In truth, even the most heedless sybarites were struggling to adapt to the changed conditions of the new reign. The ‘curious electric element’ that had made the Edwardian Court the most dazzling in Europe had been supplanted by an atmosphere Esher described as ‘very charming and wholesome and sweet’.2 Gruff and undemonstrative, George V nevertheless derived comfort from the proximity of his immediate family. Devoted to his wife, he couldn’t bear to spend time away from her.
