Only minted between1902 and 1910
Edward VII SOVEREIGN GUIDE
Edward was the son of Queen Victoria and was born on 9th November 1841.
He was the heir apparent and his title was the Prince of Wales.
He was widely known as a playboy and was rumoured to have had many lady friends before his marriage to Alexandra of Denmark.
His nickname amongst the family was Bertie.
Bertie was frequently seen at theatres and restaurants Europe-wide.
At a restaurant called Rules in Covent Garden London he was a frequent visitor for dinner in their private upstairs rooms.
His actual name was Albert Edward and as the eldest son of Queen Victoria he automatically became the Duke of Cornwall and the Duke of Rothesay.
In due course of time he was also created Earl of Chester ,Earl of Dunblin and both a Knight of the Garter and Knight of the Thistle.
Because of the problems of his German Ancestry (Salic Law forbade the same person to be king of Hanover and of Britain) he renounced his succession rights to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and these passed to his younger brother Prince Alfred.
Edward was actually a good student ad studied at Edinburgh University,and both Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
Edwards main problem in life was very similar to that of Prince Charles the Prince of Wales.
He was brought up to be King – and his mother Queen Victoria reigned for a long,long time.
From 1860 onwards, Edward went travelling hrough the USA and Canada where he met many famous people and even watched Blondin cross Niagara Fall on a highwire.
He performed many duties in Canada (inaugurating the Victoria Bridge in Montreal land laid the cornerstone for Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
He was equally popular in America and met many famous literary figures including Longellow,Emerson and Wendell Holmes.
Bertie wanted a military career but this was thwarted because of his position as heir apparent.
Nevertheless,Bertie managed to go on manouvres in Ireland where an actress was smuggled into his tent ! Bertie had not changed.
Prince Albert was furious at this naughtiness and reprimanded Bertie soundly. and regrettably died two weeks later.
Queen Victoria blamed Bertie for Alberts death and never forgave him.
Bertie was sent off to the Middle East where he visited a number of countires including Egypt ,Jerusalem,Syria , Lebanon and Turkey.
In 1863 Edward and Alexandra married
After the wedding they lived at Marlborough House in London and at Sandringham House in Norfolk.
Bertie continued his playboy lifetsyle with interest in boats,racehorse and … women !
He became infamous for his long list of conquests (well over 50 ladies) and as a coincidence, one of those was Alice Keppel (the great grandmother of Camilla Parker-Bowles) and Camilla of course eventually married Prince Charles.
Although Berties list of ladies included some very famous women, including Sarah Bernhardt and the Countess of Warwick,
Bertie never acknowledged any of their offspring as being his children.
While Queen Victoria stayed in Mourning for Albert, Bertie represented her at many functions including the Opening of Tower Bridge and the Mersey Tunnel.
After a very successful tour of India by Bertie, Queen Victoria was given the title of Empress of India
by Parliament.
Edward continued in the Playboy lifestyle with a huge interest in Horseracing and of course the ladies together with gambling and hunting.
He made wearing Tweed popular together with Norfolk Jackets and Black Tie Dinners (prior to this formal dinners were always white tie).
Because of his huge waist( 48 inches) it became his habit to leave the bottom jacket button of his suits undone …
(This is still fashionable today in Britain).probably due to his bringing in the Sunday tradition of eating roast beef,Yorkshire pudding and veggies into popularity in Britain. .
He did suffer an assassination attempt by a man called Jean Baptiste Sipido shot at him.
In 1901 Queen Victoria died and Edward became King.
During the Reign of King Edward VII both sovereigns and half-sovereigns bearing his image on the obverse were minted from 1902 to 1910
King Edward VII was crowned at the age of sixty and his sovereigns are very much sought after.
He was the prime mover of Britain into the 20th Century.. His fairly short reign makes these coins highly valued by collectors.
The Reverse of King Edward VII sovereigns is the beautiful Pistrucci design of St George and the Dragon
Gold Sovereigns were also minted at
Melbourne,Sydney, Perth, Bombay, Ottawa, and Pretoria
He and Alexandra were crowned in Westminster Abbey on 9th August 1902
Edward VII became the most popular King for over 200 years.
Edard developed Appendicitis and had a groundbreaking operation that was very successful.Edward went abroad on holday to Biarritz and to Marienbad.
In 1908 he became the first British Monarch to visit Russia
Edward VII created the Territorial Army and a naval defence force including torpedos
King Edward VII died after contracting Bronchitis in Biarritz just after he had returned to Buckingham Palace.