King Edward VII

<p>Albert Edward was born on November 9, 1841, at Buckingham Palace, the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Created Prince of Wales almost immediately, 'Bertie' was subjected to a rigorous educational curriculum by his father, later studying at both Oxford and Cambridge.</p><p>Excluded from political administration by Queen Victoria for decades, Edward became a world-traveling diplomat and society patron, visiting North America in 1860 and India in 1875–1876. Ascending the throne upon Victoria's death in January 1901, Edward VII revolutionized the royal image, transforming it from reclusive Victorian mourning into a warm, modern constitutional monarchy.</p><p>Possessing mastery of French and German, Edward was an architect of European diplomacy. His celebrated 1903 state visit to Paris turned hostile French public opinion around, paving the way for the historic 1904 <strong>Entente Cordiale</strong> that resolved centuries of Anglo-French imperial rivalry. He fostered modernization of the British military and navy under Admiral Fisher. Edward died at Buckingham Palace on May 6, 1910, remembered as one of Britain's most popular and diplomatic monarchs.</p>