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EDWARD VII - PRINCE OF PLEASURE tells a familiar tale of a monarch who ascended to the throne at the age of fifty-nine, having acquired a bad reputation as a womanizer, libertine and general wastrel. His parents had put him through a strict education - Prince Albert in particular had organized a daily regimen in which the Prince of Wales (known as Bertie before his accession to the throne) had to endure several improving pursuits - reading, studying, and the like. Bertie had simply rejected them all; he went to university and began a life of pure hedonism.
With the help of a variety of experts, including Matthew Sweet, Tristram Hunt (in his pre-MP days), and royal biographer Philip Ziegler, Rob Coldstream's documentary tells the story of a personality consciously rebelling against his strict upbringing, and a mother who actively disliked him. Never a very intellectual person, Bertie was forced into an arranged marriage at the age of twenty-one; after a few years' honeymoon period, he recommenced his life as a philanderer. No one seemed able to stop him, even when Bertie became involved in a court case that led to one of his mistresses being consigned to a lunatic asylum.
Once he ascended to the throne in 1901, however, Bertie became a highly popular personality, who understood quite rightly that monarchs could not simply hide from their people - as his mother had done - but had to cultivate a public persona. He devoted much time and energy to opening ceremonial occasions, laying foundation stones, and touring the Empire; and by doing so radically improved the image of the British monarchy. By the time he passed away in 1910, having spent much of his maturity eating, drinking and smoking too much, he was almost universally mourned.
None of this material is particularly original, but the story is well told, with evocative readings of the King's diary from Tim McInnerny. Perhaps the most interesting conclusion to be drawn is that Bertie's experiences strongly parallel those of the current Prince of Wales, who has had to wait even longer for his chance to rule. Bertie was fifty-nine when he ascended to the throne; Charles is now sixty-six, and still waiting.
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