The Man Who 'Killed' King George V - Murder or Mercy? 

Thank you for watching! For those that may be wondering about the red patches on my face... In the past I have had several brushes with skin cancer. I'm FINE! - However, I occasionally have to use an acidic cream to remove blotches and marks before they turn cancerous. This process leaves my complexion... a little rosier than usual! Once again though I am 100% okay, and I encourage you all to use sunblock. :)

It is believed that Dawson may also have euthanased King George V sister, Queen Maud of Norway in 1938 whilst she was visiting England. Officially, her death is recorded as congestive heart failure, however, she was under the care of Dawson at the time of her death. Dawson's correspondence with a Norwegian colleague read, "When reading you will agree that the Queen’s sudden death was a relief and which saved her from these last painful stages of the disease both you and I know only too well.” Although this is purely circumstantial Dawson did have 'form' in this arena.

Wow... the late King knew Queen Elizabeth II had what it took to become a splendid monarch even in her childhood.

Dawson may have been seeking to end the King's suffering but without consent, it has to be viewed as murder.

I work in hospice and am dismayed by the lack of knowledge and understanding posted here of what end of life is like for those who are dying. Hospice does NOT hasten anyone’s demise. Morphine is administered in sometimes slightly increased dose to provide comfort only. Also, no one is dying of starvation or thirst. The truth is at end of life the body’s organs cannot process food and water. As the body shuts down, we lose the ability to even swallow. If the patient can respond at all, they will deny food or water. Sponge swabs are used to moisten the mouth for comfort. I feel badly that some people are not given the proper education to understand end of life. Always ask the hospice team questions if you are concerned about what is going on.

The Queen in my opinion would have never spoken of her feelings about such a personnel matter. She was far to honorable and respectful of her roll as Queen to allow such a thing into the public sphere. I don't think there is any question that without consent, it is in fact murder. From one horseman to the Queen and also an avid horsewoman. God bless the Queen and may she ride tall in heaven.

A family I’m good friends with had a parallel situation when the father fell ill during the first year of COVID while they were living abroad; due to complications he went into what was essentially a coma. According to one of the adult children, they caught the overloaded staff of the hospital (which is in a huge city) quietly euthanizing patients they deemed “beyond help” because the situation was just so devastating that they needed hospital beds for those they might be able to save. In a panic, the family moved the father to a private hospice clinic and he regained consciousness long enough to beg them bring him back home. While he did eventually pass a few weeks later, it was on his terms: in his home country, in his own house that he’d raised his family in, and he was buried in native soil. Allegedly he’d talked about euthanasia with his wife in the past but eventually decided he wasn’t personally in favor of it due to religious reasons, and that’s how it should be: fully informed consent or denial, not being drugged on your deathbed against your will.

Glad to see a new video, but when George V changed the family name to Windsor in WWI, it had been the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (from Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband), not Hanover.

This story is chilling now matter how many times I hear it. And it happened to a king no less!

This was really common until quite recently; when my grandfather was on his deathbed in the early 1970s the doctor gave him an overdose of morphine (with his childrens' permission). I think it became harder for doctors to do that once more people died in hospitals instead of at home

According to his last words, he was not in favor of shortening his life because of pain. Sounds like murder to me.

I heard this story on another channel over a year ago and was shocked by the audacity of the doctor. As for the Queen's feelings, I can only say that I would be furious if this happened to my dear, gentlemanly grandfather. However, seeing that Dawson was dead, she would have avoided the scandalous publicity.

Great to see you back with us sorely missed but glad you're back with another intriguing tale 😀

Harold Shipman sprang unto my mind when watching this. Dawson's belief that decisions around euthanasia should be left to individual physicians is worrying. I wonder how many other doctors at the time held this view. It's scary that simply because he held a medical degree he thought he, and others, had the right to make decisions about his patients' lives and deaths.

Dawson murdered the king, plain and simple. He had no authority to do what he did.

This is a fascinating story for me as a British historian living in DC. Thanks for putting your indubitable spin on this tale. Glad you're back and hope you had wonderful hols!

When I was a kid my Grandfather made us all stand for the Queen's Xmas message, saying "Her Majesty is speaking, stand up!" Everyone did, except Dad, who was an Irishman and wouldn't stand up for the British crown.

I have seen stories in my own local news about people choosing to end their own suffering with medical help. But in both cases, the patients knew what was ahead of them and wanted to die with a degree of dignity and as painlessly as possible. One was a young woman in her late twenties who had an aggressive form of brain cancer. She petitioned the courts to be allowed to end her own life with pharmaceutical help before she was reduced to violent, painful seizures and only surviving in a medically induced coma hooked up to every machine in the hospital. She finally won her petition and a doctor was allowed to prescribe her a lethal cocktail of pills. The condition was that no one else could put them in her mouth and she had to swallow them herself. This was all in writing. When the time came, she was surrounded by her husband of only a couple years and her family. She said her goodbyes and the held her hands and told her how much they all loved her as she slipped away. This is the only way that human euthanasia is acceptable to me. It’s the patient’s choice and request after much consideration. What Dr. Daws did to His Majesty was deplorable and definitely murder.

I think Penn was being humane . As a doctor myself I would imagine that the King , suffering from respiratory failure would have been strenuously gasping for breath . He may have been over vigorous in his dosing schedule but the King would indeed have passed away peacefully and painlessly . Concerning the legalities of the affair , well that is another matter . As an aside , his counsellors had tried to rally him by saying he would yet again be fit to visit Bognor Regis to which George muttered "Bugger Bognor" ! Apparently the Empire was reduced to the confines of his death room and Bognor . Very well researched and informative . Thank you .

In the late 90s I was studying to become a paralegal and we had to do a research paper on a legal topic of our choice. I did mine on whether euthanasia should be made legal in the U.S. I went into it thinking that it probably should b/c I believe every rational adult should have the option to make their own end of life decisions, but changed my mind after reading a study where nurses and doctors were asked to anonymously self-report if they'd ever euthanized a patient and discovered that it happens more often than most of us would ever think AND that the overwhelming majority of these Dr's/RNs had made the decision to OD the patient on their own without the patient's knowledge or consent. I'm definitely not OK with that so, yeah, this was murder.

Fun fact: rabid imperialist Rudyard Kipling died two weeks after the king. The London Times announced 'the king has died and taken his trumpeteer with him.'

I am so sorry that George V wasnt allow to die when he was supposed to. He did not consent to it. The doctor had no right to take that decision without George's consent. George was iII, true, but he wasnt in pain

Sometimes the throne can be a cage.

Sometimes you can do the right thing for the right reasons but still be wrong.

I am torn. I personally feel that monarchies are inherently unethical, as many kinds of governments are. But he sounds like a very kind king, and it breaks my heart that he passed in such a way. Thank you for sharing!

Very interesting video, thank you. King George V sounds a wonderful person, standing up for the workers. Its very true the people who get huge wages should try living on the low income workers.

I work in healthcare for 40 years it is important to get the patient's consent but I do believe if the patient is terminal and they consent to end their suffering but it is the patient's right

Omg. This was crazy. Btw..I have had my fair share of dealing with skin cancer. I actually have had several surgeries on my legs and am proud of my scars, as they remind me of how my dermatologist literally saved my life. 💜

If he made the king die without any of his family members' knowledge and also against what the king wants, that is murder. Ps, Thank you for the explaining the red patch under your left eye. Take care, Paul, and don't push yourself too hard. If you need to rest, rest up. I can always wait.

Why in the world would a doctor care if the King's death would run in the morning papers? He wouldn't.....but the palace would.

When one is put into a position of power,sometimes compassion is used as an excuse.

In 1931 the King forwent £50k (over £4million in today's money) to help out the public. In 2022/23 they royals spent Billions on a funeral and coronation during a cost of living crisis. Shame they didn't inherit the attitude of their forefather.

Well I never... Thank you for all those facinating facts and stories! Always a pleasure to listen to.

I find it always morally difficult to judge in such cases. On the one hand: if death was inevitable and nothing but suffering is 99 % certain: i can understand why someone would do this. But on the other hand: if the patient never even indicated to be ok with such a decision...it feels wrong all the same. Without consent, or even clear hints to proclaim will to not suffer, the patient may have very much wanted to fight tooth and nail till his last breath. Reminds me again why it is so crucial to write pda for relatives an doctors so that in case i can't express my will anymore , there is at least something written down they have as an orientation. Very interesting case. I didn't know about this. Law-wise it is clear and i agree: no consent given equals murder in this case.

YESSSSS! Paul is back! Happy New Year my friend, so glad to see you!

So good to hear your well again ❤ as always another fantastic story ❤️

Happy New Year Paul. Great to hear your precise and expressive tones again. Looking forward to the new year and the new stories ahead...

Glad your back. Been rewatching older content to get my fix 😂 xx

0:18 ❤I adore QE2 . She may be gone, but she will never be forgotten!❤

King George V was so handsome, I love him so much.

Thank you for telling these stories. As an American, I have affection for the British, and not just because of Monty Python. He might have thought he was doing what was best, but he murdured the king. When we die is not our choice, but God's

I will NEVER be able to get over how similar George and Nicholas look even though they were only cousins. They look more alike than my partner and his IDENTICAL TWIN brother! Perhaps that’s bc of all the European royal family inbreeding… I suppose it’s more likely for them to look similar with a very small gene pool 😬

Welcome back, you have been missed. This has been reported on before, but your coverage was quite interesting.

It is murder if the king did not ask for it

I never knew this! Great story Paul! It was a horrible, dastardly move to make of this Dawson fellow! How dare anyone else decide whether a life can linger or to end it! Doctor, or not! But it's what they do nowadays too... Further, the likeness between KG V, others, and Czar Nicholas ll is unmistakable! Now there's an in-depth story to tell us...the last of the Russian Czars & his family.

This was a fascinating episode!

I doubt she was happy about her grandfather's murder, however as a royal, she would not allow things that are spoken privately to be aired in public.

I would think that being the patient of a doctor who is an outspoken supporter of euthanasia would be very unsettling!

My late mother was a nurse. She said that doctors did this all the time in palliative care. It was common practice to increase pain relief to end the life of patients in terrible pain and it still goes on. However if it stops the patient and family saying their goodbyes then it’s unfair. This happened when my Dad was dying. He wasn’t in pain so why it was done I don’t know. It has left me bereft especially since I wasn’t there to hold his hand in his last hours.

Thanks for the upload on a second consecutive snow day! Time for some shepherd's pie for dinner!

Palliative care is end of life care that is most often used in the administering of morphine. A saline drip is applied to keep organs most but the patient is completely unaware that they are being shut down. I have lived this experience with my mother when told by doctors that there was nothing they could do and put my mother in isolation and started the above treatment. As her power of attorney I demanded they take her off the morphine and she rallied around and was just fine albeit hungry. I requested food for her and she ate enthusiastically, as it had been many days with no food just the drip. I left for the night and received at call at 10:30am the next morning that mother had passed. Weeks later I asked a friend who cared for my mother ( a nurse ) prior to going to palliative care if they had put my mother too sleep…. She said yes. It becomes an administrative decision as bed space in the hospital is so limited. From my experience I suggest if possible bring your loved one home and get outside public nursing care and if the time comes that morphine will ease the pain of passing at least you are with them.

That's terrifying! I can't imagine a doctor deciding such a thing without anyone else's consent. Thats entirely too much power.

I wouldn’t put it past Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor to conspire with the doctor and give the king a push into the next world. The more I learn about him, the less I like him. I’d like to recommend the book “King, Kaiser, Tsar” by Catrine Clay. Informative history and a really good read.

Well, I never knew about this channel until now. Excellent voice, style and just what is needed to wind down. More like this, please!

I'm so glad to have you back!! Also, I'm glad you took some time for yourselves. Cheers to a fabulous 2024! 🥂

great to see you again. love your style.

How have I never learned about this man? He sounds like he was a genuinely good person- kind, humble, wise, and practical. He seems to have taken his position seriously, and to have placed the good of his country above his own interests. I realise it may have just been a case of good PR…but still.

Interesting. The question goes "Qui Bono?" Sure, we could say that his son wanted the throne, but there's more to it. He was shown to be more of a populist king, which might anger some, and since he would be far more cynical about a certain German chancellor at the time, that it might be a political coup to get someone far more sympathetic. After all, the royal family had, and continued to have German connections. I can imagine that there were some royals that weren't too keen on splitting from Germany. After all, the Windsors do have a history of turning on national allies, often in favour of Germany.

It is still happening today..my sister was put down like a dog.

Anyone who has ever had a loved one with a terminal illness in the uk will tell you that this is still a standard practice to this day. Palliative care is built upon the management of pain and eventual death and is not in any way murderous. It’s unfortunate that videos like this demonise what is actually the last caring procedure that physicians and nursing staff can carry out for dying patients.

Nice to have you back, and thanks for this Vlog. Stay well and all the best. A UK fan 👍.......

More wonderful content, thank you Paul 😊

Glad you're back. This was very interesting.

Well I never! I was blown away with this story! Keep 'em coming!! 😊

That's how John Belushi died. I believe the junkies call it a "speedball".

Very interesting as per usual...if the king hadn't requested a hastening then it wasn't the right thing to do beyond basic alleviation of suffering - I speak as someone who nursed a family member in their end of life.

Thanks Paul. Brilliant Video. Glad You're Okay 👍.

Well, I never……. knew about this. The biggest stain on the king was not fighting for the saving of the Romanovs, who were brutally murdered. He definitely decided to turn his back on those poor souls for the sake of keeping up appearances.

Would you do a story on the "White Hurricane "of 1913? It's one of the deadliest maritime weather disasters, dozens of ship list or sunk amidst the Great lakes. Just an idea, one I would like to hear more about😊🙃

Excellent as always Mr Paul

I’m a nurse and I remember.for ethics lessons this subject not the king but euthanasia was always a subject of debate For me the kings words sound more damning than anything His is the monarch and like anyone even when ill want to be in control of their own body by administering the medication the king knew what was to come next drowsiness and lack of control along with other side effects he most likely did not like the feeling of possibly Times he was unconscious could have been due to the drug rather than his condition which could have been time the king could. have spent with his family and in control which we are now unable to determine it’s time lost Its murder while anyone would not want someone they respect or love to suffer it clearly was not what the king wanted Nor was valid consent obtained and likley against his wishes and the law as far as we are aware love your videos I would love to just be able to go back in time and see how things looked and how they played out your videos make me want to more and more

I've heard a variation on that rhyme It went like this: Bertrand, Lord Dawson of Penn He's killed any number of men And that's why we sing: "Oh God Save The King!" From Bertrand, Lord Dawson of Penn!

That rhyme says it all…..it obviously was known about at the time so I doubt the Queen was surprised

Welcome back and keep your hat on...cheers. Oh and I consider the doctor's actions to be merciful and not murderous.

Fantastic as always. Glad you are well. Such lovely delivery of history.

Thankful they do have the cream that works very effectively and does a rather good job on them. Hope you have a good success rate with it and hopefully some good after cortisone cream

Welcome back!! I’m going to play devils advocate here. This is one that’s going to be lost to time… or maybe the doctor’s journals? I’m not sure if we have access to everything in them, so I’m going with no here. So possible theory: You have a doctor on call, so I’m going to guess you and them are going to be pretty close. King had close calls before apparently? So what would you do, who would you talk to, and who do you trust if you were afraid to die? I’d go to that doctor on call and discuss end of life plans. I know they wouldn’t call it that then, but I could see a king going ‘I almost died, I don’t want to hurt that bad again if I’m not going to live.’ Doc goes ‘You sure your majesty?’ King ‘Yeah, I’m sure’ and that would be that. It would easily cover the final words; King may not have ‘meant’ the original request or did but wanted to change his mind now that he knows what’s happening or just caught on. Could even have been that he wasn’t even in his mind to say anything correctly. Have you been on morphine? It’s great, but trippy!! He might have been talking to the floating blue space squirrel, i don’t think we know. My long side of this is that times were different. If the doctor didn’t have some kind of conversation or something for him to get permission from the King about euthanizing him, then he offed his King. If he thought he was saving him from pain and suffering but had no permission from direct family, he offed his King. If he got anything with approval, a word, conversation, a nod, then he did his job with care to his ability it seems. Royal Families are weird….. Anyway, that’s my devils advocate for the day! Hope you enjoyed reading if you got this far!! ❤❤

Early Harold Shipman 😱

If I were Elizabeth, upon hearing this story, I would have given a lot of thought to who I was using as a physician!

Without consent, it's plainly murder.

I just hope Dawson & King George V had an understanding between them (not written down) that if the King ever got near death and was in devastating pain that Dawson would give him that "special" cocktail to let him go in peace with the least pain possible. The King had known Dawson very personally for many years and obviously trusted him with his life. I believe if King George V was at the point where he knew he could never be well again and was in excruciating pain that he knew was only going to get worse until he would soon die, he may have asked Dawson to do what he did and to please not ever put it in his notes. I truly hope that’s what happened!

Not what I expected. Great story.

This is a great story yet among medical professionals it would cause alot of discussion from right & wrong

Palliative care is far from murder. It's the last kindness a doctor can do for their patient unless specifically told not to

Loved the video as always, but notice you don't look well. Are you OK?

Thank you so much for ,your historical docs. They are very interesting and informative.

Just how many times has and does this happen I often wonder 🤨

I know when my dad was dying, that what they did. He was suffering so terribly they kept giving him meds to quiet him down. I knew what they were doing because I used to work as a nurse. When someone is near the end,it's usually the drugs that push them along. It makes them more comfortable, so no, I don't think it was murder.

Missed you

Was worried about you until I read the note about your treatment. Don't you go anywhere on me. I love the story telling you weave.

What was not mentioned is what condition the king actually suffered that brought the doctor to his side. Was he ill with something more than depression? Was his bronchitis enflamed? Or did Dawson even make note of the illness he chose to end with murder?

3:14 now that's a leader I could follow

Well I guess the royal family did a good job of downplaying this; I never heard this story at all! Ultimately a physician needs to obey the wishes of his patient. Acting to end a person's life without their consent is murder, plain and simple. I don't think there is another way to think about this particular situation because Dawson did it in spite of the king's wishes, not in agreement with them. He murdered him. It must have been horrific for his surviving family to discover what actually happened.

I’ve heard this story about King George. What a terrible thing to do to him!

Excellent speaking voice. Compelling oratory. Cool story.

God Save the King, but not from a murderer physician !! 💔

Just found this channel today. Great video

ending a life without explicit consent is murder, period

I've been a nurse for 41 yrs. All but a yr & a half has been taking care of elderly people in long term care. I think euthanasia is a choice people should legally have. But I also think the law would have to be carefully worded & scrutinized to make sure only those with command of their faculties make the decision. Sound like King George didn't get that choice.

Such a great return Paul. Welcome back to your grand presenting of interesting horrors. I’ll not share an opinion on the King’s death, apart to say God Save the King. 💜