KING EDWARD VII.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 40, 16 February 1929, Page 17 (Supplement)

KING EDWARD VII.

HIS FIRST ILLNESS.

CORONATION DELAYED.

THE PASSING OF QUEEN VICTORIA

The anxiety that prevailed for so long regarding the serious illness of King George recalls the anxiety manifested in the case of his father, King Edward VII., when operated on for appendicitis on the eve of his coronation in 1902. King Edward ascended the throne on the death of his motler, Queen Victoria, at Osborne House/- near Cowes, in the Isle ef Wight, on 22nd January, 1901. The Queen, who was in her 82nd year, had reigned for da years 7 months and 2 days. Hers was -the longest reign in English history, exceeding that of George HI. by four years. In the history of Europe it has been exceeded in length only by the 71 yeaW reign of Louis XIV. of" France.

King Edward w*a in his 60th year when he ascended the throne. The average, age of English monarchs on their accession has been under 30 years. The only English monarch who ascended the throne at a more mature age than King Edward was William IV., uncle of Queen Victoria, who was in his 65th year when he succeeded his brother, George IV. The latter was 57 when he ascended the throne in 1820, on the death of his father, George 111., but he had been Regent for nine years previously owing to his father's insanity.

The coronation of King Edward VII. was fixed by Royal proclamation for June 26, 1902—17 months after the King had ascended the throne. Elaborate preparations were made for the event, and representatives of all the ruling monarchies in Europe arrived in London to witness the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, and to participate in the celebrations. Coronation Postponed.

M AU seemed most auspicious when in mid-June, like a mutter of thunder from * fair sky, the news flew from mouth to mouth that the King was ill," wrote Sir Sidney Lee in his official biography of King Edward. The King had contracted a chill on June 14, a miserably wet, cold day, while attending a milit;. :•;•' tatoo at Aldershot. He stayed in bed the next day, but on June 16 travelled by road from Aldershot to Windsor Castle. He spent a quiet week at Windsorj and »m said to be getting better. Ob Jvas 23 he went up to London in order to prepare for the coronation three days ahead. But on the morning of June 24 H was publicly announced that the coronation had been "indefinitely postponed," as the King was suffering from acute appendicitis, and an immediate operation was necessary. The King wanted to post-

pone the operation instead of the coronation, as the final arrangement had been made, and the representatives of Royalty from other countries, as well as many other distinguished visitors, had already arrived in London. The public was looking forward eagerly to the spectacular ceremony. But the King's surgeons, Sir Frederick Treves and Sir Francis Laking, convinced him that an immediate operation was the only means of saving his life.

The operation was performed by Sir Frederick Treves, and the King, whose constitution revealed unexpected reserves of strength, was convalescent in a few days. On July 5 it was formally announced that he was out of danger. The coronation took place on August 9, but the postponement robbed it of some of its splendour, for in the meantime the representatives of foreign Royalties had departed. Previous to this operation on King Edward, appendicitis as the name of a disease had been almost unknown to the lay mind; but after the King's recovery appendicitis became a fashionable disease, and since then many thousands of operations for the removal of the human appendix have been performed by surgeons throughout the Empire. Edward's Last Illness.

The fatal illness which carried off King Edward eight years later was of brief duration. For some years previously he had been subject to violent fits of coughing. While in these fits he seemed to be choking, and his efforts to regain his breath terrified those who witnessed his spasms. On May 5 he carried out his ordinary official duties. The last official visitor to be given an audience was Major T. B. Robinson (now Sir Thomas Robinson), who had been appointed Agent-General for Queensland. In the evening of that day an official medical bulletin was issued from Buckingham Palace stating that the King was suffering from bronchitis, and his condition was causing some anxiety. When his physicians saw him on the morning of the following day (Friday, May 6), it was at once evident that the gravity of the symptoms had increased. But the King, who up to the last expressed his determination to fight the disease, was calm and collected. He tried to smoke a cigar, but could not enjoy it, and confessed that he was "miserably ill." He arranged to see his old friend, Sir Ernest Cassel at 11 a.m., but a message was sent to Sir Ernest Cassel without the King's knowledge, cancelling the. appointment. The King insisted on rising as- usual, and asked if Sir Ernest Cassel had arrived. The latter was sent for, and he talked to the King for about half an hour. It was evident that the King's

,'rength was, waning, but he refused to go back to bed. One of his horses, Witch of the Air, was running that day at Kempton Park in a race for two-year-olds. The race took place at 4.15 pan., and was won by the King's horse. He was informed of its success, and expressed his pleasure. Twice during the afternoon he fainted, and signs of coma began to develop. In the evening his state seemed to be hopeless. He was undressed and put to bed, and soon afterwards he became unconscious. He

breathed his last at 11.45 p.m., as Big Ben in the clock tower of St. Stephen's was striking the quarter. Death had taken place within .'JO hours of the first announcement to the public that the King was scrioufly ill. Queen Victoria.

King George's grandmother, Queen Victoria, lived to be 81. She was a robust type of woman, who always took care of her health, despite the fact that for the forty years of her widowhood she lived in seclusion, taking little part in State ceremonies. During her long reign of 63 years she had only one serious illness, apart from her confinements on the birth of nine children. But when she reached her 75th year she began to suffer from rheumatic stiffness of the joints, and could not stand up without the aid of a stick. She was usually wheeled about in a chair indoors. She had seldom stayed in London for more than a few days> at a time after she became a widow, and she spent the closing years of her life at Osborne House, in the Isle of Wight, which she had built as a Royal resdience fifty years before. Incipient cataract affected her eyesight in the last three years of her life, and she was scarcely able to read, but she was able to sign her name to documents.

It was not until the summer of 1900, after she has passed her 81st birthday, that symptoms menacing life became apparent. Her memory became defective, and as she had always prided herself on its retentive powers, this phase of old age annoyed her. The last Cabinet Minister to go down to Osborne House to see her officially was Mr. Joseph Chamberlain. He went there on January 11, 1901, to discuss matters in connection with the South African war. Three days later- Lord Roberts, who had returned to England after relinquishing command of the British Army in South Africa to Lord Kitchener, had an interview with the Queen. She collapsed shortly after the departure of Lord Roberts, but on the followiug day she was able to go out for a drive; but it was for the last time. . Her medical attendants recognised that her condition was hopeless, that her brain was failing, and that her life was slowly ebbing away. But it was not until January 19 that any public announcement regarding her condition was made. The medical bulletin issued stated that she was suffering from physical prostration. She passed away at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22. She had lived three days longer than George 111., who had been the longest lived ef English monarchs.