'Never Again the Bosche'
King George V and Kaiser Wilhelm II pose together in 1912. However, the Kaiser had mixed feelings towards Britain and the First World War broke out two years later.
Two of Queen Victoria’s many grandchildren, King George V (front, third from right) and Kaiser Wilhelm II (at his right), pose in 1912 outside the mess of the Prussian Foot Guards in Berlin, surrounded by officers of the regiment. The king is on a visit to his cousin in Germany and, as was the custom, each monarch wears the uniform of one of the other’s regiments: George is in that of the Foot Guards; the kaiser in that of the British 1st Royal Dragoons. His grandmother had made Wilhelm colonel-in-chief of the regiment in 1894. He had really wanted to be made a field marshal but she felt that was a promotion too far, especially since he had already been made an admiral in the Royal Navy. Besides there was the fear, if too much favouritism was shown towards him, that it would be seen as a riposte to the recent Franco-Russian alliance and also stoke the already strong anti-British sentiment among the German public.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
