The first rule of monarchy is not glitter, ceremonial nor influence. It is survival.
At the height of the Great War, with thrones tottering on all sides, King George V, our first great constitutional monarch, moved decisively to secure his own.
At his command, all his British relatives repudiated German honours, titles and surnames. His own ruling house, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, became Windsor.
He recast the honours system creating the Order of the British Empire for all, regardless of class, who had rendered noted public service.
And on 18 September 1917, at Ibrox Stadium – no less - George personally presented the very first British Empire Medal. To Lizzie Robinson, 21, swamped in khaki overalls. A Cardonald munitions worker, toiling seven days a week, she had not missed a shift in two years.
