The Death of King George V: A Royal Murder Mystery

Just before midnight on January 20, 1936, King George V died at Sandringham, in Norfolk, England. The scandal of King George V’s reign would not be revealed publicly until 1986, in the diary of his physician, Lord Bertrand Dawson. Dawson had written about the night of January 20, detailing that he had injected the king with a lethal concoction of morphine and cocaine, intending to both grant the king a painless death and to guarantee that his passing would be announced in the morning papers rather than the evening journals.

Jane Ridley is a historian, author and broadcaster who teaches Modern History at the University of Buckingham. Jane joins Dan on this episode of the podcast to discuss who King George V was, the major events of his reign, and the injection that resulted in the king’s death - an act alternately referred to as “euthanasia,” medically assisted suicide or murder.

If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.

We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.