He was third in the line of succession to the British throne behind his father and his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor. From to , George served in the Royal Navy , until his elder brother's unexpected death in January put him directly in line for the throne. He became king-emperor on his father's death in George's reign saw the rise of socialism , communism , fascism , Irish republicanism , and the Indian independence movement , all of which radically changed the political landscape of the British Empire , which itself reached its territorial peak by the beginning of the s.
In , George became the first monarch of the House of Windsor , which he renamed from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as a result of anti-German public sentiment. He appointed the first Labour ministry in , and the Statute of Westminster recognised the Empire's Dominions as separate, independent states within the British Commonwealth of Nations.
George suffered from smoking-related health problems during his later reign. Edward abdicated in December of that year and was succeeded by his younger brother Albert, who took the regnal name George VI. George was born on 3 June , in Marlborough House , London. As a younger son of the Prince of Wales, there was little expectation that George would become king. He was third in line to the throne, after his father and elder brother, Prince Albert Victor.
George was only 17 months younger than Albert Victor, and the two princes were educated together. John Neale Dalton was appointed as their tutor in Neither Albert Victor nor George excelled intellectually. In on a visit to Japan, George had a local artist tattoo a blue and red dragon on his arm, [ 5 ] and was received in an audience by the Emperor Meiji ; George and his brother presented Empress Haruko with two wallabies from Australia.
He travelled the world, visiting many areas of the British Empire. His last active service was in command of HMS Melampus in β From then on, his naval rank was largely honorary. As a young man destined to serve in the navy, Prince George served for many years under the command of his uncle Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh , who was stationed in Malta. There, he grew close to and fell in love with his cousin Princess Marie of Edinburgh.
