3. When he finally became King, Edward showed grace and humility – and was an instant hit with his subjects
He may have gained a reputation as a Playboy Prince, but Edward remained hugely popular with the British public. So, when Queen Victoria died in January 1901, and the crown passed to Edward, the new monarch was widely welcomed. According to the English novelist J.B. Priestly, who was a child when Victoria died, he “was in fact the most popular king England had known since the earlier 1600s.” Choosing to be crowned as Edward rather than as Albert Edward as his mother had wished, was a PR masterstroke. The public loved him for insisting that his father’s name “should stand alone”.
