The date is August 1917. The First World War is still raging in Europe. George has been contacted by the Government because there's been some suspicious activity. Someone is reporting to be him but with a different name.

MI5 was set up to monitor the activities of the German government in 1909 but really came into its own in the First World War. The King really did change his surname from Saxe-Coberg-Gotha to Windsor. He really did enjoy stamp collecting. He was in the Royal Navy and did cross paths with Mansfield Cumming at the Naval College. The countries mentioned were those that he visited across his life. His family and wife all had connections across Europe (and beyond) which must have been difficult to manage. The telegram he sent to Prince Henry is below in picture three.

George was obsessed with time and insisted the clocks were 30 minutes ahead which was known as Sandringham Time. He did visit the front quite a few hundred times and the story about the Royal Flying Corp and his horse rearing is true. He did give up alcohol during the War and he did refuse refuge to his Cousin the Tsar in Russia, something he always regretted.

He did think that force feeding the suffragettes in prison was cruel and wrote so to the Home Secretary. He did like carrier pigeons and shooting. Ideally not at the same time. He did decree that Royals no longer needed to marry foreign royalty and asked family members to change their names to those that were more British.  The Kaiser really did joke that he wanted to see the Merry Wives of Saxe-Coberg-Gotha. He really did have a tattoo!

If you want to find out more about George, check out the sources and places below:

Darling Georgie: The Enigma of King George V - Dennis Friedman

Penguin Monarchs Series: George V - David Cannadine

King George V - Kenneth Rose

In the Eye of the Storm: George V and the Great War - Alexandra Churchill