On May 6, 1935, King George V and Queen Mary celebrated their Silver Jubilee, marking twenty-five years of their tenure on the throne. As the public gathered to honor their King and Queen, few were aware just how ill the King really was. He had suffered from poor health off and on since 1925 and by the time of his Silver Jubilee his breathing had become so labored that he was frequently administered oxygen in the privacy of the Royal Apartments.
By Christmas of 1935, George had taken a turn for the worse and fifteen days into 1936, he retreated to his bedroom, never to emerge alive. He was frequently visited by family and friends who watched as the once vital man drifted in and out of consciousness. Prime Minister Baldwin commented, “each time he became conscious it was some kind inquiry or kind observation of someone, some words of gratitude for kindness shown. But he did say to his secretary when he sent for him: ‘How is the Empire?’ An unusual phrase in that form, and the secretary said: ‘All is well, sir, with the Empire,’ and the King gave him a smile and relapsed once more into unconsciousness.”
This commemorative mug records the love that the “Empire” felt for their King and Queen. Handsome portraits of the two in their crowns are set above a banner which shows the dates of their tenure. On the revese, another banner reads, “Long May They Reign.” While George V’s reign was not to last much longer, Queen Mary, as the Queen Mother, continued to have a dramatic influence on both her family and her beloved countries until her death in 1953.
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