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House of Windsor, very rarely called House of Mountbatten-Windsor after 1952, is the name used by the Royal Family of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1917. The dynasty had reigned since 1714 under the names House of Hanover (1714-1901) and House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1901-1917), before abandoning these unpopular German names during World War I in favor of the name of an historically important castle in England. The monarchs who have used the Windsor title are George V, Edward VIII, George VI, Elizabeth II, and Charles III.

House of Windsor in In the Presence of Mine Enemies[]

Literary comment[]

While the House of Windsor probably held the British throne at the Point of Divergence, it is unclear what was the House's ultimate fate in the Presence timeline. In 2010, Henry IX is on the throne, but it is never stated what dynasty he belongs to.

House of Windsor in "Last Flight of the Swan of the East"[]

Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, the reigning house in Great Britain, was of German descent. During the Great War, Britain remained neutral (as of 1915), but had somewhat better relations with Germany than with France. Anglo-French relations had been noticeably frosty since the advent of the leviathan airships.[1]

House of Windsor in Southern Victory[]

In the 20th century, the British royal family was closely related to the German monarchy, due to their shared descent from Queen Victoria. This did not prevent terrible conflict between Great Britain and Germany in the Great War, when first cousins King George V and Kaiser Wilhelm II led the opposing nations. This "family quarrel" was repeated a generation later with second cousins Edward VIII and Friedrich Wilhelm V. Germany triumphed over Britain in both wars.

Literary comment[]

The series never gives Britain's royal family a name, although the spirit of revanchism would provide an added incentive to "degermanise" it. The matter is placed here for convenience.

House of Windsor in The Two Georges[]

The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ruled Great Britain and its colonies in the 20th century. King-Emperor Charles III and his immediate family maintained a clean, respectable public image. By contrast, the scandalous, unrestrained behaviour of certain royal cousins, particularly the Kentish branch of the dynasty, was a source of embarrassment to the Crown. The Kents' misdeeds were fodder for purveyors of subversive gossip such as Franklin Mansfield and Titus Hackett.[2]

House of Windsor in The War That Came Early[]

King George VI became head of the House of Windsor in 1936, upon the abdication of his older brother Edward VIII, who was subsequently given the title Duke of Windsor. Two years later, World War II broke out.

While King George did not personally approve of Prime Minister Horace Wilson's treaty of cooperation between Britain and Germany, he respected tradition and did not exercise Royal Prerogative to dissolve parliament and hold a general election.[3] After the 1941 British Military Coup, King George and Queen Elizabeth publicly endorsed the new provisional government.[4]

It was believed by many that had Edward still been on the throne, he would have wholeheartedly supported Wilson and the "Big Switch."[5] This was the part of the reason George had appointed the Duke of Windsor to a colonial post in remote Bermuda, sufficiently far away from the main action.[6]

House of Windsor in Worldwar[]

The House of Windsor remained in power after Britain's independence was recognised by the Race at the Peace of Cairo in 1944. However, the monarchy was a mere figurehead for a Parliament that steadily leaned toward sympathy with Nazi Germany.

References[]

  1. Leviathans: Armored Skies, pgs. 294, loc. 4210, ebook.
  2. The Two Georges, p. 73-74, HC.
  3. The Big Switch, generally.
  4. Coup d'Etat, generally.
  5. The Big Switch, p. 342.
  6. Coup d'Etat, chapter 10
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