He was Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the British throne for almost 60 years. During his mother's reign, he was largely excluded from political influence and came to personify the fashionable, leisured elite. He married Princess Alexandra of Denmark in , and the couple had six children. As Prince of Wales, Edward travelled throughout Britain performing ceremonial public duties and represented Britain on visits abroad.
His tours of North America in and of the Indian subcontinent in proved popular successes. Despite the approval of the public, his reputation as a playboy prince soured his relationship with his mother. Edward inherited the throne upon his mother's death in He re-instituted traditional ceremonies as public displays and broadened the range of people with whom royalty socialised.
He fostered good relations between Britain and other European countries, especially France , for which he was popularly called "Peacemaker", but his relationship with his nephew, German Emperor Wilhelm II , was poor.
The Edwardian era , which covered Edward's reign and was named after him, coincided with the start of a new century and heralded significant changes in technology and society, including steam turbine propulsion and the rise of socialism. Edward died in in the midst of a constitutional crisis that was resolved the following year by the Parliament Act , which restricted the power of the unelected House of Lords.
Edward was succeeded by his only surviving son, George V. Edward was born on 9 November in Buckingham Palace. He was known as Bertie to the royal family throughout his life. The Queen and Prince Albert were determined that their eldest son should have an education that would prepare him to be a model constitutional monarch.
