Editing Edward VII (section)

==Early life and education==
[[File:Edward VII (1841_–_1910).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Portrait by [[Franz Xaver Winterhalter]], 1846]]
Edward was born on 9 November 1841 in [[Buckingham Palace]].<ref>[[#Magnus|Magnus]], p. 1</ref> He was the eldest son and second child of [[Queen Victoria]] and her husband, [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]. He was christened ''Albert Edward'' at [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]], on 25 January 1842.{{efn|His godparents were [[Frederick William IV of Prussia|the King of Prussia]], his paternal step-grandmother [[Duchess Marie of Württemberg|the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] (for whom [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|the Duchess of Kent]], his maternal grandmother, stood proxy), his great-uncle [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge|the Duke of Cambridge]], his step-great-grandmother [[Princess Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel|the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg]] (for whom [[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel|the Duchess of Cambridge]], his great-aunt, stood proxy), his great-aunt [[Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom|Princess Sophia]] (for whom [[Princess Augusta of Cambridge]], his first cousin once-removed, stood proxy) and his great-uncle [[Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20065|date=28 January 1842|page=224}}</ref>}} He was named Albert after his father and Edward after his maternal grandfather, [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]. He was known as ''Bertie'' to the royal family throughout his life.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 1</ref>

As the eldest son of the British sovereign, Edward was automatically [[Duke of Cornwall]] and [[Duke of Rothesay]] at birth. As a son of Prince Albert, he also held the titles of [[Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] and [[Ernestine duchies|Duke of Saxony]]. He was created [[Prince of Wales]] and [[Earl of Chester]] on 8 December 1841, [[Earl of Dublin]] on 17 January 1850,<ref name="weir" /><ref name="cp" />{{efn|Gazetted on 10 September 1849.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21018|pages=2783|date=11 September 1849}}</ref>}} a [[Knight of the Garter]] on 9 November 1858, and a [[Knight of the Thistle]] on 24 May 1867.<ref name="weir">{{Citation |last=Weir |first=Alison |title=Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy, Revised Edition |page=319 |date=1996 |place=London |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-7126-7448-5 |author-link=Alison Weir (historian)}}</ref> In 1863, he renounced his succession rights to the Duchy of [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] in favour of his younger brother [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Alfred]].<ref>[[Van der Kiste, John]] (September 2004; online edition May 2007) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/346 "Alfred, Prince, duke of Edinburgh (1844–1900)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, {{doi|10.1093/ref:odnb/346}}, retrieved 24 June 2009 {{ODNBsub}}</ref>

The Queen and Prince Albert were determined that their eldest son should have an education that would prepare him to be a model [[constitutional monarch]]. At age seven, Edward embarked on a rigorous educational programme devised by Albert, and supervised by several tutors. Unlike his elder sister [[Victoria, Princess Royal|Victoria]], he did not excel in his studies.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 17–19</ref> He tried to meet the expectations of his parents, but to no avail. Although Edward was not a diligent student—his true talents were those of charm, sociability and tact—[[Benjamin Disraeli]] described him as informed, intelligent and of sweet manner.<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 4</ref> After the completion of his secondary-level studies, his tutor Frederick Waymouth Gibbs was replaced by [[Robert Bruce (1813–1862)|Robert Bruce]] as his personal governor.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 42</ref>

After an educational trip to Rome, undertaken in the first few months of 1859, Edward spent the summer of that year studying at the [[University of Edinburgh]] under, among others, the chemist [[Lyon Playfair]]. In October, he [[matriculated]] as an undergraduate at [[Christ Church, Oxford]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 18</ref> Now released from the educational strictures imposed by his parents, he enjoyed studying for the first time and performed satisfactorily in examinations.<ref name="dnb">[[Colin Matthew|Matthew, H. C. G.]] (September 2004; online edition May 2006) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32975 "Edward VII (1841–1910)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302022125/http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32975 |date=2 March 2016}}, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, {{doi|10.1093/ref:odnb/32975}}, retrieved 24 June 2009 {{ODNBsub}}.</ref> In 1861, he transferred to [[Trinity College, Cambridge]],<ref>{{acad|id=WLS861AE|name=Wales, H.R.H. Albert Edward, Prince of}}</ref> where he was tutored in history by [[Charles Kingsley]], [[Regius Professor of Modern History (Cambridge)|Regius Professor of Modern History]].<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 35; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 50</ref> Kingsley's efforts brought forth the best academic performances of Edward's life, and Edward actually looked forward to his lectures.<ref>[[#Hough|Hough]], pp. 36–37</ref>