It seems age is nothing when it comes to taking up the Throne. We have already had a look at the youngest monarchs, but who were the oldest Monarchs? I not only found out who they were but also how old they were…
10 – William III (Reigned 1689-1702 and age of accession was 38 yrs)
Wiki Info: William inherited the principality of Orange from his father, William II, who died a week before William’s birth. His mother Mary, Princess Royal, was the daughter of King Charles I of England. In 1677, he married his fifteen-year-old first cousin, Mary, the daughter of his maternal uncle James, Duke of York.
9 – William I (Reigned 1066-1087 and age of accession was 39 yrs)
Wiki Info: William was the son of the unmarried Robert I, Duke of Normandy, by Robert’s mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and his youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy that plagued the first years of his rule.
8 – George VI (Reigned 1936-1952 and age of accession was 40 yrs)
Wiki Info: Known as Albert until his accession, George VI was born in the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria, and was named after his great-grandfather Albert, Prince Consort. As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne and spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Edward.
7 – George II (Reigned 1727-1760 and age of accession was 43 yrs)
Wiki Info: For two centuries after George II’s death, history tended to view him with disdain, concentrating on his mistresses, short temper and boorishness. Since then, most scholars have reassessed his legacy and conclude that he held and exercised influence in foreign policy and military appointments.
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6 – George V (Reigned 1910-1936 and age of accession was 44 yrs)
Wiki Info: He was the second son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), and grandson of the then reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria. From the time of his birth, he was third in the line of succession behind his father and his own elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale.
5 – James II (Reigned 1685-1688 and age of accession was 51 yrs)
Wiki Info: The second surviving son of Charles I, he ascended the throne upon the death of his brother, Charles II. Members of Britain’s Protestant political elite increasingly suspected him of being pro-French and pro-Catholic and of having designs on becoming an absolute monarch.
4 – George I (Reigned 1714-1727 and age of accession was 54 yrs)
Wiki Info: George was born in Hanover and inherited the titles and lands of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg from his father and uncles. A succession of European wars expanded his German domains during his lifetime, and in 1708 he was ratified as prince-elector of Hanover.
3 – George IV (Reigned 1820-1830 and age of accession was 57 yrs)
Wiki Info: George IV led an extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the Regency era. He was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace, and Sir Jeffry Wyattville to rebuild Windsor Castle.
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2 – Edward VII (Reigned 1901-1910 and age of accession was 59 yrs)
Wiki Info: The eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Edward was related to royalty throughout Europe. Before his accession to the throne, he served as heir apparent and held the title of Prince of Wales for longer than any of his predecessors.
1 – William IV (Reigned 1830-1837 and age of accession was 64 yrs)
Wiki Info: William was born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, the son of John William Friso, Prince of Orange, head of the Frisian branch of the House of Orange-Nassau, and of his wife Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel. He was born six weeks after the death of his father.
