The State Visits of Edward VII ─ Reinventing Royal Diplomacy for the Twentieth Century

'Prince of Pleasure', 'selfish', 'cruel', 'Mr Toad' – a selection of terms applied to Edward VII, thanks to his reputation as one of history's most notorious playboy monarchs. Yet he was much more than this, being seen by contemporaries as one of the leading diplomats of his day, and – as this book reveals – a shrewd user of the trappings of monarchy in the shape of public pomp and ceremony. Drawing on the Royal Archives and contemporary political and media sources, The State Visits of Edward VII explores his revival of the British Monarchy's use of active royal diplomacy on the European stage, through the re-establishment of the tradition of the overseas royal state visit. It forces a reassessment of the positive nature of the personal and political relationship between Edward VII and his royal relatives including the Kaiser – all fellow members of what he called the Trade Union of Kings – and of their contribution to European diplomacy during the key years of 1901 to 1910.

Matthew Glencross is Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Contemporary British History, King's College London, UK. He is also a regular contributor to television and radio on all matters monarchical, as well as an editor of the forthcoming publication, The Windsor Dynasty 1910 to the Present: 'Long to Reign over Us'?.