Editing Edward VII (section)

==Legacy==
{{further|Cultural depictions of Edward VII|Royal eponyms in Canada}}
{{Multiple image
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|image1=King Edward VII 0918.jpg
|caption1=Statue in [[Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne]]
|image2=Edward Edinburgh.jpg
|caption2=Statue outside [[Holyrood Palace]], Edinburgh
|image3=Edward VII Front Full, Bangalore.JPG
|caption3=[[Statue of Edward VII, Bangalore]], India
|footer=Statues of Edward can be found throughout the former empire.
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Before his accession to the throne, Edward was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He was surpassed by his great-great-grandson [[Charles III]] on 20 April 2011.<ref>{{Citation |title=Prince Charles becomes longest-serving heir apparent |date=20 April 2011 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13133587 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=30 January 2016 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925202124/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13133587 |url-status=live}}</ref> The title Prince of Wales is not automatically held by the heir apparent; it is bestowed by the reigning monarch at a time of his or her choosing.<ref name="clarence">{{Citation |title=Previous Princes of Wales |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/titles-and-heraldry/previous-princes-of-wales |publisher=Clarence House |access-date=30 January 2016 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014191303/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/titles-and-heraldry/previous-princes-of-wales |url-status=live}}</ref> Edward was the longest-serving holder of that title until surpassed by Charles on 9 September 2017.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bryan |first=Nicola |title=Prince Charles is longest-serving Prince of Wales |date=9 September 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-41179772 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=9 September 2017 |archive-date=9 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909153555/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-41179772 |url-status=live}}</ref> Edward was Prince of Wales between 8 December 1841 and 22 January 1901 (59 years, 45 days); Charles held the title between 26 July 1958 and 8 September 2022 ({{Age in years and days|1958|07|26|2022|09|08}}).<ref name="clarence" /><ref>{{Citation |last=Richardson |first=Matt |title=The Royal Book of Lists |page=56 |date=2001 |place=Toronto |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn=978-0-88882-238-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lloyd |first1=Will |title=King Charles is no longer Hamlet |url=https://unherd.com/thepost/goodnight-sweet-prince/ |access-date=12 September 2022 |work=[[UnHerd]] |date=9 September 2022}}</ref>

As king, Edward VII proved a greater success than anyone had expected,<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 349, 473, 476</ref> but he was already past the average life expectancy and had little time left to fulfil the role. In his short reign, he ensured that his second son and heir, [[George V]], was better prepared to take the throne. Contemporaries described their relationship as more like affectionate brothers than father and son,<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 155</ref> and on Edward's death George wrote in his diary that he had lost his "best friend and the best of fathers&nbsp;... I never had a [cross] word with him in my life. I am heart-broken and overwhelmed with grief".<ref>King George V's diary, 6 May 1910. Royal Archives</ref>

Edward has been recognised as the first truly constitutional British sovereign and the last sovereign to wield effective political power.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 576</ref> Though lauded as "Peacemaker",<ref>[[#Bentley-Cranch|Bentley-Cranch]], p. 157; [[#Lee|Lee]], p. 738</ref> he had been afraid that German Emperor Wilhelm II, who was one of his nephews, would tip Europe into war.<ref>[[#Lee|Lee]], pp. 358, 650, 664; [[#Middlemas|Middlemas]], pp. 176, 179; [[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 474</ref> Four years after Edward's death, the [[First World War]] broke out. The naval reforms he had supported and his part in securing the [[Triple Entente]] between Britain, France, and Russia, as well as his relationships with his extended family, fed the paranoia of the German Emperor, who blamed Edward for the war.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 474</ref> Publication of the official biography of Edward was delayed until 1927 by its author, [[Sidney Lee]], who feared German propagandists would select material to portray Edward as an anti-German warmonger.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], p. 487</ref> Lee was also hampered by the extensive destruction of Edward's personal papers; Edward had left orders that all his letters should be burned on his death.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 482–483</ref> Subsequent biographers have been able to construct a more rounded picture of Edward by using material and sources that were unavailable to Lee.<ref>[[#Ridley|Ridley]], pp. 494–495</ref>

Historian [[R. C. K. Ensor]], writing in 1936, praised the King's political personality:

<blockquote> ...he had in many respects great natural ability. He knew how to be both dignified and charming; he had an excellent memory; and his tact in handling people was quite exceptional. He had a store of varied, though unsystematised, knowledge gathered at first-hand through talking to all sorts of eminent men. His tastes were not particularly elevated, but they were thoroughly English; and he showed much (though not unfailing) comprehension for the common instincts of the people over whom he reigned. This was not the less remarkable because, though a good linguist in French and German, he never learned to speak English without a German accent.<ref>[[#Ensor|Ensor]], p. 343</ref></blockquote>

Ensor rejects the widespread notion that the King exerted an important influence on British foreign policy, believing he gained that reputation by making frequent trips abroad, with many highly publicised visits to foreign courts. Ensor thought surviving documents showed "how comparatively crude his views on foreign policy were, how little he read, and of what naïve indiscretions he was capable."<ref>[[#Ensor|Ensor]], pp. 567–569</ref> Edward received criticism for his apparent pursuit of self-indulgent pleasure, but he received great praise for his affable manners and diplomatic tact. As his grandson [[Edward&nbsp;VIII]] wrote, "his lighter side&nbsp;... obscured the fact that he had both insight and influence."<ref>[[#Windsor|Windsor]], p. 69</ref> "He had a tremendous zest for pleasure but he also had a real sense of duty", wrote J. B. Priestley.<ref>[[#Priestley|Priestley]], p. 25</ref> Lord Esher wrote that Edward VII was "kind and debonair and not undignified—but too human".<ref>[[#Hattersley|Hattersley]], p. 17</ref>