Who Was The Last British Monarch To Be Murdered?

[@Tchnfrq]

i dont know what suprises me more. that he had the balls to just decide the king should die now or that he had wrote it the fuck down.

[@MsGhostofficial]

ahahahahahahahaha

[@mmmmmmmm1942]

"dear diary, today I killed the king"

[@batty_babette]

And somehow GOT AWAY WITH IT like daaaaaaamn

[@lucyandecember2843]

@@mmmmmmmm1942 lmfao

[@billivee]

The kings handlers likely gave it the go ahead, it’s not often you hear about them at all.

[@tscimb]

The Doc did follow that rule you hear about: "Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead."

[@Catastropheshe]

He didn't 😂

[@12jswilson]

​@@Catastropheshe truth only got out when both of them were dead. Seems like the rule still holds

[@Catastropheshe]

@@12jswilson he still didn't kept it 😁

[@12jswilson]

@@Catastropheshe It says, "2 can keep a secret if 1 of them is dead." It doesn't say "2 can keep a secret if both are dead."

[@dotthedot9080]

​@@Catastropheshe yea tf he did? It doesn't count once he's dead, dude is literally incapable of holding it when he's not even here

[@luisitobardajibenitez8013]

The morning papar: the king has peacefully passed in his sleep The evening paper: *GUESS WHO JUST KICKED IT*

[@MermaidMakes]

I read that as “GUESS WHO JUST KICKED IN?” and I imagined that the cocaine took longer to take effect than the morphine and he just jumps out of his casket and starts partying.

[@luisitobardajibenitez8013]

@@MermaidMakes given the state of medicine in those times it's a possibility.

[@MermaidMakes]

@@luisitobardajibenitez8013 “just inject him with these rocks and see if one of them works! This one glows a pretty green!” 😂

[@noblenaveragemanointernet2582]

History Matters?

[@luisitobardajibenitez8013]

@@noblenaveragemanointernet2582 yes

[@MikeBenko]

The most mind boggling part of this story is that there was a time when newspapers had two whole editions a day. When I dug into it, sometimes newspapers had morning, afternoon and evening editions with possible extra editions for breaking news of great importance. (Thus the whole newspaper boys yelling Extra Extra and when selling papers in movies.)

[@MsGhostofficial]

Didn't know that! Cool fact! Thx.

[@ayishaks6510]

What a waste of paper. People have no patience.

[@MikeBenko]

@@ayishaks6510 I really hope you are trolling, but if you are not...you do understand this refers to a time before television or radio, when the primary means of public communications was the printed press.

[@ayishaks6510]

@@MikeBenko No, the primary means of communication was old wives gossip hahaaa. "Do you know, the duke has had another illegitimate son? I heard it from the tailor, who heard it from duke's maid's sister." And a drink with lads at the pub didn't go amiss. And locals holding totches and screaming, "Begone, Wiiitch!"

[@anthonycunningham8116]

I mean, I'm only 30 and it was, if not a common thing, not unheard of, for newspapers to have a morning and evening edition even in my lifetime

[@GreatGraniteState]

Interesting American president thing: John Tyler, a fairly unremarkable president, had a stroke. He survived, (hadn't been president for years at this point), and his doctor came to check on him one normal day a few months later. Tyler was doing ok for a guy who had a stroke in the 1800s. He then said, "I am going now" to his doctor. The doctor said "I hope not, sir." Tyler said "I suppose it is best," closed his eyes, and never said anything again.

[@GodisMyNo1]

May he RIP

[@GreatGraniteState]

@@GodisMyNo1 true chad

[@colonelcorn9500]

Fun fact: It was said that Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep for were he awake he would put up a fight

[@longbeing]

Less fun, though still interesting fact: he’s the only US president whose death was not officially recognized in Washington and also the only one to be laid to rest under a flag other than the USA flag. This is because he died a Confederate.

[@MacKennaTheGoddessofRadiation]

Additional fun Fact about Tyler: He was the only president to die a non american citizen, as he passed during the Civil War as a confederate

[@ondank]

We should all be so lucky to have a doctor who really cares about ensuring our death announcement hits the appropriately circulated paper.

[@tomdavies9004]

If I’m going to die (painfully) anyway and the deal is I get to die a bit sooner sooner full of morphine and cocaine I would actually count myself lucky.

[@ThePurpleCheesecakeZebra]

given the lenghs they went to to announce the queens death at a time they new people would either be watching telly or on their phones and not busy at work or school i'd say its probably in every monarchs protocol to have deaths happen in the most publically conveinient way.

[@deathbloom27]

And also gave him a killer buzz for the trip home

[@CaptainAMAZINGGG]

Loolol 😂

[@EikottXD]

​@@deathbloom27speedballing

[@craigconner1466]

Side-note: Richard III was the last English king to die in battle in 1485, not the last British king. James IV of Scots died at Flodden in 1513.

[@str.77]

And both countries still suffer from these untimely deaths.

[@enharet]

​@@str.77 are you saying England would currently be better off if Richard III had survived and kept the crown?

[@str.77]

@@enharet Absolutely. Not only was he a good and just king, it would have spared the country over century of rule by a family in which each an every ruler was horrible.

[@scarletempress2652]

@@SportyMabambaThat’s completely and utterly false! James VI & I was King of Scotland and King of England, but not King of Great Britain. The Acts of Union were passed during the reign of Queen Anne, his great granddaughter, making her the first Queen and first Monarch of Great Britain. For some extra context: Ireland, which had been conquered and had long since been a english (now british) possession, was run as a separate state with its own parliament. It had its own union with Great Britain around a century later forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Then Ireland rebelled and managed to get most of their island back, so now we have the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

[@theanarkiddie4569]

@@SportyMabambaactually, the first monarch *of great britain* is Queen Anne, when both the scottish and the english passed relevant acts to form great britain in 1706/1707. James did rule both kingdoms, but is known as a dual monarchy, rather than a union of states like Great Britain was - James’ multiple plans to unify scotland and england failed.

[@shubashuba9209]

Dude killed a king, got away with it and even gets the street cred after his death. What a gigachad.

[@danniluxgarbe429]

FUn fact: The Doctor who did the deed was also in The House Of Lords, and if I recall correctly, either had recently made a statement or would soon after to the effect of "Euthanasia of human patients should not be regulated by the government, it should be the decision of physicians"... which, y'know, just means he was ethically internally consistent.

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

😎

[@azamaziz7139]

Another version of this story is that the queen asked for it

[@hypsyzygy506]

Got a peerage out of it!

[@danniluxgarbe429]

@@hypsyzygy506 in fairness, he had the peerage BEFORE he did it, being The Royal Physician and all that...

[@gibusgaming5866]

Bruh, so you're telling me Kaiser Wilhelm II was the only one of the 3 cousins to not get murdered in someway shape and/or form?

[@Limegreenedragon]

Ironic, isn't it?

[@blackjed]

I thought it was Nicholas for a moment.

[@thenablade858]

No but he was forced to live in exile on the generosity of his Dutch niece… who was named Wilhelmina. Comedy.

[@blackjed]

@@thenablade858 that's where he got exiled too. Cool

[@susanlynch1966]

The doctor is also alleged to have done the same thing to George V's sister, Queen Maud of Norway. She died unexpectedly in London in 1938.

[@michaelmontagu3979]

It wasn't totally unexpected. She died following surgery.

[@parthiaball]

It's funny that I see the thumbnail and think, "Tzar Nicholas II? She's talking about stuff outside of English history now? I didn't realise it was George V since he and Nicky were cousins and dressed basically the same on purpose.

[@LordDim1]

They actually regularly switched uniforms at family events, pretending to be each other for laughs

[@LastHCompany]

@@LordDim1 Who knows, he might even be Tsar Nicholas II?

[@fiachef6284]

​@@LastHCompanyoof, given those circumstances, that's a rough secret to keep that long

[@spelcheak]

@@LastHCompany Is there a story about that? Like a parent trap thing with these 2 that had to be made permanent.

[@johnconnor8206]

Tsar Nicholas the second deserved to die

[@AB_Evans]

Sepsis is an absolutely horrible way to go. It's unrelenting pain, aches, sickness (like never-ending nausea, muscle cramps, abdominal bloating, inflammation, organ failure...). His "euthanization" was likely done to help him deal with (and finally be free from) the complete misery he was likely feeling. If it were me, I'd welcome the freedom from it all via the medicine versus a slow, horrible death. And, well, he was a monarch, gotta go with the perfect timing! lol R.I.P.

[@alexpond648]

Lord Bertrand Dawson did it presumably to other royals. The Queen Maud of Norway, George's sister for example, died of heartfailure, very shortly after she was in his care. Though she might have had cancer, she left Norway in good health to visit, which was declared by her doctors and never had any heart problems in her life. He wrote to her physicians: "When reading this account, you will agree that the Queen’s sudden death was a relief and which saved her from these last painful stages of the disease both you and I know only too well.” He also documented in his journal that the last words of King George V were: "God damn you!", to the nurse, who gave him a sedative before sleep. In his eyes he might have relieved them, but it seems his victims were not willing. I say this is murder.

[@abiean222]

yeah, what a merciful man. who killed the king at a time such that his death would be announced in a why that he, the doctor, found aesthetically pleasing.

[@Damocles54]

But would Elizabeth have been as pragmatic had she known? 'Cuz even in the 20th century I'm thinking regicide might still end with a head on a spike

[@aebbingeable]

He got septicemia in the twenties, do the symptoms last for years?

[@Damocles54]

@aebbingeable take this with a grain of salt because I'm not a doctor. My training was in keeping a sick person alive long enough to get them from where they are to someplace where they're paid more than me. But the simple answer is "eh... maybe". The less simple but not complete answer is similar, but it depends on a stack of factors. There are foods that can boost your immune system even if they didn't know that at the time. He was under the best care in the world, for the time. Genetics can factor in. Bacterial strain is a factor. Etc. I'll give you a first hand example. I worked as an ER tech for a while. We had a guy come in because he had a bump on his back that was sore and inflamed. Red, hot, the whole thing. He had bumped it the day before, which seemed to have pissed it off. Because that bump had been there, growing, for 15 years. Red, hot, painful all screams infection. It was big, but when we cut it open we found out how far it had spread under the skin in his back fat. We took out about 1000ml of pus. Think quart of milk. It hadn't bothered him at all, until it did. 15 years. Which brings us back to "eh... maybe". It's not what I'd expect to see, but to read about it doesn't make me cry bs on it. I hope at the very least you're not more confused than you were lol

[@ezra2701]

Coke and morphine? Damn he had one hell of an assassination

[@claytoniusdoesthings9598]

For any fellow Americans here, we have two states named after the first gentleman she mentions, Charles the First. They are North and South Carolina. The latinized version of Charles is Carolus. Hence, Carolina. Another tidbit for you, the James in Jamestown (Virginia) and King James Bible are the same man, King James Stuart.

[@theguest4516]

Virginia after Queen Elizabeth I but, you were doing the guys. Also, the same Dr. did the same to his wife and sister. So Queen Mary. Can't remember his sister's name. They Got Away with Murder did an indepth video on it. I like him he does some interesting cases.

[@jimdake6632]

Just so king-killing dictators aren’t left out, there’s a Cromwell in Connecticut.

[@Blaidd7542]

Plus Georgia, named after king George the 2nd.

[@alsaunders7805]

What about Charleston (Charlestown) in South Carolina. That's where I am. 🤔🤓🍻

[@gilgameshofuruk4060]

​@theguest4516 Apparently Queen Mary insisted that she be "helped on her way" as her granddaughter's coronation had already been delayed by Parliamentary faffing about.

[@katrinaolsen2444]

Yes! I heard about this on the “They Got Away With Murder” podcast/channel. The doctor told the nurse to give the injection and she refused. Then the doctor gave the King the injection and the King said, “Damn you!!” The King was definitely murdered. I have worked as a Hospice nurse and thankfully my patients were never in the situation where they were slowly being suffocated in their own fluids. If that were happening to me, I would want a Hot Shot of Morphine or Dilaudid. The King wasn’t suffering or suffocating either. He looked to be on track to make a recovery. But the doctor had other ideas. That same doctor murdered 2 or 3 more of the King’s siblings too. And I’m sure the Royal family weren’t the only people who had their ‘suffering relieved’ by this man. He is pretty much a textbook ‘Angel of Mercy’ serial killer. Only he wasn’t a woman and he wasn’t a nurse. So he had a lot more freedom and opportunities to “relieve people of their suffering”. So scary.

[@amerubix185]

Thank you for explaining "wet death". I stumbled upon the term a few comments earlier. Suffocating in one's own fluids: My impression is that this is indeed the natural way to die. Even in a "dry death". All of my relatives so far either looked as if they didn't get enough air with their last breath or I directly witnessed the gargling in the end. The nurses said that this was normal and it would not mean patients would suffer in this very moment. I don't know. And how can one know for sure? Can only hope so. It was horrific to witness and I felt so helpless. Indeed tears come to my eyes while writing this …

[@nicolad8822]

I’d take the whole story with a pinch of salt.

[@zyxw2000]

@@nicolad8822 It's true. I've read elsewhere about the doctor's diary.

[@poshboy4749]

How do we know he was on the road to recovery, if his Doctor claimed he was dying. I mean who recorded that he was recovering.

[@Canadia_Ball]

I can't find anything anywhere stating that he was on the road to recovery.

[@Damocles54]

Can anyone explain the subtle difference in definition between assassinated and murdered in this context? She was quite clear on this point, so I'm guessing there's a reason.

[@beastitaly]

I'm curious too!

[@mollybennett3291]

I’m not sure why because assassination is just murder for some monetary or political gain, I guess the doctor did just murder the king but most killings of monarch’s feel like they’d be for some gain ( if they weren’t executions)

[@shieldmaiden3791]

Assassination is politically motivated. Murder is pretty much any other motivation.

[@beastitaly]

@@shieldmaiden3791 thank you!

[@PureNeptune]

​@@shieldmaiden3791 and calling it assassination would lend legitimacy to their reasons for doing it? 🤔 Makes sense

[@nicholaswhitman4620]

When I tell you I hurt my knee slapping it just know it's the truth. They just PUMPED A REGENT FULL OF COKE AND MORPHINE lmao

[@kelammo]

That and things like horse dung were medicine of the time 😂

[@Damocles54]

Speedball from a doctor has the same outcome as the one Jim Belushi cooked up himself. Guess it's true that prescription drugs, still drugs

[@HollowRoll]

​@@kelammo This was the 1930s, not the 1830s. Penicillin was discovered 8 years earlier, insulin 15.

[@finallyforfeited]

"wonder drugs" of the Victorian era were primarily made of morphine, cocaine, and marijuana, all of which could be sold over the counter

[@danlorett2184]

Yeah crazy normally the monarchs don't need much help ingesting their drugs

[@sistakia33]

One of the worst cases of sepsis I had sent me to the hospital where I swear I experienced true time travel! I remember being taken to ICU and then nothing for three days except once when I had an incoherent conversation with a friend. When I came back to myself I spent an hour trying to find a bathroom I apparently never had (and didn't need because I had a catheter). I had a similar time lapse when I was placed in the ambulance and then was being wheeled into a hospital room with no memory of the actual trip.

[@clairegresswell]

One of the worst? Gosh, I'm sorry you had to go through it once, let alone multiple times xx

[@sistakia33]

@@clairegresswell Yeah, one of the downsides of getting a feeding tube and a porta-cath. Every time something foreign is placed in your body it's a source of possible infection.

[@annettefournier9655]

It's very common for critical patients to not recall their stay in ICU or how they got there. I've taken care of patients for weeks, conversed with and transfered them myself to step down unit. Went to see them next day to check how they were doing and they had no idea who I was. This happens for many reasons. Actually it's not a bad thing either.

[@natureman494]

George’s last words were allegedly “damn you” after getting injected

[@932ForeverLove]

Fitting.

[@falconeshield]

Aye, the angels have better heard a King's lament

[@nicolad8822]

Highly doubt that.

[@Stephanie-mv9iy]

No its true. Well it was "God damn you." And he definitely said it, though perhaps not AFTER being injected​@nicolad8822

[@ThePelly]

According to the diary of Bertrand Dawson (the doctor in question) the King's last words were "God Damn you!", and addressed to his nurse (not Dawson) after she administered a sedative. It doesn't specify an injection either, although that does seem to be the most likely method of delivery. The lethal dose of cocaine/morphine came later. According to the Doctor's diary, he made the decision to give him the dose at 11pm, and within 15 minutes it had begun to take effect. His time of death was given as 11.55pm, and that was the time also published in the morning papers.

[@OofusTwillip]

My dad had a medically assisted death. It was the most humane, incredibly peaceful release from his suffering (he had mesothelioma) imaginable. Knowing how George V must have been suffering from septicemia, his death must have been a mercy-killing, despite the angle of trying to get it into the morning papers.

[@watchfulwanderer6443]

No. The physician had a diary, and he literally wrote in it that George's last words were cursing the medical team. The physician, by his own admission, murdered the king over aesthetics, without even consulting his family. This wasn't a "mercy kill", this was yet another doctor who murdered his patient for his own reasons and tried to pretend it was for the patient's sake. Also, he wasn't dying of septicemia.

[@gorcin7075]

I couldn't help but laugh the hell out of myself cause the way u said "And injected him full of morphine and cocaine".

[@matthewcox7985]

At least he got to experience his highness...

[@gorcin7075]

@@matthewcox7985 😂😂😂😭😭😭

[@mutestingray]

Sounds like a hell of a party

[@montananerd8244]

The King of England died almost exactly like Jim Belushi (speedball).

[@nerodia]

the doctor deciding to put the king down to spare him suffering made me think of the royals as like the nation's pet dogs. And then I realized this actually feels pretty apt in the current era.

[@LiannaLovelle]

I’d imagine a large percentage of ppl would want to be spared suffering if they were terminally ill. If I were in the same position I’d buy illegal drugs and overdose on a high ☀️

[@ninjaked1265]

He didn’t do it to spare him suffered, the king couldn’t feel anything as he was unconscious; it was more for convenience

[@Journey_to_who_knows]

Certainly a better death than I or many others will get, just depressing to think about the pending pain.

[@ashleybellofsydney]

This fact was touched upon in the movie The King's Speech with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.

[@unums]

Anyone else spend an embarrassingly long amount of time trying to figure out what the hell happened with the Short when it glitches out for a little? 🙋‍♂️

[@buckledben]

“Anyways, thats how i lost my medical license”

[@peterrraklliproductions2020]

“When the King died, he was high off his arse, and the doctor was never heard from again!” (Laughs)

[@illbeback126]

So posh. There's even an "appropriate time to die" for a king in Britain 🤭

[@str2010]

I mean, the evening paper is rather brutal

[@ironnads7975]

England....

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

We have multiple books called "the art of living and dying well"

[@falconeshield]

​@@str2010Tonight's paper THE KING HAS KICKED IT

[@mainstreetsaint36]

Well that was considerate of the doctor to make sure the news was in the early, and not late, edition.

[@Annie_Annie__]

If you want to think of causing death in a less direct way, you could count George VI. I’ve read that the late Queen and the Queen Mother (especially the Queen Mum), blamed Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor for King George VI’s death. Basically, Edward VIII was supposed to be King, but he abdicated so that he could marry his Nazi-sympathizing divorcee girlfriend. (The “divorcee” part was the much bigger barrier and the Nazi part wasn’t even an issue at first.) The Crown then fell on Edward’s younger brother, who became George VI. George’s wife contended that he was naturally a very shy man, and the stress of the job caused him to smoke like a chimney; so the stress and excess cigarettes likely caused the lung cancer that ended his life at the relatively young age of 56. The Queen Mum felt that if Edward VIII had done his duty and served as King, her husband would have lived a long and quiet life. So the elder brother caused the death of the younger by dropping so much stress and work directly on his shoulders when he was so unprepared for the job. It’s an interesting argument, at least.

[@risitascositas1699]

Wallace Simpson was on her 2nd husband when she started her relationship with Edward. She then faced pressure to divorce him to marry Edward because he gave up everything to be with her.

[@Annie_Annie__]

@@risitascositas1699 Yeah, Wallace wasn’t nearly as in to the Duke as he was in to her. But she couldn’t exactly leave him either. She thrived on social events and being the life of the party, and if she left him she’d be a pariah for the rest of her life.

[@aluminiumknight4038]

It's a weird argument

[@maryandersondearing3053]

Wallis

[@almostfm]

And yet, in a bizarre twist of fate, since The Duke and Duchess never had children, Elizabeth (or her father if he was still around) would have become the monarch in 1972 when Edward died.

[@blazed-space]

I mean dude went out on a speedball, probably felt like a rockstar

[@Blaidd7542]

His highness was, ehh.. more than usual if you know what I mean.

[@abe881]

Dude got so high he passed heaven

[@NandoGarcia-q5h]

he went to Over Heaven

[@badbiker666]

I swear that I read that the doctor was asked to hasten the end of George V's life by his wife, Queen Mary. I wish I could remember where I saw that so I could reference it, or at least read it again to be sure I had read it right. Or remembered it wrong, either way.

[@ILOVEMARILYNMANSON89]

I just watched one of this girl's video literally saying that.

[@mutestingray]

How she finna contradict herself smh

[@ThePurpleCheesecakeZebra]

@@mutestingray its not contradicting, there are multiple accounts of the same story, its history and not well documented, there could be several things that might be true

[@deedee7733]

As an oldie, I know that doctors used to do this all the time with terminally ill patients. It happened to my great Aunt who had cancer. They also routinely kept terminal diagnosis from female patients in collaboration with their husbands because they thought that was kind.

[@blackcountryme]

Harold Shipman?

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

I mean, they still use morphine to illegally euthanise old people. Like, they give them doses that wouldn't be any sort of issue for the average patient, knowing they're likely to be lethal for an ill old person.

[@Cora.T]

Somehow I feel like they explained keeping her in the dark as kind, but in reality they just thought women's "sensitive and emotional brains" could not handle it

[@handlestaken]

​​​@@Cora.T in practice I'm guessing the husbands could get free unhindered housekeeping+ food and save on medical costs until the wife dropped dead. also your neighbours won't judge you for making your terminally ill wife work if no one except you and the doctors know she's terminally ill. on the doctor's end it might be "well shit she's gonna die anyways why bother. might as well make it easier on everyone"

[@Dudemon-1]

I remember when the diary came out. I was amazed at how decisive he was.

[@veronicamaine3813]

As an Australian I would describe this doc as something rhyming with punt.

[@orangecouch]

I would love it if you could a full video on this!

[@williammurry2593]

The fact that he lived through septicimia at all is crazy talk

[@yippeeflowers]

he lived through the initial emergency and suffered permanent damage to multiple organs after, thus never fully recovering. it's not hard to use your brain nor is it hard to find other well documented examples of such.

[@sidneygreenglass106]

I guess if you have to go speedballs are one of the better ways to do it.

[@markshrimpton3138]

Some wit later wrote the little rhyme: Lord Dawson of Penn killed many many men; that’s why we sing “God save the king”. It’s likely that Dawson dispatched a good number of his patients.

[@joshuachin1850]

I think he operated on Queen Maud of Norway?

[@patrickracer43]

Morning Times: "the king peacefully passed away" Evening Times: "Bro's dead lmao"

[@JinKee]

Queen Elizabeth II: I’ll slip you this £10 note now, and the other payment will have my face on it.

[@tangentyoung5633]

Hardly. This is Elizabeth II's GRANDfather. She was a little girl.

[@rogersheddy6414]

It is reported that the king's last words were to the doctor when he was about to give him the injection. "God damn you to Everlasting hell!"

[@maryandersondearing3053]

In that case I hope the kings wish was granted

[@sceerane8662]

To be fair, That is something someone might just say while in chronic agony.

[@sirhenrymorgan1187]

@@maryandersondearing3053 “Murderers! I’ll see you all in Hell for this!”

[@mad_max21]

To the nurse. And just "God damn you." The last bit you made up aren't just efficient for a guy dying.

[@rogersheddy6414]

@@mad_max21 The last bit is part of what was reported. I did not have makeup what the king said....

[@NickSchneiderChannel]

That morphine and cocaine actually kept him alive in hiding until his resurgence in the role of Doctor Frankenfurter in Rocky Horror Picture Show

[@tiffychevelure9107]

Underrated comment 👏🏻 😭

[@ScorpionFlower95]

Haha I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought that he kinda looks like Tim Curry, same as his sons

[@letthetunesflow]

I’m always surprised at how many people don’t realize this is still done by doctors/nurses today for terminal patients… They also restrict fluid intake, and give extra Morphine and benzodiazepines to ease the suffering… To be honest I’m glad this happens to those who wish to die peacefully as possible and with minimal suffering. The consent thing is kinda a must, and anyone suffering from a terminal disease should talk about their wishes with their doctor. The terrible part about this was the doctors reasoning, and it wasn’t about the kings best interests, and more about the media optics, which is horrific malpractice, even for the times…

[@spelcheak]

The terrible part is the killing. Stoping medicine/giving painkillers isn’t euthanasia.

[@stevenschnepp576]

They did that with my mother when she was in hospice. I think I was the only one who noticed and understood what they were doing - so naturally I said nothing about it. Hers was not an easy death even with the medical assistance.

[@nono-fb8tr]

Restricting fluid intake is because when you enter the dying stage your body cannot do anything with the fluid. If fluids are forced into a body where the organs are shutting down they have nowhere to go and will pool in the lungs which anyone will tell you is hell. It is not done today because the amount of morphine and barbiturates given to terminal patients are not nearly enough to actually cause death. I do not know where people get this idea.

[@timontide6404]

At the beginning of the c-19 thing, the UK used up two years' worth of midazolam in two months. Had to pump up those pandemic numbers.

[@veramae4098]

My sister had untreatable cancer. Her doctor checked her into hospital with instructions, from her, "no food or water". Nurses kept injecting painkillers. Dehydration is a VERY PAINFUL way to die. She was dead in 3 days. I keep missing her.

[@keiththorpe9571]

Bertrand, Lord Dawson of Penn He's killed any number of men And that's why we sing "Oh God, Save The King... From Bertrand, Lord Dawson of Penn!"

[@Guardianangel298]

I love history and your stories are so interesting, thank you.

[@davidmorris8333]

I want the episode of 'the crown' where we can see how Queen Lizzie (rip) reacted to learning about this.

[@melissahughes4205]

The KZbin channel They Got Away With Murder has a fascinating episode about the death of George V.

[@ChrisShute62]

That's a great video, well researched. Over many years, the doctor, Lord Dawson of Penn, seems to have helped many a royal life to "draw peacefully towards its close". Astonishing to think that with all our checks and balances, the rule of laws evolved over centuries, to protect the crown, that ultimately, a king's life can be snuffed out by some pseudo aristocrat. Was it an act of merciful kindness or the logical progression of a man drunk on the power of life and death? Small wonder that conspiracy theories abound over more recent royal deaths. If Lord Dawson's motive had been to preserve the dignity of the royal family, then he failed miserably.

[@shaunbruce810]

I came across your channel and I enjoyed it and I just like to say I love to learn history and please keep the history, so I'll save it to channel plus I find your channel very interesting

[@olvustin6671]

the doctor really said "Ok George we gotta wrap it up we are on a schedule"

[@shadowscribe]

This feels like a movie premise, you're abruptly being hunted because they found out your grandfather secretly murdered their king and SOMEbody's getting hanged for it.

[@nooneatnowhere]

While I actually think that was the humane thing to do, under the circumstances...not having discussed this with family...weeelll...that's murder.🤷‍♀️

[@sirhenrymorgan1187]

His final words were alleged to have been him cursing his doctors and nurses after they injected him. He did NOT consent to euthanasia! 100% murder. And all for the sake of the morning paper…

[@boopbeep2310]

It would have been a murder if it was a normal guy, you know. George was a king and kings, i reckon, are (or should be, they live only because we pay them money) people's property, if a guy wants to euthanize one he should be able to do it🤭

[@falconeshield]

Yeah. Euthanasia without consent is that.

[@ThePurpleCheesecakeZebra]

its irrelevant what the family thinks in that situation, its relevant what the patient says. the family would have had a dead relative within the next few hours, the doctor can either say "he died peacefully" or "he died screaming in agony and pain"

[@8.6GivenAdqVacSysm]

Yeah, I don’t really think they family should be giving the go ahead to off the patient. And there’s a world of difference between sedating them so they’re not in pain as they pass and sedating them to death. And unfortunately, sometimes it requires other professional medical staff on site to evaluate at the time. But that’s a rather big power trip to off a few members of a rather important royal family and walk away free and clear.

[@davidodonovan1699]

For those that don't know: Assassination is deliberately killing someone for political reasons. I think. Murder is unjustified deliberate killing of someone. In this case, it's both.

[@heavi-armed-infadel]

Talk about Edward the Second, it's said that his screams could be heard across the Thames river.

[@MsGhostofficial]

: o

[@colinslant]

That would be surprising, as he was killed at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.

[@NathanEllisBodi]

He treated the king with the kindness he would have shown to his dog. Perfect.

[@redrust3]

Thanks J! I’d forgotten how much I miss Monty Python! I love your delivery.

[@kubby206]

Hell of a buzz going out at least 😂

[@matthewcox7985]

His Highness...

[@Jubilee33382]

The King obviously was not ready to die that day, as his last words, (as the nurse, Catherine Black, approached with syringe) was " God damn you" . The doctor noted this in his diary

[@wasd____]

I dunno, in agony from a terminal disease I might let a "damn you!" slip at my doctor, without knowing what was actually happening. It also could have been a "damn you" at the doctor _for_ keeping him alive as long as he had, just to spend that time in constant pain.

[@Jubilee33382]

@@wasd____ he said it to the nurse as she approached with a syringe...

[@acmiguens]

Why is Tim Curry dressed as George V? oO

[@freyarowell5629]

I was staring at him for minutes trying to work out who he looked like and as soon as I read you comment I knew you were right. Thank you for saving me hours of wondering lol

[@acmiguens]

@@freyarowell5629 My pleasure :)

[@Jill4ChrisRedfeild]

Its his past life, once Tim sheds this mortal skin he'll be reborn again I'm sure!

[@Forestxavier20]

"Sir, I am going to give you the mercy of a quick and painless death" *proceeds to inject him with a drug cocktail so powerful that Ozzy Ozbourne wouldn't be able to survive it* That king went out of his life so damn high

[@tarn1135]

Amazing little bit of trivia I never even heard about. To be fair I never really paid too much attention to British politics or the royal family being an American but lately I’ve started researching or rather learning about all of it and I’m quite surprised by it. I guess it’s good to see British doctors played good with royalty just as much as they do with the little people but damn.

[@DudeTotally1000]

Weren't his last words to his doctor "God damn you." Or something similar? I feel like I read that once.

[@MsGhostofficial]

AAHhahahahahahah

[@richardstarkey2247]

Damn... what the hell was it with Doctors in the early 20th century? Shiro's section 131, Mengle's screwed up experimentation, and this guy's euthanasia.

[@RobespierreThePoof]

More interesting question than you might think. It took time for our current medical ethical regime to develop. All the clear rules we take for granted now were, by no means, a matter of wide consensus in the past. Nevermind the 20tj century. Go back to the 19th and it's the wild West in medicine. It's why certain other health professions showed up - often in opposition to medicine which they viewed as taking fairly aggressive steps, often high risk. Nursing is part of that history. However, more famously practices we now recognize as pseudomedicine such as osteopathy and chiropractic were all about this.

[@gratefulguy4130]

There's one thing they all tend to have in common

[@grommile]

Grouping "torturing the designated 'subhuman'" with "giving an already terminally ill person enough opium to ensure that they never feel pain again" is an... odd look.

[@AyeYoTay]

So him being injected with morphine and cocaine was speedballing doing an upper and downer which is a big no no and it killed him right

[@prestonjones1653]

That and the dosage of both drugs individually would have killed an elephant, let alone an old man, and let alone together.

[@ThatGirlJD]

​@@prestonjones1653He wasn't old he was only in his 50s. He also wasn't an elephant, so he didn't stand a chance.

[@almostfm]

@@ThatGirlJD "He wasn't old he was only in his 50s." As my mom liked to say "people got old a lot younger back then". There's a reason that Social Security here in the US was set to pay off at age 65-people of that age were seen generally as too old to work any longer, and they probably wouldn't live many more years.

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

@@almostfm not kings though.

[@MrsWheezer]

@@ThatGirlJD George V of this video was 70 when he died. You’re thinking of George VI (Elizabeth II father), who was in his 50’s when he died.

[@mkburwell9523]

Killing the king because it would be more "appropriate" for his death to be announced in the morning paper instead of the evening paper is the most British thing I've ever heard 😂

[@jackjones9460]

I enjoy how you make so many things interesting!

[@swipeswifejess3234]

Holy shit I can't imagine the queen finding this out. It was her dad.

[@rainbowlack]

Grandfather. Elizabeth's father was George VI, son of George V

[@barneylaurance1865]

Camilla's dad was Bruce Shand.

[@WEFAbender6]

@@barneylaurance1865 ok? 😂😂

[@driggs2109]

​@@barneylaurance1865 Was he related to the doctor or something?

[@TammyJerkChicken]

@@barneylaurance1865 lol she’s Queen Consort not Queen. It’s said in full to avoid that joke for a reason… plus who knows if her Dad died of natural means 😮

[@brianjones3191]

I’ve heard a convincing argument that the doctor wouldn’t have killed the king without instructions from the oldest son - who was loathed by the king. It didn’t help him much, as he was forced to abdicate soon after he was crowned.

[@Rosarium2007]

The late Queen's uncle was never crowned. He had ascended to the throne, but abdicated before the coronation, so the late Queen's father, George VI was crowned at the coronation instead of his older brother.

[@BimboCommentary]

Did that argument have any facts? Doesn't seem like it

[@TheDramacist]

The NHS still does this via the palliative care pathway. Many patients dont even realise they've been put on the pathway, and thus are only getting high dose pain relief, not treatment. Nor that they signed a do-not-resuscitate agreement. All because plp are afraid to discuss death, even with their doctor. And in hospital, you'll likely be rushed through the system, only seeing locum nurses (who are pressured by the system to get the documents completed signed). And OFC, getting a copy of your notes is very hard, despite the NHS promising to have a system running by now that gives you access. That access is patchy, a postcode lottery. If you've an elderly relative, help them arrange the paperwork to express their TRUE end of life wishes for their care.

[@michaelcherokee8906]

I am about 86% sure you arent talking about the National Honors Society.

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

​@@michaelcherokee8906 you are not British. This does not apply to you

[@michaelcherokee8906]

@@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901 And the award for the least useful comment of the year goes to, drumroll please, YOU!

[@aaqka]

@@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901 blehh american bad and stupid or something

[@Mantajourneys]

Thank you for your comment. I suspect my poor Nanna was treated in this way. My dear family who want only the best, would never want to believe the system is as rotten as it is. Fear is multi'levelled, eh?!. Facing it head-on is super beneficial long term, tho.

[@welshpete12]

If you know a secret , A) never tell anyone , and B) never never write it down even in code !

[@MsGhostofficial]

Seriously!!!

[@Lucy-fn9rj]

i like to think that the doctor didn’t tell anyone not to cover it up, but because he assumed everyone would agree with him so it wasn’t worth mentioning

[@damenwhelan3236]

This man also voted AGAINST euthanasia bills.

[@BeepBoopBee]

Well that sounds a little ironic

[@costasichaelrokkoudes938]

No one has the right to take such a decision especially without the family knowing anything about it. Sounds more like first degree murder to me

[@SA-xf1eb]

Wow, the arrogance of that Doctor.

[@goldHydrangeas]

Or greed.. he's bribed by the ones who wants the position, wealth, power.

[@pitioti]

That's brutal and straight up Regicide ! Damn !

[@jakecavendish3470]

We did that to my grandfather in the 1970s, it was actually really common pre-Shipman

[@hollyjlrs]

I will be forever grateful to the doc that wrote the prescription for my dads very large morphine dose. He had been struggling for over a week in an out of consciousness with an incurable brain tumour. It happens more often than you think, they just don't tell you.

[@ScorpionFlower95]

It's better to ask the family tho?

[@hollyjlrs]

@@ScorpionFlower95 I can't imagine a situation where a family would say no to their loved one's suffering to be cut short. Why would you want to watch you your loved one cry in pain for weeks if they have ZERO chance of getting better?

[@michaelcaffery5038]

@@hollyjlrs I don't know about that. They probably don't tell the family because the family often can't make the decision even though they know it would be for the best. I suppose they could feel guilt for giving the go-ahead. There could be a long delay while the family discuss it among themselves. Also there have been many cases, especially involving children, where desperate parents convince themselves that they see signs of life and take legal action to prevent doctors stopping care. An awful situation. Everyone should discuss this with loved ones while they can but no-one likes to talk about it.

[@flygrace]

Agree, same with my mum. It's technically illegal so nobody says anything that spells out what's happening.

[@frictionhitch]

I believe nurses did this for my sister when none of us knew what to do. In my heart I thank them for sparing her for having to endure the agony that would proceed what was already inevitable. I would not call that an assassination just Mercy and the thing about the paper the next morning was also as it was only a protection of his legacy. Without the doctor would this man have lived another year? This was Mercy

[@spelcheak]

It was murder, euthanasia is word invented to make it sound palatable, like eugenics.

[@frictionhitch]

@@spelcheak how many people have you helped their hand while they suffered in their final hours. Have you watched them cough up black? How do you watch them moan and groan with nothing else to say? We won't even do that to a dog because it's cruel

[@hermanwooster8944]

@@frictionhitch But we're not dogs. We're human beings with purpose and a responsibility to protect each other's lives. We don't know if the king would have lived another 20 years or not. There are many cases where people bounced back against the odds. I'm concerned about this world. It tries to dress up murder with nice names, but call it MAiD, euthanasia or end of life drip, it's still prematurely ending a life. In this case the doctor admitted they did it only because THEY didn't want to see the agony. So this was actually an act of selfishness rather than compassion. The king died cursing the doctor.

[@frictionhitch]

@@hermanwooster8944 anybody that subscribes to the philosophy that the purpose of being a human being is to protect the lives of human beings I believe doesn't understand the purpose of living. That includes you. I am much more than my simple ability to breathe and so is every decent worthwhile person I have ever met.

[@hermanwooster8944]

@@frictionhitch That is precisely my point. There is a greater purpose to life than just breathing, so ending it prematurely based on the sole fact that someone is struggling to breathe is incorrect. We're not animals. We use animal fur, eat their meat, and treat them as pets. We're more valuable than that, and so is our lives.

[@greensteve9307]

Interesting!

[@owenflude7501]

I mean, getting pumped full of Class A’s must be a pretty wicked way to go out.

[@Vanillastump]

I'd count the princess who was murdered by crazed paparazzi.

[@perhapsshellliveafterall]

It's no different to what happens today, we still euthanise people with high doses of morphine. When people are at the end stages of their terminal illness they give them morphine and other drugs to "make them comfortable" (because otherwise they would be in a lot of pain and very distressed) but its actually the morphine that eventually kills them, albeit comfortably. I'd wanna go like that too rather than writhing around in pain until the very end.

[@wanderingegg_]

Morphine would only kill with an overdose. Doctors only use it to "keep patients comfortable" (in high doses) if they are already in hospice. They are already terminal, and their sickness is what kills them. That's why when patients aren't terminal but still in pain, they get morphine (albeit lower doses) and it doesn't kill them. But no doctor is knowingly over dosing patients. I still think this doc wasn't necessarily in the wrong though

[@Cty-unofficial]

Yeah but now you are supposed to ask the family not just unilaterally decide to do it

[@atoucangirl]

"so, why did you kill your king?" the french: "we were sick of monarchy, taxes were out of control and he was doing a terrible job running the country." the british:

[@hotspurre]

I seriously sat here listening to this a second time with my mouth open and nearly went into a third.

[@jimjolly4560]

The last British monarch to die in battle was James IV at Flodden in 1513.

[@lotfibouhedjeur]

I love how the Brits are very particular about propriety even in murder.

[@zebra1327]

That's one hell of a way too pass away, completely knocked out and tripping balls at the same time

[@lancecorporalveteran0621]

What a psychopathic move to kill a king just because you thought it was more convenient

[@Rena152]

There is an odd deal with people wanting things to be more poetically pleasing, it reminds me how in WWI they delayed the armistice in order for it to be on the 11th month, 11th day, 11th hour; and many people died within that gap

[@andreegross]

The Illuminati are big believers in numerology and symbolism. They love the number eleven. That is why they ended the war at that particular time.

[@pairot01]

Morphine and cocaine? That must been some very confusing final moments.

[@MirandaMilner]

I had heard that his wife asked the doctor to put him out of his misery. I don’t know the source but I remember reading that quite recently. Weird…

[@GCiarelli]

That's so cool! Thanks for the interesting information.

[@SamButler22]

"Dear diary, today I oofed the king"

[@darrianweathington1923]

I mean... If you're going to kill a noble... Might as well be a sick one

[@TheWhimsicalMimzy]

Wow. We have learned things over the years, things like this and the Duke of Windsor allegedly collaborating with Germany, that bring home how stern and strong Her Majesty really was. Can you imagine how she must have felt when she learned of such things? These were her family members whom she would have loved. It would be like a knife to the heart. 😢

[@thenablade858]

She wasn’t a descendant of the Duke of Windsor though, but his brother. I am not a fan of the royal family, but the Duke of Windsor and his wife are the only ‘modern’ ones I dislike. Perfect embodiment of privileged, entitled morons who don’t know what they’re doing.

[@jean-francoisdaignault9612]

Sounds like that doctor understood what true compassion is… I certainly hope that when my time comes someone will be there to make sure I don’t suffer unnecessarily.

[@deusvult8340]

Imagine in 50 years from now we figure out this is how Queen Elizabeth II also died

[@sirandrelefaedelinoge]

Happy Christmas, Jenny xx

[@jamesdykes517]

Lovely story. Thanks for sharing.

[@Lumosnight]

“King Kicks Bucket, Doctor Cool as a Cucumber over the whole thing!” - Evening Papers

[@Rameon]

When timing is more important than your oath to do no harm: