Bertie: A Life of Edward VII

Haven't read the print version.

This is a completely new take on Edward VII. The book got wonderful reviews in Britain. I can see why.

The reign of King Edward VII ("Bertie" to his family) was expected to be a disappointment by most. But he would have not have been shocked by this verdict, it was one he had been hearing for most of his life. A gambler and a philanderer, his bad behavior was not only whispered among the upper class, but also ended up as fodder for the unwashed masses when he ended up in court a few times. His most horrible crime was that he was not the carbon copy of his late father Prince Consort Albert, an offense that Queen Victoria could not forgive.

This is an excellent, thorough book on the life of future King Edward VII. It is also very even-handed on the good and bad aspects of the man himself.

In some ways, it's extraordinary that he did as well as he did. Prince Albert had high expectations for his children, especially Bertie, the heir. He devised a rigorous education for them. His oldest child, the Princess Royal Victoria, excelled while Bertie did not. Of course, this must have been the fault of poor strange Bertie, not the teachers and certainly not Prince Albert's program. In response to this failure, his education became more difficult, not less. and leaving him little free time, not that he would have been allowed to socialize with boys his own age if he did have free time.

As a young man away from home, his male friends introduced him to a "loose woman" who became his mistress. An aghast Prince Albert hurried to confront his son about his behavior. Prince Albert's health declined soon afterwards, leading to his death.

The fractious attitude of widowed Queen Victoria towards Bertie became a constant problem. Heartbroken by the loss of her beloved husband, Queen Victoria always blamed Bertie's dissolute behavior for Albert's death. Her punishment of him was of the most unproductive kind. For years, she forbade him any involvement in governmental affairs even after he expressed an interest, essentially making sure her heir was unprepared for his eventual responsibilities. It also gave him lots of free time to engage in the type of profligate lifestyle that his father had been determined to curtail. Bertie knew his mother was disappointed in his present behavior, but also knew that no penance he could do would have earned her forgiveness and healed the relationship. Queen Victoria even had Bertie and his new wife, beautiful, sweet Alexandra of Denmark spied on by the staff, to try to make sure both followed her directions. Not a perfect husband to Alexandra, he nonetheless backed her over the Queen during the war between her home country of Denmark and Germany (favored by the Queen) and the diplomatic problems that it caused.

Though not officially allowed in governmental affairs, Bertie stepped into the royal role that his reclusive mother refused to fill after Albert's death: the social role. Always impeccably dressed Bertie and Alexandra performed almost all of the public functions as representatives of the royal family. They were a glamorous pair, probably a big contrast to the stiff and stolid Victoria and Albert. Infidelity in an upper class man was still acceptable as long as there was discretion and a devoted wife at the side. Bertie's letters to mistresses are surprisingly mundane - no husband would read these lines and grab a pisol. His unwelcome court appearances were the result of getting dragged into the limelight by the indiscreet misdeeds of others in his circle. He was open-minded for his time: he welcomed successful Jewish financiers into his social circle and he did not discriminate among race (though he opposed women's rights).

His accession to the throne happened late in life. By then, he was aware of his own strengths and weaknesses. His interest in foreign relations, convivial manner and good relationships with the royalty of other contries (many of them relatives) were put to the good use on behalf of England. Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm's forceful, intrusive manner was annoying to the quiet Russian Tzar Nicholas II. King Edward VII told the Tzar that he had no wish to offer unsolicited advice like Wilhem. He had been a help to the young Tzar years earlier at the death of Tzar Alexander II (Alexandra's sister was the Tzarina). He and Alexandra comforted the grieving family, and performed all of the traditional Russian mourning rituals as members of the late Tzar's family (even kissing the lips of the rapidly decaying body), gaining the respect of the Russian public. King Edward VII's personality, his ability to put people at ease, and his shrewdness of the public impact of social behavior were his biggest assets and he made use of them in his reign.

I love the historical bits from the UK; their history totally out-swags the USA. I enjoy being able to relate to the modern fact that Bertie was Elizabeth II's Great Granddaddy. Though it is non-fiction the listening was among the best ever from Audible.

I liked that one views Victoria's reign from an altogether different perspective when focused on her son's point of view.

I enjoyed the character of Bertie's wife Alexandra the best, but all the voices were wonderful - I guess I did not realized one person did all the parts. Nice!

One of the best.

His relationship with his parents.

She accurately portrayed the various voices.

Waiting to be king

Great book! It really leaves no unanswered questions about his life; it was so EXTREMELY thorough and well researched! Very impressive work.

I would love to read a biography of George V written by the same author, it would feel like a natural continuation.

Someone who spoke distinctly, and with a better modulation in tone: this read can be hard to listen to. The narrator has a low voice: she starts at mid-register and gradually works her way down to a deep breathy whisper, setting a pattern that all too often repeats. That in itself is tedious, but it also means the last few words of a sentence can be lost completely. She may have been chosen to make the racy bits seem more scandalous, but that too is a drawback. She doesn't have a corresponding tone for the serious history in the story: it all comes off sounding like scandal. And when something private or delicate or intimate, like a personal letter, has to be read, it is muttered throughout at a barely audible level. The last section of the book is plagued with this problem. And I am not hard of hearing! This is the first of dozens of audiobooks that I've listened to that was difficult in this way. I can only imagine what it would be like for someone without a good set of speakers and a great deal of patience.