161-492: A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth , / ˈ w eɪ s ( t ) k oʊ t / or / ˈ w ɛ s k ə t / ; colloquially called a weskit ) or vest ( US and Canada ) is a sleeveless upper-body garment . It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear . It is also sported as the third piece in the traditional three-piece male suit . Any given waistcoat can be simple or ornate, or for leisure or luxury. Historically,
322-576: A West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the northern Netherlands. The resident population at this time was generally speaking Common Brittonic —the insular variety of Continental Celtic , which was influenced by the Roman occupation. This group of languages ( Welsh , Cornish , Cumbric ) cohabited alongside English into
483-595: A whipping boy for the King's general irritation with the Liberal government. Gladstone was sacked in the reshuffle the following year and the King agreed, with some reluctance, to appoint him Governor-General of South Africa . Edward involved himself heavily in discussions over army reform, the need for which had become apparent with the failings of the Second Boer War . He supported the redesign of army command,
644-568: A broad deployment, and the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John Fisher , who favoured efficiency savings, scrapping obsolete vessels, and a strategic realignment of the Royal Navy relying on torpedo craft for home defence backed by the new dreadnoughts . The King lent support to Fisher, in part because he disliked Beresford, and eventually Beresford was dismissed. Beresford continued his campaign outside of
805-580: A career in the British Army , but his mother vetoed an active military career. He had been gazetted colonel on 9 November 1858 —to his disappointment, as he had wanted to earn his commission by examination. In September 1861, he was sent to Germany, supposedly to watch military manoeuvres, but actually in order to engineer a meeting between him and Princess Alexandra of Denmark . The Queen and Prince Albert had already decided that Edward and Alexandra should marry. They met at Speyer on 24 September under
966-559: A century as Received Pronunciation (RP). However, due to language evolution and changing social trends, some linguists argue that RP is losing prestige or has been replaced by another accent, one that the linguist Geoff Lindsey for instance calls Standard Southern British English. Others suggest that more regionally-oriented standard accents are emerging in England. Even in Scotland and Northern Ireland, RP exerts little influence in
1127-562: A daytime waistcoat allows more variety of form, with "U" or "V" shapes possible, and there is large choice of outlines for the tips, ranging from pointed to flat or rounded. The colour normally matches the tie, so only black barathea wool, grosgrain or satin and white marcella, grosgrain or satin are worn, although white waistcoats used to be worn with black tie in early forms of the dress. Waiters , sometimes also waitresses, and other people working at white-tie events, to distinguish themselves from guests, sometimes wear gray tie, which consists of
1288-448: A diary entry of October 8, 1666 by Samuel Pepys , the diarist and civil servant. He noted that "the King hath yesterday in council declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes which he will never alter. It will be a vest, I know not well how; but it is to teach the nobility thrift." This royal decree provided the first mention of the vest or waistcoat. John Evelyn wrote about waistcoats on October 18, 1666: "To Court, it being
1449-422: A different look. Waistcoats became shorter, ended at the waist, and were constructed similarly to the coat. This way of styling the vest also was popular in the 19th century throughout the advent of the modern Three-Piece Suit. In order to let the shirt show through, the neck of the vest was left undone. By the turn of the 19th century, it became popular to utilise embroidery and brocade material. The waistcoat in
1610-475: A general election, for which Asquith apologised to the King's adviser Lord Knollys and rebuked Churchill at a Cabinet meeting. Edward was so dispirited at the tone of class warfare—although Asquith told him that party rancour had been just as bad over the First Home Rule Bill in 1886—that he introduced his son to Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane as "the last King of England". After
1771-508: A greater movement, normally [əʊ], [əʉ] or [əɨ]. Dropping a morphological grammatical number , in collective nouns , is stronger in British English than North American English. This is to treat them as plural when once grammatically singular, a perceived natural number prevails, especially when applying to institutional nouns and groups of people. The noun 'police', for example, undergoes this treatment: Police are investigating
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#17327733459091932-597: A lavish scale. Their marriage met with disapproval in certain circles because most of the Queen's relations were German, and Denmark was at loggerheads with Germany over the territories of Schleswig and Holstein . When Alexandra's father, King Christian IX , inherited the throne of Denmark in November 1863, the German Confederation took the opportunity to invade and annex Schleswig-Holstein . The Queen
2093-608: A leader in the movement for Italian unification . Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone sent him papers secretly. From 1886, Foreign Secretary Lord Rosebery sent him Foreign Office despatches, and from 1892 some Cabinet papers were opened to him. In 1870 republican sentiment in Britain was given a boost when the French Emperor, Napoleon III , was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War and
2254-406: A lesser class or social status and often discounted or considered of a low intelligence. Another contribution to the standardisation of British English was the introduction of the printing press to England in the mid-15th century. In doing so, William Caxton enabled a common language and spelling to be dispersed among the entirety of England at a much faster rate. Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of
2415-513: A lifelong heavy smoker, but not a heavy drinker, though he did drink champagne and, occasionally, port. Edward was a patron of the arts and sciences and helped found the Royal College of Music . He opened the college in 1883 with the words, "Class can no longer stand apart from class ... I claim for music that it produces that union of feeling which I much desire to promote." At the same time, he enjoyed gambling and country sports, and
2576-534: A model constitutional monarch . At age seven, Edward embarked on a rigorous educational programme devised by Albert, and supervised by several tutors. Unlike his elder sister Victoria , he did not excel in his studies. He tried to meet the expectations of his parents, but to no avail. Although Edward was not a diligent student—his true talents were those of charm, sociability and tact— Benjamin Disraeli described him as informed, intelligent and of sweet manner. After
2737-827: A momentary loss of consciousness during a state visit to Berlin in February 1909. In March 1910, he was staying at Biarritz when he collapsed. He remained there to convalesce, while in London Asquith tried to get the Finance Bill passed. The King's continued ill health was unreported, and he attracted criticism for staying in France while political tensions were so high. On 27 April he returned to Buckingham Palace, still suffering from severe bronchitis. Alexandra returned from visiting her brother, George I of Greece , in Corfu
2898-573: A playboy prince soured his relationship with his mother. Edward inherited the throne upon his mother's death in 1901. He played a role in the modernisation of the British Home Fleet and the reorganisation of the British Army after the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. He re-instituted traditional ceremonies as public displays and broadened the range of people with whom royalty socialised. He fostered good relations between Britain and other European countries, especially France , for which he
3059-659: A process called T-glottalisation . National media, being based in London, have seen the glottal stop spreading more widely than it once was in word endings, not being heard as "no [ʔ] " and bottle of water being heard as "bo [ʔ] le of wa [ʔ] er". It is still stigmatised when used at the beginning and central positions, such as later , while often has all but regained /t/ . Other consonants subject to this usage in Cockney English are p , as in pa [ʔ] er and k as in ba [ʔ] er. In most areas of England and Wales, outside
3220-469: A regional accent or dialect. However, about 2% of Britons speak with an accent called Received Pronunciation (also called "the King's English", "Oxford English" and " BBC English" ), that is essentially region-less. It derives from a mixture of the Midlands and Southern dialects spoken in London in the early modern period. It is frequently used as a model for teaching English to foreign learners. In
3381-413: A reputation for his tight corsets and tiny waist; and although he lacked popularity during his early reign, men followed his style, and waistcoats became even more restrictive. This fashion remained throughout the 19th century, although after about 1850 the style changed from that of a corseted look to a straighter line, with less restriction at the waist, so that the waistcoat followed a straighter line up
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#17327733459093542-519: A shudder." Once widowed, the Queen effectively withdrew from public life. Shortly after Prince Albert's death, she arranged for Edward to embark on an extensive tour of the Middle East, visiting Egypt, Jerusalem , Damascus , Beirut and Istanbul . The British government wanted Edward to secure the friendship of Egypt's ruler, Said Pasha , to prevent French control of the Suez Canal if
3703-690: A special embassy to the Shah with a full Order of the Garter the following year. As king, Edward's main interests lay in the fields of foreign affairs and naval and military matters. Fluent in French and German, he reinvented royal diplomacy by numerous state visits across Europe. He took annual holidays in Biarritz and Marienbad . One of his most important foreign trips was an official visit to France in May 1903 as
3864-583: A week later on 5 May. On 6 May, Edward suffered several heart attacks, but refused to go to bed, saying, "No, I shall not give in; I shall go on; I shall work to the end." Between moments of faintness, his son the Prince of Wales (shortly to be King George V ) told him that his horse, Witch of the Air, had won at Kempton Park that afternoon. The King replied, "Yes, I have heard of it. I am very glad": his final words . At 11:30 p.m. he lost consciousness for
4025-725: Is also due to London-centric influences. Examples of R-dropping are car and sugar , where the R is not pronounced. British dialects differ on the extent of diphthongisation of long vowels, with southern varieties extensively turning them into diphthongs, and with northern dialects normally preserving many of them. As a comparison, North American varieties could be said to be in-between. Long vowels /iː/ and /uː/ are usually preserved, and in several areas also /oː/ and /eː/, as in go and say (unlike other varieties of English, that change them to [oʊ] and [eɪ] respectively). Some areas go as far as not diphthongising medieval /iː/ and /uː/, that give rise to modern /aɪ/ and /aʊ/; that is, for example, in
4186-400: Is based on British English, but has more influence from American English , often grouped together due to their close proximity. British English, for example, is the closest English to Indian English, but Indian English has extra vocabulary and some English words are assigned different meanings. King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of
4347-795: Is included in style guides issued by various publishers including The Times newspaper, the Oxford University Press and the Cambridge University Press . The Oxford University Press guidelines were originally drafted as a single broadsheet page by Horace Henry Hart, and were at the time (1893) the first guide of their type in English; they were gradually expanded and eventually published, first as Hart's Rules , and in 2002 as part of The Oxford Manual of Style . Comparable in authority and stature to The Chicago Manual of Style for published American English ,
4508-496: Is not always clear. Edward always strove to be discreet, but this did not prevent society gossip or press speculation. Keppel's great-granddaughter Camilla Parker Bowles became the mistress and subsequent wife of King Charles III , Edward's great-great-grandson. It was rumoured that Camilla's grandmother Sonia Keppel was fathered by Edward, but she was "almost certainly" the daughter of George Keppel , whom she resembled. Edward never acknowledged any illegitimate children. Alexandra
4669-582: Is used in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries . The term vest is used widely in the United States and Canada , and is often worn as part of formal attire or as the third piece of a lounge suit in addition to a jacket and trousers. The term vest derives from the French language veste "jacket, sport coat", the term for a vest-waistcoat in French today being gilet ,
4830-547: The Chambers Dictionary , and the Collins Dictionary record actual usage rather than attempting to prescribe it. In addition, vocabulary and usage change with time; words are freely borrowed from other languages and other varieties of English, and neologisms are frequent. For historical reasons dating back to the rise of London in the ninth century, the form of language spoken in London and
4991-662: The Conservative majority in the House of Lords refused to pass the " People's Budget " proposed by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Asquith. The crisis eventually led—after Edward's death—to the removal of the Lords' right to veto legislation. The King was displeased at Liberal attacks on the peers, which included a polemical speech by David Lloyd George at Limehouse . Cabinet minister Winston Churchill publicly demanded
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5152-601: The Derby Stakes and the St Leger Stakes . In 1900, Persimmon's brother, Diamond Jubilee , won five races (Derby, St Leger, 2000 Guineas Stakes , Newmarket Stakes and Eclipse Stakes ) and another of Edward's horses, Ambush II, won the Grand National . In 1891 Edward was embroiled in the royal baccarat scandal , when it was revealed he had played an illegal card game for money the previous year. He
5313-603: The East Midlands became standard English within the Court, and ultimately became the basis for generally accepted use in the law, government, literature and education in Britain. The standardisation of British English is thought to be from both dialect levelling and a thought of social superiority. Speaking in the Standard dialect created class distinctions; those who did not speak the standard English would be considered of
5474-674: The First World War broke out. The naval reforms he had supported and his part in securing the Triple Entente between Britain, France, and Russia, as well as his relationships with his extended family, fed the paranoia of the German Emperor, who blamed Edward for the war. Publication of the official biography of Edward was delayed until 1927 by its author, Sidney Lee , who feared German propagandists would select material to portray Edward as an anti-German warmonger. Lee
5635-532: The French Revolution of 1789, anti-aristocratic sentiment in France (and elsewhere in Europe) influenced the wardrobes of both men and women, and waistcoats followed, becoming much less elaborate. After about 1810 the fit of the waistcoat became shorter and tighter, becoming much more secondary to the frock coat and almost counting as an undergarment, although its popularity was larger than ever. With
5796-545: The French Third Republic was declared. However, in the winter of 1871, a brush with death led to an improvement in both Edward's popularity with the public and his relationship with his mother. While staying at Londesborough Lodge, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire , Edward contracted typhoid fever , the disease that was believed to have killed his father. There was great national concern, and one of his fellow guests ( Lord Chesterfield ) died. Edward's recovery
5957-709: The Italian language veste "robe, gown", and the Latin language vestis . The term vest in European countries refers to the A-shirt , a type of athletic vest. The banyan , a garment of India, is commonly called a vest in Indian English. Diarist Samuel Pepys records "vest" in 1666 as the original English term for the garment; the word "waistcoat" derives from the cutting of the coat at waist-level, since at
6118-710: The Ottoman Empire collapsed. It was the first royal tour on which an official photographer, Francis Bedford , was in attendance. As soon as Edward returned to Britain, preparations were made for his engagement, which was sealed at Laeken in Belgium on 9 September 1862. Edward married Alexandra at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle , on 10 March 1863. He was 21; she was 18. The couple established Marlborough House as their London residence and Sandringham House in Norfolk as their country retreat. They entertained on
6279-493: The Royal Spanish Academy with Spanish. Standard British English differs notably in certain vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation features from standard American English and certain other standard English varieties around the world. British and American spelling also differ in minor ways. The accent, or pronunciation system, of standard British English, based in southeastern England, has been known for over
6440-490: The Scots language or Scottish Gaelic ). Each group includes a range of dialects, some markedly different from others. The various British dialects also differ in the words that they have borrowed from other languages. Around the middle of the 15th century, there were points where within the 5 major dialects there were almost 500 ways to spell the word though . Following its last major survey of English Dialects (1949–1950),
6601-460: The United Kingdom . The predecessors to the waistcoat are the Middle Age -era doublet and gambeson . Various types of waistcoats may have been worn in theatrical manners such as performances and masquerades prior to what is said to be the early origins of the vest. The brightly coloured silk waistcoats popularised in France and England from the 17th century – influenced by
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6762-645: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England , or, more broadly, to the collective dialects of English throughout the British Isles taken as a single umbrella variety, for instance additionally incorporating Scottish English , Welsh English , and Northern Irish English . Tom McArthur in the Oxford Guide to World English acknowledges that British English shares "all
6923-573: The University of Leeds has started work on a new project. In May 2007 the Arts and Humanities Research Council awarded a grant to Leeds to study British regional dialects. The team are sifting through a large collection of examples of regional slang words and phrases turned up by the "Voices project" run by the BBC , in which they invited the public to send in examples of English still spoken throughout
7084-610: The West Country and other near-by counties of the UK, the consonant R is not pronounced if not followed by a vowel, lengthening the preceding vowel instead. This phenomenon is known as non-rhoticity . In these same areas, a tendency exists to insert an R between a word ending in a vowel and a next word beginning with a vowel. This is called the intrusive R . It could be understood as a merger, in that words that once ended in an R and words that did not are no longer treated differently. This
7245-428: The 1970s women began wearing waistcoats as part of their work attire. By the late 1990s and early 2000s it became fashionable for women to wear waistcoats as part of their casual wear. Today, there are many types of vests. Some types of vests include but are not limited to: British English British English (abbreviations: BrE , en-GB , and BE ) is the set of varieties of the English language native to
7406-629: The 21st century. RP, while long established as the standard English accent around the globe due to the spread of the British Empire , is distinct from the standard English pronunciation in some parts of the world; most prominently, RP notably contrasts with standard North American accents. In the 21st century, dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionary , the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ,
7567-511: The British term waistcoat in American common vernacular. Waistcoat style followed the guidelines of 1700s England using the same fabric for the three-pieces, and sometimes used patterns of plaid or checks for contrast purposes. Around the turn of the 20th century, men were still wearing waistcoats for luxurious occasions. Waistcoats sometimes even included embroidery or hand-painted designs. At
7728-836: The English Language (1755) was a large step in the English-language spelling reform , where the purification of language focused on standardising both speech and spelling. By the early 20th century, British authors had produced numerous books intended as guides to English grammar and usage, a few of which achieved sufficient acclaim to have remained in print for long periods and to have been reissued in new editions after some decades. These include, most notably of all, Fowler's Modern English Usage and The Complete Plain Words by Sir Ernest Gowers . Detailed guidance on many aspects of writing British English for publication
7889-613: The Germanic schwein ) is the animal in the field bred by the occupied Anglo-Saxons and pork (like the French porc ) is the animal at the table eaten by the occupying Normans. Another example is the Anglo-Saxon cu meaning cow, and the French bœuf meaning beef. Cohabitation with the Scandinavians resulted in a significant grammatical simplification and lexical enrichment of the Anglo-Frisian core of English;
8050-546: The Household , and had benefited from advice from Edward's financier friends, some of whom were Jewish, such as Ernest Cassel , Maurice de Hirsch and the Rothschild family . At a time of widespread antisemitism , Edward attracted criticism for openly socialising with Jews. Edward's coronation had originally been scheduled for 26 June 1902. However, two days before, he was diagnosed with appendicitis . The disease
8211-447: The King did not favour Irish Home Rule, but Knollys refused on the grounds that it was not appropriate for the monarch's views to be known in public. The election resulted in a hung parliament , with the Liberal government dependent on the support of the third-largest party, the nationalist Irish Parliamentary Party . The King suggested a compromise whereby only 50 peers from each side would be allowed to vote, which would also obviate
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#17327733459098372-441: The King informed Asquith that he would not be willing to contemplate creating peers until after a second general election. Balfour refused to say whether or not he would be willing to form a Conservative government, but advised the King not to promise to create peers until he had seen the terms of any proposed constitutional change. During the campaign, the leading Conservative Walter Long asked Knollys for permission to state that
8533-486: The King's horse Minoru won the Derby on 26 July 1909, he returned to the racetrack the following day and laughed when a man shouted: "Now, King. You've won the Derby. Go back home and dissolve this bloody Parliament!" In vain, the King urged Conservative leaders Arthur Balfour and Lord Lansdowne to pass the budget, which Lord Esher had advised him was not unusual, as Queen Victoria had helped to broker agreements between
8694-625: The Liberals a majority in the Lords) or give the prime minister the right to do so was considered "outrageous" by Knollys, who thought the King should abdicate rather than agree to it. Talk of removing the Lords' veto played a major role in the January 1910 election . Early in the election campaign, Lloyd George talked of "guarantees" and Asquith of "safeguards" that would be necessary before forming another Liberal government, but such talk ceased after
8855-404: The Liberals did not have sufficient mandate to demand the creation of peers. The King thought the whole proposal "simply disgusting" and that the government was "in the hands of Redmond & Co". Lord Crewe announced publicly that the government's wish to create peers should be treated as formal " ministerial advice " (which, by convention, the monarch must accept), although Lord Esher argued that
9016-476: The Lords' power of veto to one of delay, but Asquith inserted a phrase "in the opinion of my advisers" so the King could be seen to be distancing himself from the planned legislation. The Commons passed resolutions on 14 April that would form the basis for the Parliament Act 1911 : to remove the power of the Lords to veto money bills, to replace their veto of other bills with a power to delay, and to reduce
9177-922: The Oxford Manual is a fairly exhaustive standard for published British English that writers can turn to in the absence of specific guidance from their publishing house. British English is the basis of, and very similar to, Commonwealth English . Commonwealth English is English as spoken and written in the Commonwealth countries , though often with some local variation. This includes English spoken in Australia , Malta , New Zealand , Nigeria , and South Africa . It also includes South Asian English used in South Asia, in English varieties in Southeast Asia , and in parts of Africa. Canadian English
9338-492: The People Bill (1884) in the House of Lords . On other matters, he was more conservative; for example, he did not favour giving votes to women , although he did suggest that the social reformer Octavia Hill serve on the Commission for Working Class Housing . He was also opposed to Irish Home Rule , instead preferring a form of dual monarchy . As Prince of Wales, Edward had come to enjoy warm and mutually respectful relations with Gladstone, whom his mother detested. But
9499-436: The Russians went on giving ground, the yellow race would, in twenty years time, be in Moscow and Posen ". Wilhelm went on to attack his British guests for supporting Japan against Russia, suggesting that the British were committing "race treason". In response, Edward stated that he "could not see it. The Japanese were an intelligent, brave and chivalrous nation, quite as civilised as the Europeans, from whom they only differed by
9660-599: The South East, there are significantly different accents; the Cockney accent spoken by some East Londoners is strikingly different from Received Pronunciation (RP). Cockney rhyming slang can be (and was initially intended to be) difficult for outsiders to understand, although the extent of its use is often somewhat exaggerated. Londoners speak with a mixture of accents, depending on ethnicity, neighbourhood, class, age, upbringing, and sundry other factors. Estuary English has been gaining prominence in recent decades: it has some features of RP and some of Cockney. Immigrants to
9821-463: The UK in recent decades have brought many more languages to the country and particularly to London. Surveys started in 1979 by the Inner London Education Authority discovered over 125 languages being spoken domestically by the families of the inner city's schoolchildren. Notably Multicultural London English , a sociolect that emerged in the late 20th century spoken mainly by young, working-class people in multicultural parts of London . Since
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#17327733459099982-410: The United Kingdom and the British Dominions , and Emperor of India , from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , Edward, nicknamed "Bertie", was related to royalty throughout Europe. He was Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the British throne for almost 60 years. During his mother's reign, he
10143-458: The United Kingdom , as well as within the countries themselves. The major divisions are normally classified as English English (or English as spoken in England (which is itself broadly grouped into Southern English , West Country , East and West Midlands English and Northern English ), Northern Irish English (in Northern Ireland), Welsh English (not to be confused with the Welsh language ), and Scottish English (not to be confused with
10304-425: The United States originated as formal wear to be worn underneath a coat. Waistcoats became more ornate including colour and decor. Waistcoats were styled with new and patterned fabrics but just on the front. Around this time it became popular to use less expensive, contrasting fabric on the back of the waistcoat design, allowing the owner to not spend as much money on the waistcoat as a whole. The fabrics utilised in
10465-402: The West Scottish accent. Phonological features characteristic of British English revolve around the pronunciation of the letter R, as well as the dental plosive T and some diphthongs specific to this dialect. Once regarded as a Cockney feature, in a number of forms of spoken British English, /t/ has become commonly realised as a glottal stop [ʔ] when it is in the intervocalic position, in
10626-410: The adjective little is predominant elsewhere. Nevertheless, there is a meaningful degree of uniformity in written English within the United Kingdom, and this could be described by the term British English . The forms of spoken English, however, vary considerably more than in most other areas of the world where English is spoken and so a uniform concept of British English is more difficult to apply to
10787-438: The ambiguities and tensions [with] the word 'British' and as a result can be used and interpreted in two ways, more broadly or more narrowly, within a range of blurring and ambiguity". Variations exist in formal (both written and spoken) English in the United Kingdom. For example, the adjective wee is almost exclusively used in parts of Scotland, north-east England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and occasionally Yorkshire , whereas
10948-518: The auspices of Edward's elder sister, Victoria, who had married the Crown Prince of Prussia in 1858. Princess Victoria, acting upon instructions from her mother, had met Alexandra at Strelitz in June; Alexandra made a very favourable impression. She and Edward were friendly from the start, and marriage plans advanced. Edward gained a reputation as a playboy. Determined to get some army experience, he attended manoeuvres in Ireland, during which he spent three nights with an actress, Nellie Clifden , who
11109-426: The award of the grant in 2007, Leeds University stated: that they were "very pleased"—and indeed, "well chuffed"—at receiving their generous grant. He could, of course, have been "bostin" if he had come from the Black Country , or if he was a Scouser he would have been well "made up" over so many spondoolicks, because as a Geordie might say, £460,000 is a "canny load of chink". Most people in Britain speak with
11270-437: The best of fathers ... I never had a [cross] word with him in my life. I am heart-broken and overwhelmed with grief". Edward has been recognised as the first truly constitutional British sovereign and the last sovereign to wield effective political power. Though lauded as "Peacemaker", he had been afraid that German Emperor Wilhelm II, who was one of his nephews, would tip Europe into war. Four years after Edward's death,
11431-439: The bier. Despite the time that had elapsed since his death, Alexandra noted his body remained "wonderfully preserved". On the morning of 17 May, the coffin was placed on a gun carriage and drawn by black horses to Westminster Hall , with the new king, his family and Edward's favourite dog, Caesar , walking behind. Following a brief service, the royal family left, and the hall was opened to the public; over 400,000 people filed past
11592-400: The bill as it lacked an electoral mandate. The King was annoyed that his efforts to urge passage of the budget had become public knowledge and had forbidden Knollys, who was an active Liberal peer, from voting for the budget, although Knollys had suggested that this would be a suitable gesture to indicate royal desire to see the budget pass. In December 1909, a proposal to create peers (to give
11753-401: The bottom button of waistcoats is said to be linked to Edward, who supposedly left his undone because of his large girth. His waist measured 48 inches (122 cm) shortly before his coronation. He introduced the practice of eating roast beef and potatoes with horseradish sauce and Yorkshire pudding on Sundays, a meal that remains a staple British favourite for Sunday lunch . He was
11914-431: The bottom button when sitting down; when it is fastened, the bottom of the waistcoat pulls sideways causing wrinkling and bulging, since modern waistcoats are cut lower than old ones. This convention only applies to single-breasted day waistcoats and not double breasted, evening, straight-hem or livery waistcoats that are all fully buttoned. Waistcoats worn with lounge suits (now principally single-breasted) normally match
12075-518: The bright " safety orange " colour). During the 2018 FIFA World Cup , the manager of the England football team , Gareth Southgate , was often seen wearing a waistcoat. British retailer Marks & Spencer , the official suit provider for the national team, reported a 35% increase in waistcoat sales during England's first five games at the tournament. Fashion search platform Lyst also reported that online waistcoat searches increased by over 41% during
12236-530: The budget unless they had their way (an attempt by Lloyd George to win their support by amending whiskey duties was abandoned as the Cabinet felt this would recast the budget too much). Asquith now revealed that there were no "guarantees" for the creation of peers. The Cabinet considered resigning and leaving it up to Balfour to try to form a Conservative government. The King's speech from the throne on 21 February made reference to introducing measures restricting
12397-486: The cause was not cancer. The next day, Edward was sitting up in bed, smoking a cigar. Two weeks later, it was announced that he was out of danger. Treves was honoured with a baronetcy (which the King had arranged before the operation) and appendix surgery entered the medical mainstream. Edward was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 9 August 1902 by the Archbishop of Canterbury , Frederick Temple . Edward refurbished
12558-439: The century, waistcoats became longer and overlapped with the breeches . Stylistically waistcoats and the rest of the suit began to change in that they matched less. Instead of consisting of the same, highly decorative fabric, it became popular to wear a waistcoat that complemented the coat and breeches instead of matching it perfectly. For instance, men would mix solids and patterns within the waistcoat, coat, and breeches to create
12719-405: The charity, while also supporting the England team. King Charles II inaugurated the "vest" (waistcoat) along with the modern ideal of the three-piece suit. The waistcoats of these three-piece ensembles were the same length as the coat worn over it, most likely knee length, and could be worn for either warmth or display. The coat, waistcoat, and breeches were crafted from the same fabric. Around
12880-456: The coffin over the next two days. As Barbara Tuchman noted in The Guns of August , his funeral, held on 20 May 1910, marked "the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last." A royal train conveyed the King's coffin from London to Windsor Castle, where Edward was buried at St George's Chapel . Before his accession to the throne, Edward was
13041-446: The completion of his secondary-level studies, his tutor Frederick Waymouth Gibbs was replaced by Robert Bruce as his personal governor. After an educational trip to Rome, undertaken in the first few months of 1859, Edward spent the summer of that year studying at the University of Edinburgh under, among others, the chemist Lyon Playfair . In October, he matriculated as an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford . Now released from
13202-590: The country until 1898. He was sent summaries of important government documents, but she refused to give him access to the originals. Edward annoyed his mother, who favoured the Germans, by siding with Denmark on the Schleswig-Holstein Question in 1864 and in the same year annoyed her again by making a special effort to meet Giuseppe Garibaldi , the Italian general and revolutionary, who was
13363-567: The country. The BBC Voices project also collected hundreds of news articles about how the British speak English from swearing through to items on language schools. This information will also be collated and analysed by Johnson's team both for content and for where it was reported. "Perhaps the most remarkable finding in the Voices study is that the English language is as diverse as ever, despite our increased mobility and constant exposure to other accents and dialects through TV and radio". When discussing
13524-518: The course of the World Cup. Part-way through the tournament, the Museum of London announced that it hoped to acquire Gareth Southgate's waistcoat in order to display it as part of its permanent collection of historic clothing. In the run up to England's semi-final match against Croatia , the blood cancer charity, Bloodwise , encouraged fans to take part in 'Waistcoat Wednesday' to help raise funds for
13685-572: The creation of the Territorial Force , and the decision to provide an Expeditionary Force supporting France in the event of war with Germany. Reform of the Royal Navy was also suggested, partly due to the ever-increasing Naval Estimates, and because of the emergence of the Imperial German Navy as a new strategic threat. Ultimately a dispute arose between Admiral Lord Charles Beresford , who favoured increased spending and
13846-446: The creation of these plain, unseen back panels were linen, cotton, or any other type of fabric used to line clothing items. Waistcoat collars became longer and visible outside of the coat worn over it. These collars were stiffened and would peak out over the coat's lapel . For both warmth against cold weather or to show off special weaves and contrasting colours, men often would layer their waistcoats. The term vest completely replaced
14007-416: The dress coat of white tie (a squarely cut away tailcoat) with the black waistcoat and tie of black tie. The variant of the clergy cassock may be cut as a vest. It differs in style from other waistcoats in that the garment buttons to the neck and has an opening that displays the clerical collar . Sometime around 1830, a new Church of England clerical waistcoat was given the epithet "M.B. Waistcoat" when
14168-451: The educational strictures imposed by his parents, he enjoyed studying for the first time and performed satisfactorily in examinations. In 1861, he transferred to Trinity College, Cambridge , where he was tutored in history by Charles Kingsley , Regius Professor of Modern History . Kingsley's efforts brought forth the best academic performances of Edward's life, and Edward actually looked forward to his lectures. In 1860, Edward undertook
14329-690: The end of centuries of Anglo-French rivalry and Britain's splendid isolation from Continental affairs, and attempted to counterbalance the growing dominance of the German Empire and its ally, Austria-Hungary . Edward was related to nearly every other European monarch, and came to be known as the "uncle of Europe". German Emperor Wilhelm II and Emperor Nicholas II of Russia were his nephews; Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain , Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden , Crown Princess Marie of Romania , Crown Princess Sophia of Greece , and Empress Alexandra of Russia were his nieces; King Haakon VII of Norway
14490-450: The end of the tour, Queen Victoria was given the title Empress of India by Parliament, in part as a result of the tour's success. Edward was regarded worldwide as an arbiter of men's fashions. He made wearing tweed , Homburg hats and Norfolk jackets fashionable, and popularised the wearing of black ties with dinner jackets, instead of white tie and tails. He pioneered the pressing of trouser legs from side to side in preference to
14651-472: The exotic Indian and other "Eastern" attire of returning English travellers – became an element of the ensemble that presaged the development of the three-piece lounge suit , together with the cravat , derived from a scarf worn by Croatian mercenaries fighting for King Louis XIII of France , and the justacorps , a coat influenced by the long zupans worn in Poland and Ukraine. In France, from
14812-880: The first reigning British monarch to visit the Russian Empire , despite refusing to visit in 1906, when Anglo-Russian relations were strained in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War , the Dogger Bank incident , and the Tsar's dissolution of the Duma . The previous month, he visited the Scandinavian countries, becoming the first British monarch to visit Sweden. While Prince of Wales, Edward had to be dissuaded from breaking with constitutional precedent by openly voting for W. E. Gladstone 's Representation of
14973-584: The first time his Majesty put himself solemnly into the Eastern fashion of vest, changing doublet, stiff collar, bands and cloak, into a comely dress after the Persian mode, with girdles or straps, and shoestrings and garters into buckles... resolving never to alter it, and to leave the French mode". While Evelyn designated the costume Persian, it was more directly influenced by the Turkish. The general layout of
15134-628: The first tour of North America by a Prince of Wales. His genial good humour and confident bonhomie made the tour a great success. He inaugurated the Victoria Bridge, Montreal , across the St Lawrence River , and laid the cornerstone of Parliament Hill, Ottawa . He watched Charles Blondin traverse Niagara Falls by highwire, and stayed for three days with President James Buchanan at the White House . Buchanan accompanied
15295-402: The formality of dress, but single-breasted ones are more common. In a three piece suit, the cloth used matches the jacket and trousers. Waistcoats can also have lapels or revers depending on the style. Before wristwatches became popular, gentlemen kept their pocket watches in the front waistcoat pocket, with the watch on a watch chain threaded through a buttonhole. Sometimes an extra hole
15456-453: The formation of such a mode of dress acted as a response to French fashion being so dominant in the time period. While in the 17th and 18th centuries, waistcoats were often elaborate and brightly coloured, changing fashions in the nineteenth century narrowed this to a more restricted palette, leading to the matching waistcoats worn with lounge suits. The garment – and Charles II's championing of it – is mentioned in
15617-608: The garment was introduced by High Church clergy: "M.B." was intended to be a pejorative or jocular reference to the " Mark of the Beast ", applied by non-High Church Anglicans . In the Girl Scouts of the USA , vests are used as an alternative to the sash for the display of badges. Waistcoats, alongside bowties , are commonly worn by billiard players during a tournament. It is usually worn in snooker and blackball tournaments in
15778-642: The guest of President Émile Loubet . Following a visit to Pope Leo XIII in Rome, this trip helped create the atmosphere for the Anglo-French Entente Cordiale , an agreement delineating British and French colonies in North Africa, and ruling out any future war between the two countries. The Entente was negotiated in 1904 between the French foreign minister, Théophile Delcassé , and the British foreign secretary, Lord Lansdowne. It marked
15939-522: The idea of two different morphemes, one that causes the double negation, and one that is used for the point or the verb. Standard English in the United Kingdom, as in other English-speaking nations, is widely enforced in schools and by social norms for formal contexts but not by any singular authority; for instance, there is no institution equivalent to the Académie française with French or
16100-452: The large Conservative majority in the Lords, but Lord Crewe , Liberal leader in the Lords, advised that this would reduce the Lords' independence, as only peers who were loyal party supporters would be picked. Pressure to remove the Lords' veto now came from the Irish nationalist MPs, who wanted to remove the Lords' ability to block the introduction of Home Rule. They threatened to vote against
16261-523: The last southern Midlands accent to use the broad "a" in words like bath or grass (i.e. barth or grarss ). Conversely crass or plastic use a slender "a". A few miles northwest in Leicestershire the slender "a" becomes more widespread generally. In the town of Corby , five miles (8 km) north, one can find Corbyite which, unlike the Kettering accent, is largely influenced by
16422-422: The last time and was put to bed. He died 15 minutes later. Alexandra refused to allow Edward's body to be moved for eight days afterwards, though she allowed small groups of visitors to enter his room. On 11 May, the late king was dressed in his uniform and placed in a massive oak coffin, which was moved on 14 May to the throne room, where it was sealed and lay in state, with a guardsman standing at each corner of
16583-462: The later Norman occupation led to the grafting onto that Germanic core of a more elaborate layer of words from the Romance branch of the European languages. This Norman influence entered English largely through the courts and government. Thus, English developed into a "borrowing" language of great flexibility and with a huge vocabulary . Dialects and accents vary amongst the four countries of
16744-485: The longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He was surpassed by his great-great-grandson Charles III on 20 April 2011. The title Prince of Wales is not automatically held by the heir apparent; it is bestowed by the reigning monarch at a time of his or her choosing. Edward was the longest-serving holder of that title until surpassed by Charles on 9 September 2017. Edward was Prince of Wales between 8 December 1841 and 22 January 1901 (59 years, 45 days); Charles held
16905-457: The mass internal migration to Northamptonshire in the 1940s and given its position between several major accent regions, it has become a source of various accent developments. In Northampton the older accent has been influenced by overspill Londoners. There is an accent known locally as the Kettering accent, which is a transitional accent between the East Midlands and East Anglian . It is
17066-423: The mid-17th century, the " veste " was worn to mid-thigh or knee-length, beneath a justacorps . The garment was sleeved. Both veste and justacorp were worn in court circles in highly ornate styles. In October 1666, King Charles II of England launched a new fashion in men's wear for the English. The item was a long piece donned beneath the coat that was meant to be seen. Scholar Diana De Marly suggests that
17227-463: The modern period, but due to their remoteness from the Germanic languages , influence on English was notably limited . However, the degree of influence remains debated, and it has recently been argued that its grammatical influence accounts for the substantial innovations noted between English and the other West Germanic languages. Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting
17388-416: The monarch was entitled in extremis to dismiss the government rather than take their "advice". Esher's view has been called "obsolete and unhelpful". Edward habitually smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day. In 1907, a rodent ulcer , a type of cancer affecting the skin next to his nose, was cured with radium . Towards the end of his life he increasingly suffered from bronchitis . He suffered
17549-442: The name of Albert" and diminish the status of his father with whom the "name should stand alone". The numeral VII was occasionally omitted in Scotland, even by the national church , in deference to protests that the previous Edwards were English kings who had "been excluded from Scotland by battle". J. B. Priestley recalled, "I was only a child when he succeeded Victoria in 1901, but I can testify to his extraordinary popularity. He
17710-579: The navy and Fisher ultimately announced his resignation in late 1909, although the bulk of his policies were retained. The King was intimately involved in the appointment of Fisher's successor as the Fisher-Beresford feud had split the service, and the only truly qualified figure known to be outside of both camps was Sir Arthur Wilson , who had retired in 1907. Wilson was reluctant to return to active duty, but Edward persuaded him to do so, and Wilson became First Sea Lord on 25 January 1910. Edward
17871-444: The new dandyism of the early 19th century, the waistcoat started to change roles, moving away from its function as the centrepiece of the visual aspect of male clothing, towards serving as a foundation garment , often with figure-enhancing abilities. From the 1820s onwards, elite gentlemen—at least those among the more fashionable circles, especially the younger set and the military —wore corsets . The waistcoat served to emphasise
18032-464: The new popularity of the cinched-in waist for males, and became skin-tight, with the overcoat cut to emphasise the figure: broader shoulders, a pouting chest, and a nipped-in waist. Without a corset, a man's waistcoat often had whalebone stiffeners and were laced in the back, with reinforced buttons up the front, so that one could pull the lacings in tight to mould the waist into the fashionable silhouette. Prince Albert , husband of Queen Victoria , had
18193-544: The next ten years, Edward's affability and popularity, as well as his use of family connections, assisted Britain in building European alliances. When his mother died on 22 January 1901, Edward became King of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India and, in an innovation, King of the British Dominions . He chose to reign under the name of Edward VII, instead of Albert Edward—the name his mother had intended for him to use —declaring that he did not wish to "undervalue
18354-521: The now normal front and back creases, and was thought to have introduced the stand-up turn-down shirt collar, created for him by Charvet . A stickler for proper dress, he is said to have admonished Lord Salisbury for wearing the trousers of an Elder Brother of Trinity House with a privy councillor 's coat. Deep in an international crisis, Salisbury informed Edward that it had been a dark morning, and that "my mind must have been occupied by some subject of less importance." The tradition of men not buttoning
18515-526: The order was meant to be in his personal gift and the Foreign Secretary, Lord Lansdowne , had promised it without his consent. He also objected to inducting a Muslim into a Christian order of chivalry . His refusal threatened to damage British attempts to gain influence in Persia, but Edward resented his ministers' attempts to reduce his traditional powers. Eventually, he relented and Britain sent
18676-431: The origin of this practice. One often-cited one claims that the custom was started by King Edward VII (then the Prince of Wales), whose expanding waistline required it. Variations on this include that he forgot to fasten the lower button when dressing and this was copied. It has also been suggested that the practice originated to prevent the waistcoat riding up when on horseback. Undoing the bottom button avoids stress to
18837-417: The pigmentation of their skin". Although Edward lived a life of luxury often far removed from that of the majority of his subjects, they expected it, and his personal charm with all levels of society and his strong condemnation of prejudice went some way to assuage republican and racial tensions building during his lifetime. In the last year of his life, Edward became embroiled in a constitutional crisis when
18998-643: The prince to Mount Vernon , to pay his respects at the tomb of George Washington . Vast crowds greeted Edward everywhere. He met Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , Ralph Waldo Emerson and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. Prayers for the royal family were said in Trinity Church, New York , for the first time since 1776. The four-month tour throughout Canada and the United States considerably boosted Edward's confidence and self-esteem, and had many diplomatic benefits for Great Britain. Edward had hoped to pursue
19159-471: The reverse colour of their overcoats. It is believed that these were made by turning old worn-out standard issue overcoats inside-out (so that the lining colour appeared on the outside) and removing the sleeves. The term "waistcoat" might therefore also be derived from the wastage of the old coat. A waistcoat has a full vertical opening in the front, which fastens with buttons or snaps. Both single-breasted and double-breasted waistcoats exist, regardless of
19320-526: The royal palaces, reintroduced the traditional ceremonies, such as the State Opening of Parliament , that his mother had foregone, and founded new honours , such as the Order of Merit , to recognise contributions to the arts and sciences. In 1902, the Shah of Persia, Mozzafar-al-Din , visited England expecting to receive the Order of the Garter . The King refused to bestow the honour on the Shah because
19481-473: The same time, men began wearing the waistcoat apart from the totality of the three-piece suit and more casually with a variety of bottoms beyond the suit pant (khaki or jean). Waistcoats can be double-breasted with buttons set in a horseshoe pattern. The lower and top buttons may be left undone although not for riding or hunting. Beyond this, some waistcoats were made of certain durable fabrics to withstand being worn for outdoor sport such as fishing or hunting. In
19642-553: The same, regardless of their social station or colour. In letters home, he complained of the treatment of the native Indians by the British officials: "Because a man has a black face and a different religion from our own, there is no reason why he should be treated as a brute." Consequently, Lord Salisbury , the Secretary of State for India , issued new guidance and at least one resident was removed from office. He returned to England on 11 May 1876, after stopping off at Portugal. At
19803-401: The spoken language. Globally, countries that are former British colonies or members of the Commonwealth tend to follow British English, as is the case for English used by European Union institutions. In China, both British English and American English are taught. The UK government actively teaches and promotes English around the world and operates in over 200 countries . English is
19964-566: The statesman's son, Home Secretary Herbert Gladstone , angered the King by planning to permit Roman Catholic priests in vestments to carry the Host through the streets of London, and by appointing two ladies, Lady Frances Balfour and May Tennant (wife of H. J. Tennant ), to serve on a Royal Commission on reforming divorce law—Edward thought divorce could not be discussed with "delicacy or even decency" before ladies. Edward's biographer Philip Magnus-Allcroft suggests that Gladstone may have become
20125-531: The suit in cloth, and have four to six buttons. Double-breasted waistcoats are rare compared to single but are more commonly seen in morning dress . These may either match the colour of the morning coat or be in a contrasting colour, commonly buff , dove gray , or powder blue . The waistcoats worn with white- and black- tie are different from standard daytime single-breasted waistcoats, being much lower in cut (with three buttons or four buttons, where all are fastened). The much larger expanse of shirt compared to
20286-489: The tensions between Germany and Britain. In April 1908, during Edward's annual stay at Biarritz, he accepted the resignation of British Prime Minister Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman . In a break with precedent, Edward asked Campbell-Bannerman's successor, H. H. Asquith , to travel to Biarritz to kiss hands . Asquith complied, but the press criticised the action of the King in appointing a prime minister on foreign soil instead of returning to Britain. In June 1908, Edward became
20447-612: The term of Parliament from seven years to five (the King would have preferred four ). But in that debate Asquith hinted—to ensure the support of the nationalist MPs—that he would ask the King to break the deadlock "in that Parliament" (i.e. contrary to Edward's earlier stipulation that there be a second election). The budget was passed by both Commons and Lords in April. By April, the Palace was having secret talks with Balfour and Randall Davidson , Archbishop of Canterbury, who both advised that
20608-603: The theft of work tools worth £500 from a van at the Sprucefield park and ride car park in Lisburn. A football team can be treated likewise: Arsenal have lost just one of 20 home Premier League matches against Manchester City. This tendency can be observed in texts produced already in the 19th century. For example, Jane Austen , a British author, writes in Chapter 4 of Pride and Prejudice , published in 1813: All
20769-456: The time of the coining, tailors cut men's formal coats well below the waist (as with dress coats ). An alternative theory is that, as material was left over from the tailoring of a two-piece suit, it was fashioned into a "waste-coat" to avoid that material being wasted, although recent academic debate has cast doubt on this theory. During the 17th century, troops of the regular army – and to some degree also local militia – wore waistcoats which were
20930-556: The title between 26 July 1958 and 8 September 2022 (64 years, 44 days). As king, Edward VII proved a greater success than anyone had expected, but he was already past the average life expectancy and had little time left to fulfil the role. In his short reign, he ensured that his second son and heir, George V , was better prepared to take the throne. Contemporaries described their relationship as more like affectionate brothers than father and son, and on Edward's death George wrote in his diary that he had lost his "best friend and
21091-515: The torso. Toward the end of the century, the Edwardian look made a larger physique more popular—King Edward VII having a large figure. Waistcoats are popular within the indie and steampunk subcultures in the United States. Vests are often worn both open or closed, over dress shirts and even t-shirts . Non-formal types of waistcoat have been used in workers uniforms, such as at Walmart prior to 2007, and as high-visibility clothing (usually
21252-403: The traditional accent of Newcastle upon Tyne , 'out' will sound as 'oot', and in parts of Scotland and North-West England, 'my' will be pronounced as 'me'. Long vowels /iː/ and /uː/ are diphthongised to [ɪi] and [ʊu] respectively (or, more technically, [ʏʉ], with a raised tongue), so that ee and oo in feed and food are pronounced with a movement. The diphthong [oʊ] is also pronounced with
21413-412: The turn of the century, the waistcoat became shorter, ending just below the waistline, allowing the breeches to stick out. When the weather was cold men often would wear more than one waistcoat to stay warm. As time went on, the vest that matched the coat and trousers was worn for formal wear while a vest of different type or fabric acted as a more casual mode of contrasting dress. Nearly halfway through
21574-578: The two Houses over Irish disestablishment in 1869 and the Third Reform Act in 1884. On Asquith's advice, however, he did not offer them an election (at which, to judge from recent by-elections, they were likely to gain seats) as a reward for doing so. The Finance Bill passed the Commons on 5 November 1909, but was rejected by the Lords on 30 November; they instead passed a resolution of Lord Lansdowne's stating that they were entitled to oppose
21735-438: The two men was irreversibly damaged, and their bitterness would last for the remainder of their lives. Usually, Edward's outbursts of temper were short-lived, and "after he had let himself go ... [he would] smooth matters by being especially nice". In late 1891, Edward's eldest son, Albert Victor , was engaged to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck . Just a few weeks later, in early 1892, Albert Victor died of pneumonia. Edward
21896-750: The varied origins of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. One of these dialects, Late West Saxon , eventually came to dominate. The original Old English was then influenced by two waves of invasion: the first was by speakers of the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic family, who settled in parts of Britain in the eighth and ninth centuries; the second was the Normans in the 11th century, who spoke Old Norman and ultimately developed an English variety of this called Anglo-Norman . These two invasions caused English to become "mixed" to some degree (though it
22057-478: The vest at its introduction by Charles II was: buttons very closely sewn together, arranged in two rows, lining the front body of the vest, visible underneath a wide-open coat face. The vest was only popular for about seven years after its introduction by Charles; the king soon reverted to French styles. While the vest died out in elite city spaces, it lingered on in the provinces. In 1678 it was reintroduced throughout Europe, attaining high-fashion status again. After
22218-424: The waistcoat can be worn either in the place of, or underneath, a larger coat, dependent upon the weather, wearer, and setting. Daytime formal wear and semi-formal wear commonly comprises a contrastingly coloured waistcoat, such as in buff or dove gray , still seen in morning dress and black lounge suit . For white tie and black tie , it is traditionally white or black, respectively. The term waistcoat
22379-568: The world are good and agreeable in your eyes. However, in Chapter 16, the grammatical number is used. The world is blinded by his fortune and consequence. Some dialects of British English use negative concords, also known as double negatives . Rather than changing a word or using a positive, words like nobody, not, nothing, and never would be used in the same sentence. While this does not occur in Standard English, it does occur in non-standard dialects. The double negation follows
22540-545: Was also hampered by the extensive destruction of Edward's personal papers; Edward had left orders that all his letters should be burned on his death. Subsequent biographers have been able to construct a more rounded picture of Edward by using material and sources that were unavailable to Lee. Historian R. C. K. Ensor , writing in 1936, praised the King's political personality: ...he had in many respects great natural ability. He knew how to be both dignified and charming; he had an excellent memory; and his tact in handling people
22701-417: Was an enthusiastic hunter. He ordered all the clocks at Sandringham to run half an hour ahead to provide more daylight time for shooting. This tradition of so-called Sandringham time continued until 1936, when it was abolished by Edward VIII . He also laid out a golf course at Windsor. By the 1870s Edward had taken a keen interest in horseracing and steeplechasing. In 1896, his horse Persimmon won both
22862-485: Was aware of his affairs, and seems to have accepted them. In 1869, Sir Charles Mordaunt , a British Member of Parliament , threatened to name Edward as co-respondent in his divorce suit. Ultimately, he did not do so but Edward was called as a witness in the case in early 1870. It was shown that Edward had visited the Mordaunts' house while Sir Charles was away sitting in the House of Commons . Although nothing further
23023-471: Was both his nephew and his son-in-law; kings Frederick VIII of Denmark and George I of Greece were his brothers-in-law; kings Albert I of Belgium , Ferdinand I of Bulgaria , and Carlos I and Manuel II of Portugal were his second cousins. Edward doted on his grandchildren, and indulged them, to the consternation of their governesses. However, there was one relation whom Edward did not like: Wilhelm II. His difficult relationship with his nephew exacerbated
23184-560: Was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 8 December 1841, Earl of Dublin on 17 January 1850, a Knight of the Garter on 9 November 1858, and a Knight of the Thistle on 24 May 1867. In 1863, he renounced his succession rights to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in favour of his younger brother Alfred . The Queen and Prince Albert were determined that their eldest son should have an education that would prepare him to be
23345-464: Was forced to appear as a witness in court for a second time when one of the participants unsuccessfully sued his fellow players for slander after being accused of cheating. In the same year Edward was involved in a personal conflict, when Lord Charles Beresford threatened to reveal details of Edward's private life to the press, as a protest against Edward interfering with Beresford's affair with Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick . The friendship between
23506-401: Was generally not treated operatively. It carried a high mortality rate, but developments in anaesthesia and antisepsis in the preceding 50 years made life-saving surgery possible. Sir Frederick Treves , with the support of Lord Lister , performed a then-radical operation of draining a pint of pus from the infected abscess through an incision in the king's abdomen; this outcome showed that
23667-478: Was greeted with almost universal relief. Public celebrations included the composition of Arthur Sullivan 's Festival Te Deum . Edward cultivated politicians from all parties, including republicans, as his friends, and thereby largely dissipated any residual feelings against him. On 26 September 1875, Edward set off for India on an extensive eight-month tour; on the way, he visited Malta, Brindisi and Greece. His advisors remarked on his habit of treating all people
23828-524: Was grief-stricken. "To lose our eldest son", he wrote, "is one of those calamities one can never really get over". Edward told the Queen, "[I would] have given my life for him, as I put no value on mine". Albert Victor was the second of Edward's children to die. In 1871, his youngest son, Alexander John, had died just 24 hours after being born. Edward had insisted on placing Alexander John in a coffin personally with "the tears rolling down his cheeks". On his way to Denmark through Belgium on 4 April 1900, Edward
23989-539: Was hidden in the camp by his fellow officers. Albert, though ill, was appalled and visited Edward at Cambridge to issue a reprimand. Albert died in December 1861, just two weeks after the visit. The Queen was inconsolable, wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life and blamed Edward for his father's death. At first, she regarded her son with distaste as frivolous, indiscreet and irresponsible. She wrote to her eldest daughter, "I never can, or shall, look at him without
24150-485: Was in fact the most popular king England had known since the earlier 1660s." Edward donated his parents' house, Osborne on the Isle of Wight , to the state and continued to live at Sandringham. He could afford to be magnanimous; his private secretary, Sir Francis Knollys , claimed that he was the first heir to succeed to the throne in credit. Edward's finances had been ably managed by Sir Dighton Probyn , Comptroller of
24311-701: Was in two minds as to whether it was a suitable match, given the political climate. After the marriage, she expressed anxiety about their socialite lifestyle and attempted to dictate to them on various matters, including the names of their children. Edward had mistresses throughout his married life. He socialised with actress Lillie Langtry ; Lady Randolph Churchill ; Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick ; actress Sarah Bernhardt ; noblewoman Lady Susan Vane-Tempest ; singer Hortense Schneider ; prostitute Giulia Beneni (known as "La Barucci"); wealthy humanitarian Agnes Keyser ; and Alice Keppel . At least fifty-five liaisons are conjectured. How far these relationships went
24472-522: Was largely excluded from political influence and came to personify the fashionable, leisured elite. He married Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863, and the couple had six children. As Prince of Wales, Edward travelled throughout Britain performing ceremonial public duties and represented Britain on visits abroad. His tours of North America in 1860 and of the Indian subcontinent in 1875 proved popular successes, but despite public approval, his reputation as
24633-452: Was made in line with the pockets for this use. A bar on the end of the chain held it in place to catch the chain if it were dropped or pulled. Wearing a belt with a waistcoat, and indeed any suit, is not traditional. To give a more comfortable hang to the trousers, the waistcoat instead covers a pair of braces underneath it. A custom still sometimes practised is to leave the bottom button undone. Several explanations are popularly given for
24794-425: Was named Albert after his father and Edward after his maternal grandfather, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn . He was known as Bertie to the royal family throughout his life. As the eldest son of the British sovereign, Edward was automatically Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at birth. As a son of Prince Albert, he also held the titles of Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Saxony . He
24955-422: Was never a truly mixed language in the strictest sense of the word; mixed languages arise from the cohabitation of speakers of different languages, who develop a hybrid tongue for basic communication). The more idiomatic, concrete and descriptive English is, the more it is from Anglo-Saxon origins. The more intellectual and abstract English is, the more it contains Latin and French influences, e.g. swine (like
25116-424: Was popularly called "Peacemaker", but his relationship with his nephew, German Emperor Wilhelm II , was poor. The Edwardian era , which covered Edward's reign and was named after him, coincided with the start of a new century and heralded significant changes in technology and society, including steam turbine propulsion and the rise of socialism . Edward died in 1910 in the midst of a constitutional crisis that
25277-543: Was proven and Edward denied he had committed adultery , the suggestion of impropriety was damaging. During his mother's widowhood, Edward pioneered the idea of royal public appearances as they are understood today—for example, opening the Thames Embankment in 1871, the Mersey Railway Tunnel in 1886, and Tower Bridge in 1894 —but his mother did not allow him an active role in the running of
25438-472: Was quite exceptional. He had a store of varied, though unsystematized, knowledge gathered at first-hand through talking to all sorts of eminent men. His tastes were not particularly elevated, but they were thoroughly English; and he showed much (though not unfailing) comprehension for the common instincts of the people over whom he reigned. This was not the less remarkable because, though a good linguist in French and German, he never learned to speak English without
25599-608: Was rarely interested in politics, although his views on some issues were notably progressive for the time. During his reign, he said use of the word nigger was "disgraceful", despite it then being in common parlance. In 1904, Wilhelm II and Edward met during an Anglo-German summit in Kiel . Wilhelm, with the Russo-Japanese War in mind, started to go on about the " Yellow Peril ", which he called "the greatest peril menacing ... Christendom and European civilisation . If
25760-534: Was resolved the following year by the Parliament Act 1911 , which restricted the power of the unelected House of Lords . Edward was succeeded by his only surviving son, George V . Edward was born on 9 November 1841 in Buckingham Palace . He was the eldest son and second child of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . He was christened Albert Edward at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle , on 25 January 1842. He
25921-582: Was the victim of an attempted assassination when 15-year-old Jean-Baptiste Sipido shot at him in protest over the Second Boer War . The culprit was acquitted by a Belgian court because he was underage. The perceived laxity of the Belgian authorities, combined with British disgust at Belgian atrocities in the Congo , worsened the already poor relations between the United Kingdom and the Continent. However, in
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