The first eight years of their marriage and the last years of Queen Victoria's reign were of total inactivitiy for Prince George and Princess May. The Queen had always kept her son the Pirnce of Wales, away from the state affairs, so Prince George as second in succesion, was even more far away tnat his father from the business concernig to th monarchy. Each year the Duke and Duchess of York had a minimum of official engagements: a "fyunction" at Lancaster or art Liverpool; a visit to Coburg or to Copenhagen, representing the Queen in two royal weddings (at Coburg the wedding of Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh to Prince Ernst of Hohenlohe Langenburg, and at Copenhagen the one of Princess Louise of Denmark, daughter of the future Fredertik VIII, to Prince Friedrich of Shaumburg Lippe); two state visits to Ireland in 1897 and in 1899. On December 14, 1895, Pirncess May gave birth to a second son, Prince Alfred Frederick Arthur George, known in the family as Bertie and who would become King George VI. A year and a half later, in the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, The Duchess of York gave birth to her third child. This time it was a girl and she would be Prince George and Pirncess May's only daughter; she was named Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary and was called just Mary.
By the time Pricness Mary's birth, Princes May's father, the Duke of Teck began to suffer from a repid menthal and nervous deterioration. His wife Princess Mary Adelaide, besides enduring his husband condition, had also been submit to an operation and her physiscal condition was now weak. By the last days of October 1897, Princess Mary Adelaide had worsened and the doctors decided on a second emergency operation. Two hours after te operation had ended, at 3 in the morning, Princess Mary Adelaide's heart failed and she died. From then on, the Duke of Teck, whose menthal conditioned worsened each day, lived in seclusion at White Lodge until his death in January 1900.
The following year, 1898, Prince George's maternal grandmother, Queen Louise of Denmark died. Before her death she asked to see her great grandson Prince Edward. Prince George and Princess May took the boy to Denmark to see his great-grandmother for the last time.
On October 11, 1899, the Boer War broke out in South Africa. Princess May's three brothers were all, set out to fight in the front.The war increased the activities for the Duke and Duchess of York. The Prince of Wales was busy coordinating the numerous independent volunteer agncies that collected funds for the relief of soldies in active service. The Princess of Wales was also busy organizing nurses and hospital ships so Prince George and Pricness May took over many of the duties of the Prince's parents. On March 31, 1900, while England was still in war, Princess May gave birth to her forth child, Prince Henry, who would be created Duke of Gloucester at the time of his marriage.
By the winter of 1900, the Boer War was almost over and Queen Victoria's health had seriously deteriorated; soon it was obvious that he Queen was dying of old age. She died just at the beginning of the new century, on the evening of Tuesday January 22, 1901 at Osborne House. Prince George's father became King Edwrad VII and George himself became direct heir to the throne. He automatically inherited the dukedom of Cornwall which was traditionally held by the heir to the throne. Neverheless Prince George and Princess May didn't become Prince and Princess of Wales until Novemeber 9th of that same year. The reason for this delay was that King Edward felt that this titles were so connected in the public's mind with Queen Alexandra and himself, who had held them for nearly forty years, so it might create confusion if Prince George and Princess May assumed the title too abruptly.
It had been planned that Prince George and Princess May should visit Australia in order to open , in rthe King's name, the first Australian Federal Parliament; they would also visit some other colonies. King Edward and Queen Alexandra were not quite happy about a so long separation (the trip qould last from March to November1901) from their son and heir. The reasaon for this unwilligness was that Prince George's health had declined again. He could not attended Queen Victoria's funeral because of an attack of German measles and the following month he collapsed again and had to stayed in bed , but Sir Joseph Chambelain, Secretary of State for the Colonies declared that Prince George (by then still Duke of York) had to fullfil the obligation of opening the Parliament in Australia. So the Duke and Duchess of York sailed for Australia on March 16, 1901 in the ship Ophir. They stopped at Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Colombo and Singapore, where they weere received with full honours.. Prince Alexander of Teck who accompanied his sister and brother in law in their trip, wrote about the opening of the Federal Parliament in Melbourne: "George and May bowed right round and very well they did it". They also visited Brisbane and Sydney in Australia and then went to New Zealand and Mauritius. Everywhere they went they were acclaimed. Prince George wrote his mother form Sydney: "Our stay in each place is so short that everything has to be crammed into it. Darliong May is of the greatest possible help to me & works very hard. I don't think I could have dare all this without her". They also visited South Africa and Canada. The tour widened Prince George 's view of the world and gave him the self-confidence he sometimes had lacked of before. For her part, Princess May strenghtened her patriotism and belief in her country's Imperial misson.
They returned home on November 1st. 1901 and on King Edward's birthday, November 9th, Prince George was procalimed Prince of Wales. The coronation of King Edward VII had been fixed for June 26, 1902, but when the date approached, the King suffered an attack of lumbago and had to lay in bed. The coronation had to be postponed. It was a difficult time for Prince George who had to take all the decisions and had to entertain al the European royalties gathered in London for the occassion, besides the fearing that at any moment he cpould become king if something happened to his father. But King Edward recovered and he was coronated on August 9, 1902.
By the time of King Edwrad's coronation, Princess May was expecting her fifth baby. Prince George had said: "I shall soon have a regiment not a family". The baby was born on December 20, 1902 and was named George Edward Alexander Edmund; he would be created Duke of Kent at the time of his marriage.
On April 18, 1904, Prince George an dhis wife paid a visit to the old Austrian Emperor Franz Josef at Vienna. The Emperor himself received them at the railway station in Vienna, accomopanied by several other archdukes and members of the British Embassy, including Princess May's brother, Prince Adolphus, now Duke of Teck, who was the British Military Attache to the Imperial court. Prince George and Princess May dined with the Emperor and attended a series of balls, supper-parties and performances at the Opera House during their 4-day-visit. From Vienna they went to Suttgart where Prince George invested King EWilhelm II of Wurtenberg, who was Princess May's cousin, with th Order of the Garther.
On July 12, 1905, Princess May gave birth to her last baby, Prince John. Prgenancy was never liked by Princess May but nevertheless she was a maternal woman.Neither Prince George nor Princess May had no a spontaneous understanding of a child's mind or ways. Prince George was a very strict father and sometimes he frightened and subdue his children. When they were small, he constantlt embarrased them with chafting questions; he critisized them and used to exploded when they made him angry, with fits of impotnet anger. On the other hand, Princess May was less severe; she backed up George in all matters of discipline, but when his judgement was too harsh to the children, she used to take their side.
Prince George's hobbies were to shoot, to sail at Cowes (he always missed the Navy's life), and to collect stamps. Indeed he had a very comoplete stamp collection.
On October 19, 1905, Prince George and his wife set out for another tour. This time they traveled to India. They went to Genoa where they boarded the HMS Renown, which would take them to Bombay. They spent four monthes in India during which they traveled far and wide.. They often slept in their special train but on several ocassions they were invited by Maharajah or by an English Governor. From Gujner, Princess May wrote to her aunt the Grand Duches of Mecklenburg Strelitz: "We are now staying with the nice Maharajah of Bikanir...We specially admired his fine camel corps...We drove to a charming red sandstone palace he has built". The Palace of Gwalion is a fine building ... the Maharajah showed us his jewels which are really magnificient". The tour through India was like a dream for Prince George and Pirncess May. They were eruptured by the spectcular beauties of princely life in India. On they return to England, they stopped for a week in Cairo, where they visited the pyramids and rode in camels, Then they procedd to Corfu where they met King George of the Hellenes and were soon joined by King Edward, Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria, who were on board the yatch Victoria and Albet. Queen Alexandra was on mourning because of the recent death of her father King Christian IX of Denmark.
During the Prince and Pirncess of Wales's absence from London, Oirnce George's cousin, Princess Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg, became engaged to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. At his returned, Prince George was disigned by his father to represent him in Victoria Eugenia's wedding in Spain. Prince George and Pirncess May were lodge in the Palacio Real of Madrid and in hte Jeronimo's church, where the wedding was hold, they sat in the fornt row of Pews. On their wedding day, King Alfonso and his bride were victims of a failed attempt against their lives.
Aweek after their return form Madrid , the Prince and Princess of Wale set out on another trip, this time to Norway, on board of the Royal Yatch, Victoria and Albert. They went to Norway to attend the coronation of King Haakon VII, who was Pirnce George 's broither-in-law after his wedding to George's youngest sister Maud.
Since 1907, King Edward's health wekened. His bronquiant colds sometimes accompanied by sudden faints, became more frequent. On May 1st. King Edward went to the Opera to a performance of Rigoletto, accompanied by Prince George and Princess May (Queen Alexandra was in Greece by that time). It would be his last time to appear in public. On May 4, Pirncess May wrot ein her dairy: "We felt very much worried about Papa". Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria returned form Greece after receiving the bad news about King Edward's illness. On May 6, Prince George went to Buckingham Palace and stayed all day long with his father, whose condition had worsened. That same day at quarter before midnight, King Edwrad VII died quietly while oxygen was being administrated. Prince George wrote in his dairy: "I have lost my best friend and the best of fathers. I never had a word with him inmy life. I am heartbroken and overwhelmed with grief but God will help in my great responsabilities and Darling May will be my comfort as she has always been". It was hard for him to face his new responsabilities, but he had two supports during this crisis, his wife, the new Queen Mary, and his secretary, Sir Arthur Bigge. On the morning of May 9, 1910, Prince George was proclaimed King George V of Great Britain and Ireland.