Or so people thought.
50 years on the truth was revealed
George V’s personal physician Lord Dawson of Penn kept a secret diary and 50 years later some disturbing evidence was found to contradict the official story of the Kings passing.
In 1986 the diary was made public, and it became clear that Dawson had given the king a lethal injection of cocaine and morphine to hasten his death!
Why would he do such a thing?
It turns out Dawson was being very pragmatic. He wanted to make sure that the news of the king’s demise would be published in the morning newspapers. Rather than in the “less suitable evening journals.” Oh, and he also wanted to give the King a painless death. Wonder which was the greater priority?
Bertrand Edward Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn. Philip de László, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The diary entry reads: “At about 11 o’clock, it was evident that the last stage might endure for many hours, I therefore decided to determine the end and injected three-quarters gram of morphia (morphine) and shortly afterwards one gram of cocaine into the distended jugular vein.”
The Euthanasia vs Murder Debate
So, was the king murdered? Some people just think that Lord Dawson was being kind and respectful to the king. He was after all in a lot of pain and had no hope of getting better. They also believe that he had the king’s permission to end his life, and that he also had the permission of other doctors and members of the royal family.
King George 1923. Bassano Ltd, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
From that point of view, you could argue that Lord Dawson did not kill the king but helped him die peacefully and painlessly. In that case it was euthanasia.
However, King George was not conscious at the time, so would he be able to give consent to euthanasia or had he given it prior to falling unconscious?
If not and Dawson acted on his own accord, he was in fact a King slayer.
The Last British Monarch to Be Killed?
There is also the theory that Queen Mary and son Edward, the future Edward VIII, told Lord Dawson that King George should not suffer needlessly. If that is true, Dawson had received some level of permission to do what he did.
We will probably not learn the truth of what happened or why it happened. The diary is the only evidence we have, but it is not very clear and maybe unreliable.
But it does seem that he was the last British monarch to die by someone else’s hand. In fact, a treacherous act, punishable by death at that time.
Even today it today it seems a bit shocking.