King George V

George's father, Edward VII, had been instrumental in courting the French. It was after his visit to France in 1904 that the Entente-Cordiale was signed between the two countries. George followed in his father's footsteps and backed the government of the day, the Liberals. In fact, in 1911, it was his willingness to create 250 Liberal peers to reduce the power of the House of Lords. Other than supporting the government of the day, the King had little influence on Britain's foreign policy. The outbreak of World War I caused problems for the Royal Family. This is because they were descended from a German ruling family: the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. It was decided that they would change their name to the more English sounding name of 'Windsor'. To show his support for the cause, George regularly toured the troops on the Western Front.

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