He became King George V of the United Kingdom following his father's death in May 1910. His wife became Queen Mary and their coronation took place on June 22, 1911 at Westminster Abbey.

King George V Fact Sheet: Who was King George V? The following short biography and fact sheet provides interesting facts about the life, times and history of King George V, the famous British King.

King George V Fact File: Lifespan: 1865 – 1936 *** Full Name: King George V was born the Prince George of Wales *** Date of Birth (Birthday): He was born on June 3rd, 1865 *** Place of Birth: King George V was born at Marlborough House, London, England *** Family background: His father was King Edward VII *** Early life and childhood: King George V grew up and spent the majority of his life in London, England *** Education: King George V began his education at home with his brother Prince Albert Victor *** King George V died on January 20th, 1936.

King George V Fact 1: Prince George of Wales was born on June 3rd, 1865 at Marlborough House, London..

King George V Fact 2: His parents were the Prince and Princess of Wales. His father was called Albert Edward and he was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His mother was called Alexandra and she was the eldest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark.

King George V Fact 3: He had an older brother called Prince Albert Victor, making him 3rd in line to the throne. It seemed unlikely that he would become King of the United Kingdom.

King George V Fact 4: Prince Albert Victor was 17 months older than King George V, therefore, they were educated together due to their closeness in age. Their tutor was called John Neale Dalton. Neither of the boys proved to be particularly academic.

King George V Fact 5: His father believed that the navy would provide his sons with the best possible training. George and his brother, Albert, joined the HMS Britannia at Dartmouth, Devon, cadet training ship in 1877.

King George V Fact 6: Their tutor, John Neale Dalton, accompanied the boys on HMS Bacchante from 1879 to 1882. They travelled the Caribbean, Australia and South Africa, around the colonies of the British Empire. They also toured South America, the Mediterranean, East Asia and Egypt.

King George V Fact 7: John Neale Dalton recorded an account of their travels on the HMS Bacchante. He wrote about their experiences in a book called 'The Cruise of HMS Bacchante'. His work detailed a sighting of a mythical ghost ship called the Flying Dutchman which he claimed to have seen between Melbourne and Sydney.

King George V Fact 8: Queen Victoria wanted George and Albert to speak another language, preferably French or German. The boys were sent to Lausanne to study, however, their grandmother's attempt to make them learn another language was unsuccessful.

King George V Fact 9: He continued to serve in the Royal Navy, even when Prince Albert Victor joined a college in Cambridge. He journeyed across the world, visiting places in the British Empire. His naval career was very honourable. During his time in the Royal Navy, he commanded Torpedo Boat 79, HMS Thrush and HMS Melampus.

King George V Fact 10: He fell in love with his first cousin, Marie of Edinburgh, whom he met whilst stationed with the Royal Navy in Malta where he was under command of his uncle, Prince Alfred. Most of their relatives approved of their relationship, however, their mothers, the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess of Wales, did not approve. George's mother believed that the family was pro-German and Marie's mother didn't like England. Despite their mothers’ disapproval, George proposed to Marie but sadly she declined and instead married the heir to the King of Romania.

King George V Fact 11: His brother, Prince Albert Victor, died from pneumonia on January 14, 1892, just six weeks following his engagement to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (nicknamed May).

King George V Fact 12: The death of his brother, ended George's career in the Royal Navy as he was left 2nd in line to the throne. He grew closer to his deceased brother's fiancée whilst they both grieved for the loss of their loved one. Queen Victoria regarded Princess Ann as an ideal match for George.

King George V Fact 13: He proposed to May twelve months following the death of Prince Albert Victor. She accepted his proposal and the couple married on July 6, 1893 at Saint James's Palace, London in the Chapel Royal. May became 'Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York'.

King George V Fact 14: He lived at York Cottage, a relatively small house in Sandringham, Norfolk with his wife May. They lived more like middle class people than Royalty. He preferred to live a quiet life and enjoyed stamp collecting and hunting.

King George V Fact 15: He had six children with his wife May; five sons and one daughter. His children were said to be scarred of him as he was very strict.

King George V Fact 16: His father took to the throne following Queen Victoria's death on January 22, 1901. He became King Edward VII. George became 'His Royal Highness the Duke of Cornwall and York'.

King George V Fact 17: King Edward VII prepared his son, George, for his future role as King of the United Kingdom. He gave him permission to access state documents. George permitted his wife, May, to access his papers. She was a supportive wife and often helped him write his speeches.

King George V Fact 18: Following the death of his father, King Edward VII on May 6, 1910, he became King George V of the United Kingdom and his wife became Queen Mary. Their coronation was held on June 22, 1911 at Westminster Abbey. The following quote from King George V describes his feeling following the death of his father and his new responsibilities as the King of the United Kingdom: 'I have lost my best friend and the best of fathers ... I never had a [cross] word with him in my life. I am heart-broken and overwhelmed with grief but God will help me in my responsibilities and darling May will be my comfort as she has always been. May God give me strength and guidance in the heavy task which has fallen on me'.

King George V Fact 19: He visited troops more than 450 times during the First World War and made over 300 hospital visits to injured servicemen. He was severely injured during the First World War when he was thrown from his horse in France. He adopted the family surname 'Windsor' in 1917, in response to negative, anti-German feeling. The surname was chosen from the name 'Windsor Castle'.

King George V Fact 20: He died on January 20th, 1936 at the age of 70 years. He'd complained of a cold that took him to his bed on January 15th and he drifted in and out of sleep until his death 5 days later. He died at his home in Sandringham, Norfolk and was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.