Deadly revelations come to screen in ‘A History of Royal Scandals’

Best on the Box choice for October 29th…

A shocking new Channel 4 series airing tonight (Tuesday 29th October) is set to explore the death of King George V in 1936 – which, half a century later, was revealed by the press to have been caused by a lethal injection administered by his physician, Lord Dawson of Penn.

Having never fully recovered from a serious case of septicemia in 1928, the King had grown gradually weaker, and by 20 January 1936, was close to death. Late that evening, he slipped away, with his eldest son, Edward VIII, succeeding him on the throne.

But as the new series of A History of Royal Scandals reveals, Dr. Dawson admitted in his private diary – made public after his own death in 1986 – that he ended the King’s life with a fatal dose of cocaine and morphine.

Historian Jen Kavanagh tells the programme: “Dr. Dawson, it transpires, was a supporter of what was deemed ‘gentle euthanasia’ – so he believed that a doctor could make a decision to ease the end of a patient’s life.”

Kavanagh adds that extracts from Dr. Dawson’s diary which are available online are “very revealing in terms of giving a lot of detail about the fact that he had administered a lethal injection to the King which, effectively, did shorten his life.”

After reading Dr. Dawson’s diary entry, in which he admits he “decided to determine the end”, historian Suzannah Lipscomb, who presents the series, says: “We have intent to kill written down here, and if it’s premeditated, then that’s further evidence that this was not an accident.”

A History of Royal Scandals: Suzannah Lipscomb and Jen Kavanagh / STV Studios / Channel 4

Summarising the scandal, Lipscomb adds: “Assisted dying remains a hotly debated topic today, and there is no doubt that Dr. Dawson was acting with the best of intentions.

“But it seems to me there’s a crucial distinction between what happened in 1936 and discussions about legalising euthanasia now, and it is this: Dr. Dawson acted without the knowledge or consent of his patient. At best, it was manslaughter; at worst, it was murder – and given that his patient was the King, it also constituted high treason. In the 1930s, both charges carried the death penalty.” 

King George V was known to have a close relationship with his eldest granddaughter Princess Elizabeth (later, Queen Elizabeth II), famously giving her the affectionate nickname, “Lilibet“.

Six-part series A History of Royal Scandals sees award-winning historian and presenter, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, delve deep into Britain’s extensive regal history to reveal more about the scandals we think we already know, and perhaps uncover some shocking new ones along the way.

In a year when speculation about the private lives of the current Royal Family has reached fever pitch, Suzannah discovers that intrigue and fascination about what goes on behind palace gates is certainly no modern phenomenon.

The first episode focuses on royal murders, and as well as King George V’s death, it seeks to find out if the infamous disappearance of the Princes in the Tower was a murder or an attempt to discredit an overthrown king, and if William the Conqueror‘s son really was killed by his brother in the New Forest.

A History of Royal Scandals begins on More4 and Channel 4 Streaming at 9pm on Tuesday 29 October.