cter and unquestioned statesmanship of his august mother.
As with all those upon whose life beats the glare of ever-present
publicity and upon whose actions the press of friendly and hostile
nations alike have the privilege of ceaseless comment, the Heir to the
British Throne had to suffer from atrocious canards as well as from
fulsome compliments. Unlike many others, however, he afterwards lived
down the falsehoods of an early time; conquered by his clear, open life
the occasional hostility of a later day; and at the period of his
accession to the Throne was, without and beyond question, the best liked
Prince in Europe--the most universally popular man in the United
Kingdom and its external Empire. Upon the verge of His Majesty's
Coronation there occurred that sudden and dramatic illness which proved
so well the bravery and patience of the man, and increased so greatly
the popularity and _prestige_ of the Monarch.

Since then the late King has yearly grown in the regard of his people
abroad, in the respect of other rulers and nations, in the admiration of
all who understood the difficulties of his position, the real force of
his personality and influence, the power with which he drew to the
Throne--even after the remarkable reign of Victoria the Good--an
increased affection and loyalty from Australians and South Africans and
Canadians alike, an added confidence and loyal faith in his judgment
from all his British peoples whether at home or over seas.

In the United States, which King Edward always regarded with an
admiration which the enterprise and energy of its people so well
deserved, he in turn received a degree of respect and regard which did
not at one time seem probable. To him, ever since the visit to the
Republic in 1860, a closer and better relation between the two great
countries had been an ideal toward which as statesman and Prince and
Sovereign he guided the English-speaking race.

The reader of these pages will, I hope, receive a permanent impression
of the career and character of one who has been at once a popular
Prince, a great King, a worthy head of the British Empire and of his own
family, a statesman who has won and worn the proud title of "The Royal
Peacemaker."

J. CASTELL HOPKINS.

_Toronto, Canada, 1910._

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.
The Crown and the Empire 17

CHAPTER II.
Early Years and Education of the Prince 31