trial of an MP (where the issue was the MP's wife's cheating on him with the Prince while her husband was at sittings of Parliament) and the second case involved gambling (and had the added indignity of his being forced to testify, rather than willingly taking the stand as he had the previous time). He was, outside of his mistresses, a truly ''notorious'' womanizer; he had liaisons with numerous society women (including UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill's mother Lady Randolph Churchill and actress Sarah Bernhardt), and also had special rooms in some of the top brothels of Paris, including one with a specially-designed ''siège d'amour'' ("love chair") so even with his great weight he could take two prostitutes at once. In the end, though, all of that was, if not forgotten, then easily forgiven--more of a national joke than an embarrassment, especially given how the rest of the late Victorian upper classes carried on. It helped that his wife didn't really mind. He was also a great lover of food--especially French food--and ended up with a [[AdiposeRex 50-plus-inch waist]]; again, fate spared him, and of the whole long line of fat British monarchs (i.e. every single one since George I), he carried it best. He was also (thus far) the ''last'' fat British monarch; his marriage to the slender Alexandra of Denmark seems to have had the lasting effect of ensuring reasonably svelte monarchs for the next five generations. Also, peculiarly for someone so thoroughly in love with fine French cuisine, he was the one who [[TropeCodifier cemented]] the English tradition of eating [[HollywoodCuisine roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and potatoes for the Sunday roast]]. In the end, of his numerous vices, it was his smoking (twelve cigars daily, plus twenty cigarettes) that caught up to him, and he died of heart disease after nine years on the throne in 1910. His funeral was noted by Barbara Tuchman in ''The Guns of August'' to be the greatest assemblage of royalty in history. He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, until Charles beat Edward's record on 20 April 2011. Probably the only Windsor to actually enjoy being a monarch; the others seem to regard it largely as a duty.

We go back any further, we're into the [[TheHouseOfHanover Hanover dynasty]].

!!'''Queen Mary'''
[[quoteright:77:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queenmaryofteck2_1260.jpg]]
'''Lived''': 26 May 1867 –- 24 March 1953
'''Parents''': Francis, ''Duke of Teck'' and ''Princess'' Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
'''Consort''': George V

Her full name being hugely bulky even by royal standards,[[note]] Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes[[/note]] her family was technically a junior branch of the royal family of Württemberg in southwestern Germany, but she was born and raised in Britain--which is why Victoria thought her a suitable wife for her grandson, as she was thoroughly English but also of royal blood. She was originally intended to marry Albert Victor, but when he died and she and George hit it off, the Royal Family decided WhyWasteAWedding Thus she ended up the Queen Mum to the Queen Mum. She was a kleptomaniac and a fanatic jewel collector. Has a cruise liner named after her[[note]]RMS ''Queen Mary'', a Cunard liner and, as noted above, running mate to RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'', named after then-Queen Consort Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon[[/note]].

She earned longstanding devotion from the Blitz Generation for her and George VI's refusal to flee the country during UsefulNotes/{{WWII}}; when asked to send her children to Canada for safekeeping, she famously replied, "The girls won't leave without me, I won't leave without the King and [[InItsHourOfNeed the King will never leave]]". After Buckingham Palace was bombed during the Blitz, she quipped, "Finally. Now I can look the East End in the face."[[note]]The East End was the most devastated by aerial bombing during the war.[[/note]] She also a cruise liner named after her,[[note]]the Cunard ocean liner RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'', sister ship and running mate to RMS ''Queen Mary'' (which, incidentally, was named after her mother-in-law)[[/note]] as well as a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_Way famous expressway in Canada]] (which you take to get to Niagara Falls). After her death it was discovered that she owned an impressive library of ska music. She has been played by Sylvia Syms in ''Film/TheQueen'' (2006), Juliet Aubrey in ''[[BertieAndElizabeth Bertie & Elizabeth]]'' (2002) and HelenaBonhamCarter in ''Film/TheKingsSpeech''.

!!'''Queen Mary'''
[[quoteright:77:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queenmaryofteck2_1260.jpg]]
'''Lived''': 26 May 1867 –- 24 March 1953
'''Parents''': Francis, ''Duke of Teck'' and ''Princess'' Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
'''Consort''': George V

Her full name being hugely bulky even by royal standards,[[note]] Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes[[/note]] her family was technically a junior branch of the royal family of Württemberg in southwestern Germany, but she was born and raised in Britain--which is why Victoria thought her a suitable wife for her grandson, as she was thoroughly English but also of royal blood. She was originally intended to marry Albert Victor, but when he died and she and George hit it off, the Royal Family decided WhyWasteAWedding Thus she ended up the Queen Mum to the Queen Mum. She was a kleptomaniac and a fanatic jewel collector. Has a cruise liner named after her[[note]]RMS ''Queen Mary'', a Cunard liner and, as noted above, running mate to RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'', named after then-Queen Consort Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon[[/note]].

As noted, Edward was long noted for his love of a good time. He had a number of mistresses, many of them high profile (including Lilly Langry;[[note]]Who is alleged--[[BeamMeUpScotty probably wrongly]]--to have had this exchange with him: "Why should I spend any more money on you? I've spent enough on you to build a battleship." "And you've spent enough ''in'' me to float it."[[/note]] Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick;[[note]]Who got the nickname "Babbling" Brooke because (1) her husband, as heir to the Earldom of Warwick, was Lord Brooke, and (2) she couldn't keep her mouth shut. This last proved to be her undoing as a royal mistress.[[/note]] and Alice Keppel[[note]]Great-grandmother of ''another'' mistress of a Prince of Wales, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Of course, Prince Charles was eventually allowed to marry her.[[/note]]) and a number of scandals (some involving his mistresses and some not) as Prince of Wales. He has the dubious distinction of having had to appear as a witness in not one but two high-profile and very scandalous trials, the first being the divorce trial of an MP (where the issue was the MP's wife's cheating on him with the Prince while her husband was at sittings of Parliament) and the second case involved gambling (and had the added indignity of his being forced to testify, rather than willingly taking the stand as he had the previous time). He was, outside of his mistresses, a truly ''notorious'' womanizer; he had liaisons with numerous society women (including UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill's mother Lady Randolph Churchill and actress Sarah Bernhardt), and also had special rooms in some of the top brothels of Paris, including one with a specially-designed ''siège d'amour'' ("love chair") so even with his great weight he could take two prostitutes at once. In the end, though, all of that was, if not forgotten, then easily forgiven--more of a national joke than an embarrassment, especially given how the rest of the late Victorian upper classes carried on. It helped that his wife didn't really mind. He was also a great lover of food--especially French food--and ended up with a [[AdiposeRex 50-plus-inch waist]]; again, fate spared him, and of the whole long line of fat British monarchs (i.e. every single one since George I), he carried it best. (Also, peculiarly for someone so thoroughly in love with fine French cuisine, he was the one who [[TropeCodifier cemented]] the English tradition of eating [[HollywoodCuisine roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and potatoes for the Sunday roast]].) In the end, of his numerous vices, it was his smoking (twelve cigars daily, plus twenty cigarettes) that caught up to him, and he died of heart disease after nine years on the throne in 1910. His funeral was noted by Barbara Tuchman in ''The Guns of August'' to be the greatest assemblage of royalty in history. He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, until Charles beat Edward's record on 20 April 2011. Probably the only Windsor to actually enjoy being a monarch; the others seem to regard it largely as a duty.

-->Mummy that is not appropriate.
-->You're one to talk.

As noted, Edward was long noted for his love of a good time. He had a number of mistresses, many of them high profile (including Lilly Langry[[note]]Who is alleged--[[BeamMeUpScotty probably wrongly]]--to have had this exchange with him: "Why should I spend any more money on you? I've spent enough on you to build a battleship." "And you've spent enough ''in'' me to float it."[[/note]] the Countess of Warwick, and Alice Keppel[[note]]Great-grandmother of ''another'' mistress of a Prince of Wales, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Of course, Prince Charles was eventually allowed to marry her.[[/note]]) and a number of scandals (some involving his mistresses and some not) as Prince of Wales. He has the dubious distinction of having had to appear as a witness in not one but two high-profile and very scandalous trials, the first being the divorce trial of an MP (where the issue was the MP's wife's cheating on him with the Prince while her husband was at sittings of Parliament) and the second case involved gambling (and had the added indignity of his being forced to testify, rather than willingly taking the stand as he had the previous time). He was, outside of his mistresses, a truly ''notorious'' womanizer; he had liaisons with numerous society women (including UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill's mother Lady Randolph Churchill and actress Sarah Bernhardt), and also had special rooms in some of the top brothels of Paris, including one with a specially-designed ''siège d'amour'' ("love chair") so even with his great weight he could take two prostitutes at once. In the end, though, all of that was, if not forgotten, then easily forgiven--more of a national joke than an embarrassment, especially given how the rest of the late Victorian upper classes carried on. It helped that his wife didn't really mind. He was also a great lover of food--especially French food--and ended up with a [[AdiposeRex 50-plus-inch waist]]; again, fate spared him, and of the whole long line of fat British monarchs (i.e. every single one since George I), he carried it best. (Also, peculiarly for someone so thoroughly in love with fine French cuisine, he was the one who [[TropeCodifier cemented]] the English tradition of eating [[HollywoodCuisine roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and potatoes for the Sunday roast]].) In the end, of his numerous vices, it was his smoking (twelve cigars daily, plus twenty cigarettes) that caught up to him, and he died of heart disease after nine years on the throne in 1910. His funeral was noted by Barbara Tuchman in ''The Guns of August'' to be the greatest assemblage of royalty in history. He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, until Charles beat Edward's record on 20 April 2011. Probably the only Windsor to actually enjoy being a monarch; the others seem to regard it largely as a duty.

A famous Francophile--he had loved France, the French, and French culture ever since coming with his mother and father on their only state visit abroad (to Paris in 1855), and regularly holidayed at the resort of Biarritz in the French Basque Country[[note]]This caused a minor scandal, as when UsefulNotes/HenryCampbellBannerman died in 1908, the King was in Biarritz and had UsefulNotes/HerbertHenryAsquith come to France to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissing_hands kiss hands]] rather than go up to London himself[[/note]]--paved the way for the British alliance with France (and ultimately Russia). As Prince of Wales, he also started the traditions of the British monarch and royals making public "make-a-speech-cut-the-ribbon-and-kiss-the-babies"-type public appearances and going on numerous state visits to strengthen Britain's ties with foreign states;[[note]]The former led to the latter; after laying the cornerstone for the Canadian Parliament at Ottawa during his visit in 1860, he went down to the United States, visiting WashingtonDC--hopping over to Virginia to pay his respects to GeorgeWashington--UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}, and UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity.[[/note]] in other words, it's fair to say he invented the modern role of the British monarch and royal family (since those two things occupy more of a modern royal's public exposure than anything else).

The Windsors were also monarchs of Ireland (till 1949 or 1937, depending on how one interprets the Irish constitution), India (till 1950), and Pakistan (till 1956). As noted below, the family was originally known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), the name of the ducal house to which Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, belonged; this family also holds the monarchy of UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} and is descended from the late medieval Wettin Dukes of Saxony (the ones who, most famously, protected Martin Luther during the Reformation).[[note]] The House of Wettin is split into two main branches ever since Ernest, Elector of Saxony, Landgrave of Thuringia and Margrave of Meissen, divided up the Wettin territories between himself and his younger brother Albrecht (Albert III) in 1485. Paradoxically, Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert comes from the Ernestine (ducal), not the Albertine (royal) branch. The Ernestine Wettins continued to divide the lands of a ruler amongst his sons longer than most other ruling houses, which meant that Ernestine territory became fragmented into different lines; when a line died out its territory was inherited by or divided up between Ernestine relatives. This is why the name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha only started with Albert's father Ernest (Ernst). His line had previously been known as Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, but in 1825 the Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg line died out; in the subsequent repartitioning Ernest inherited Saxe-Gotha through his consort Louise, but he had to give up Saalfeld to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Consequently Prince Albert and King Leopold I (Ernest's younger brother) are called Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, while Ernest's sister Victoire (Queen Victoria's mother), who married the Duke of Kent in 1818, years before the repartitioning, is called a Victoria, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [[/note]] George V later changed the name during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne to appease anti-German sentiment (his Belgian cousins did the same).

The Windsors were also monarchs of Ireland (till 1949 or 1937, depending on how one interprets the Irish constitution), India (till 1950), and Pakistan (till 1956). As noted below, the family was originally known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), the name of the ducal house to which Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, belonged; this family also holds the monarchy of UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} and is descended from the late medieval Wettin Dukes of Saxony (the ones who, most famously, protected Martin Luther during the Reformation).[[note]] The House of Wettin is split into two main branches ever since Elector Ernest and his brother Albrecht divided up their territories in 1485. Paradoxically, Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert comes from the Ernestine (ducal), not the Albertine (royal) branch. The Ernestine Wettins continued to divide the lands of a ruler amongst his sons longer than most other ruling houses, which meant that Ernestine territory fragmented into different lines and when a line died out its territory was inherited by or divided up between Ernestine relatives. This is why the name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha only started with Albert's father Ernest (Ernst). His line had previously been known as Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, but in 1825 the Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg line died out; in the subsequent repartitioning Ernest inherited Saxe-Gotha through his consort Louise, but he had to give up Saalfeld to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Consequently Prince Albert and King Leopold I (Ernest's younger brother) are called Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, while Ernest's sister Victoire (Queen Victoria's mother), who married the Duke of Kent in 1818, years before the repartitioning, is called a Victoria, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [[/note]] George V later changed the name during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne to appease anti-German sentiment (his Belgian cousins did the same).

The Windsors were also monarchs of Ireland (till 1949 or 1937, depending on how one interprets the Irish constitution), India (till 1950), and Pakistan (till 1956). As noted below, the family was originally known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), the name of the ducal house to which Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, belonged; this family also holds the monarchy of UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} and is descended from the late medieval Wettin Dukes of Saxony (the ones who, most famously, protected Martin Luther during the Reformation).[[note]] The House of Wettin is divided into two main branches ever since Elector Ernest and his brother Albrecht divided up their territories in 1485. Paradoxically, Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert comes from the Ernestine (ducal), not the Albertine (royal) branch. The Ernestine Wettins continued to divide the lands of a ruler amongst his sons longer than most other ruling houses, which meant that Ernestine territories were divided between different lines and when a line died out its territory was inherited or divided up between Ernestine relatives. This is why the name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha only started with Albert's father Ernest (Ernst). His line had previously been known as Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, but in 1825 the Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg line died out; in the subsequent repartitioning Ernest inherited Saxe-Gotha through his consort Louise, but he had to give up Saalfeld to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. This is why Prince Albert and Leopold I of Belgium (Ernest's younger brother) are called Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, while his aunt Victoire (Ernest's sister and Queen Victoria's mother), who married the Duke of Kent in 1818, long before the repartitioning, is called a Victoria, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [[/note]] George V later changed the name during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne to appease anti-German sentiment (his Belgian cousins did the same).

The Windsors were also monarchs of Ireland (till 1949 or 1937, depending on how one interprets the Irish constitution), India (till 1950), and Pakistan (till 1956). As noted below, the family was originally known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the name of the ducal house to which Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, belonged; this family also holds the monarchy of UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} and is descended from the late medieval Wettin Dukes of Saxony (the ones who, most famously, protected Martin Luther during the Reformation).[[note]] The House of Wettin is divided into two main branches ever since Elector Ernest and his brother Albrecht divided up their territories in 1485. Paradoxically, Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert comes from the Ernestine (ducal), not the Albertine (royal) branch. The Ernestine Wettins continued to divide the lands of a ruler amongst his sons longer than most other ruling houses, which meant that Ernestine territories were divided between different lines and when a line died out its territory was inherited or divided up between Ernestine relatives. This is why the name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha only started with Albert's father Ernest. His line had previously been known as Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, but in 1825 the Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg line died out; in the subsequent repartitioning he inherited Gotha through his consort Louise, but he had to give up Saalfeld to one of his cousins. This is why [[/note]] George V later changed the name during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne to appease anti-German sentiment (his Belgian cousins did the same).

The Windsors were also monarchs of Ireland (till 1949 or 1937, depending on how one interprets the Irish constitution), India (till 1950), and Pakistan (till 1956). As noted below, the family was originally known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the name of the ducal house to which Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, belonged; this family also holds the monarchy of UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} and is descended from the late medieval Wettin Dukes of Saxony (the ones who, most famously, protected Martin Luther during the Reformation). George V later changed the name during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne to appease anti-German sentiment (his Belgian cousins did the same).

'''Parents''': ''King'' Christian IX of Denmark and ''Princess' Louise of Hesse-Kassel

Wife of Edward VII, she was a Danish princess before she married into the British royal family. Despite being closely related to German royalty, she was not a fan of Kaiser Wilhelm and firmly supported the British in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI--indeed, relations between Prussia and Denmark often led to tension within the family, particularly as Kaiser Wilhelm was her nephew (his father Frederick III was married to Edward's elder sister Victoria). Other than that, she was most notable for her charitable work, for her status as a fashion icon, for her deafness, and for being the great-grandmother of the current queen. Oh, and for Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Corps, formed in 1902, which served with distinction in both World Wars and was eventually folded into the British military itself.

* Edward VII (as the Prince of Wales) turns up as a character in the {{Flashman}} series, notably in ''Flashman and the Tiger'' (1999). Specifically, the tale depicts the Royal Baccarat Scandal of 1890, when Edward testified in court against card sharp Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet (1848-1930).

Her full name being hugely bulky,[[note]] Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes[[/note]] her family was technically a junior branch of the royal family of Württemberg in southwestern Germany, but she was born and raised in Britain--which is why Victoria thought her a suitable wife for her grandson, as she was thoroughly English but also of royal blood. She was originally intended to marry Albert Victor, but when he died and she and George hit it off, the Royal Family decided WhyWasteAWedding Thus she ended up the Queen Mum to the Queen Mum. She was a kleptomaniac and a fanatic jewel collector. Has a cruise liner named after her[[note]]RMS ''Queen Mary'', a Cunard liner and, as noted above, running mate to RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'', named after then-Queen Consort Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon[[/note]].

She earned longstanding devotion from the Blitz Generation for her and George VI's refusal to flee the country during UsefulNotes/{{WWII}}; when asked to send her children to Canada for safekeeping, she famously replied, "The girls won't leave without me, I won't leave without the King and [[InItsHourOfNeed the King will never leave]]". After Buckingham Palace was bombed during the Blitz, she quipped, "Finally. Now I can look the East End in the face."[[note]]The East End was the most devastated by aerial bombing during the war.[[/note]] She also a cruise liner named after her[[note]]the Cunard ocean liner RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'', sister ship and running mate to RMS ''Queen Mary'' (which, incidentally, was named after her mother-in-law)[[/note]]. After her death it was discovered that she owned an impressive library of ska music. She has been played by Sylvia Syms in ''Film/TheQueen'' (2006), Juliet Aubrey in ''[[BertieAndElizabeth Bertie & Elizabeth]]'' (2002) and HelenaBonhamCarter in ''Film/TheKingsSpeech''.

As noted, Edward was long noted for his love of a good time. He had a number of mistresses, many of them high profile (including Lilly Langry[[note]]Who is alleged--[[BeamMeUpScotty probably wrongly]]--to have had this exchange with him: "Why should I spend any more money on you? I've spent enough on you to build a battleship." "And you've spent enough ''in'' me to float it."[[/note]] the Countess of Warwick, and Alice Keppel[[note]]Great-grandmother of ''another'' mistress of a Prince of Wales, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Of course, Prince Charles was eventually allowed to marry her.[[/note]]) and a number of scandals (some involving his mistresses and some not) as Prince of Wales; he has the dubious distinction of having had to appear as a witness in not one but two high-profile trials. He was, outside of his mistresses, a truly ''notorious'' womanizer; he had liaisons with numerous society women (including UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill's mother Lady Randolph Churchill and actress Sarah Bernhardt), and also had special rooms in some of the top brothels of Paris, including one with a specially-designed ''siège d'amour'' ("love chair") so even with his great weight he could take two prostitutes at once. In the end, though, all of that was, if not forgotten, then easily forgiven--more of a national joke than an embarrassment, especially given how the rest of the late Victorian upper classes carried on. It helped that his wife didn't really mind. He was also a great lover of food--especially French food--and ended up with a [[AdiposeRex 50-plus-inch waist]]; again, fate spared him, and of the whole long line of fat British monarchs (i.e. every single one since George I), he carried it best. (Also, peculiarly for someone so thoroughly in love with fine French cuisine, he was the one who [[TropeCodifier cemented]] the English tradition of eating [[HollywoodCuisine roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and potatoes for the Sunday roast]].) In the end, of his numerous vices, it was his smoking (twelve cigars daily, plus twenty cigarettes) that caught up to him, and he died of heart disease after nine years on the throne in 1910. His funeral was noted by Barbara Tuchman in ''The Guns of August'' to be the greatest assemblage of royalty in history. He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, until Charles beat Edward's record on 20 April 2011. Probably the only Windsor to actually enjoy being a monarch; the others seem to regard it largely as a duty.

The Queen's little sister and in many ways her [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling complete]] [[SiblingYinYang opposite]]. In 1953 she wanted to marry her father's equerry, Group Captain Peter Townsend ([[TheWho not that one]]). The only problem was that he was divorced, and at this time such a marriage would have been a Very Big Deal Indeed. She eventually decided against marrying Townsend and, years later, married a society photographer named Antony Armstrong-Jones (who was made the Earl of Snowdon on his marriage to her); ironically, they themselves divorced in 1978 after years of bitter acrimony and mutual recriminations. Famously a good-time girl in her younger days - one of her closest friends was Creator/PeterSellers - the rumour of her having an affair with [[Music/TheRollingStones Mick Jagger]] is 'unconfirmed'.[[note]]If true, it would appear that Jagger has a thing for high-placed women named Margaret: he also had an 'unconfirmed' affair with Margaret Trudeau, wife of then-[[CanadianPolitics Canadian PM]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer Pierre Elliott Trudeau]].[[/note]] Margaret died shortly before her mother in 2002. She once said that her greatest regret in life was not having been allowed to attend school; it has been remarked that her great tragedy was to be born with frightening intelligence and no outlet for it whatsoever. No wonder she drank.

As noted, Edward was long noted for his love of a good time. He had a number of mistresses, many of them high profile (including Lilly Langry[[note]]Who is alleged--[[BeamMeUpScotty probably wrongly]]--to have had this exchange with him: "Why should I spend any more money on you? I've spent enough on you to build a battleship." "And you've spent enough ''in'' me to float it."[[/note]] the Countess of Warwick, and Alice Keppel[[note]]Great-grandmother of ''another'' mistress of a Prince of Wales, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Of course, Prince Charles was eventually allowed to marry her.[[/note]]) and a number of scandals (some involving his mistresses and some not) as Prince of Wales; he has the dubious distinction of having had to appear as a witness in not one but two high-profile trials. He was, outside of his mistresses, a truly ''notorious'' womanizer; he had liaisons with numerous society women (including UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill's mother Lady Randolph Churchill and actress Sarah Bernhardt), and also had special rooms in some of the top brothels of Paris, including one with a specially-designed ''siege d'amour'' ("love chair") so even with his great weight he could take two prostitutes at once. In the end, though, all of that was, if not forgotten, then easily forgiven--more of a national joke than an embarrassment, especially given how the rest of the late Victorian upper classes carried on. It helped that his wife didn't really mind. He was also a great lover of food--especially French food--and ended up with a [[AdiposeRex 50-plus-inch waist]]; again, fate spared him, and of the whole long line of fat British monarchs (i.e. every single one since George I), he carried it best. (Also, peculiarly for someone so thoroughly in love with fine French cuisine, he was the one who [[TropeCodifier cemented]] the English tradition of eating [[HollywoodCuisine roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and potatoes for the Sunday roast]].) In the end, of his numerous vices, it was his smoking (twelve cigars daily, plus twenty cigarettes) that caught up to him, and he died of heart disease after nine years on the throne in 1910. His funeral was noted by Barbara Tuchman in ''The Guns of August'' to be the greatest assemblage of royalty in history. He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, until Charles beat Edward's record on 20 April 2011. Probably the only Windsor to actually enjoy being a monarch; the others seem to regard it largely as a duty.

As noted, Edward was long noted for his love of a good time. He had a number of mistresses and a number of scandals (some involving his mistresses and some not) as Prince of Wales; he has the dubious distinction of having had to appear as a witness in not one but two high-profile trials. In the end, though, all of that was, if not forgotten, then easily forgiven--more of a national joke than an embarrassment, especially given how the rest of the late Victorian upper classes carried on. It helped that his wife didn't really mind. He was also a great lover of food--especially French food--and ended up with a [[AdiposeRex 50-plus-inch waist]]; again, fate spared him, and of the whole long line of fat British monarchs (i.e. every single one since George I), he carried it best. (Also, peculiarly for someone so thoroughly in love with fine French cuisine, he was the one who [[TropeCodifier cemented]] the English tradition of eating [[HollywoodCuisine roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and potatoes for the Sunday roast]].) In the end, of his numerous vices, it was his smoking (twelve cigars daily, plus twenty cigarettes) that caught up to him, and he died of heart disease after nine years on the throne in 1910. His funeral was noted by Barbara Tuchman in ''The Guns of August'' to be the greatest assemblage of royalty in history. He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, until Charles beat Edward's record on 20 April 2011. Probably the only Windsor to actually enjoy being a monarch; the others seem to regard it largely as a duty.

'''Consort''': Edward VIII

The Queen's little sister and in many ways her [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling complete]] [[SiblingYinYang opposite]]. In 1953 she wanted to marry her father's equerry, Group Captain Peter Townsend ([[TheWho not that one]]). The only problem was that he was divorced, and at this time such a marriage would have been a Very Big Deal Indeed. She eventually decided against marrying Townsend and, years later, married a society photographer named Antony Armstrong-Jones (who was made the Earl of Snowdon on his marriage to her); ironically, they themselves divorced in 1978 after years of bitter acrimony and mutual recriminations. Famously a good-time girl in her younger days - one of her closest friends was PeterSellers - the rumour of her having an affair with [[Music/TheRollingStones Mick Jagger]] is 'unconfirmed'.[[note]]If true, it would appear that Jagger has a thing for high-placed women named Margaret: he also had an 'unconfirmed' affair with Margaret Trudeau, wife of then-[[CanadianPolitics Canadian PM]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer Pierre Elliott Trudeau]].[[/note]] Margaret died shortly before her mother in 2002. She once said that her greatest regret in life was not having been allowed to attend school; it has been remarked that her great tragedy was to be born with frightening intelligence and no outlet for it whatsoever. No wonder she drank.

!!'''Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon'''
[[quoteright:163:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princessmargaretsnowdon_6885.jpg]]
'''Lived''': 21 August 1930 –- 9 February 2002
'''Parents''': ''King'' George VI and ''Lady'' Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
'''Consort''': Antony Armstrong Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon

The Queen's little sister and in many ways her [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling complete]] [[SiblingYinYang opposite]]. In 1953 she wanted to marry her father's equerry, Group Captain Peter Townsend ([[TheWho not that one]]). The only problem was that he was divorced, and at this time such a marriage would have been a Very Big Deal Indeed. She eventually decided against marrying Townsend and, years later, married a society photographer named Antony Armstrong-Jones (who was made the Earl of Snowdon on his marriage to her); ironically, they themselves divorced in 1978 after years of bitter acrimony and mutual recriminations. Famously a good-time girl in her younger days - one of her closest friends was PeterSellers - the rumour of her having an affair with [[Music/TheRollingStones Mick Jagger]] is 'unconfirmed'.[[note]]If true, it would appear that Jagger has a thing for high-placed women named Margaret: he also had an 'unconfirmed' affair with Margaret Trudeau, wife of then-[[CanadianPolitics Canadian PM]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer Pierre Elliott Trudeau]].[[/note]] Margaret died shortly before her mother in 2002. She once said that her greatest regret in life was not having been allowed to attend school; it has been remarked that her great tragedy was to be born with frightening intelligence and no outlet for it whatsoever. No wonder she drank.