King George V was euthanized by a lethal dose of morphine and cocaine to prevent suffering, documentary claims
A new documentary has claimed that the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth died after his doctor euthanized him with a lethal dose of morphine and cocaine. The shocking detail came from the Channel 5 documentary, ‘George V: The Tyrant King’, which explores the life of the monarch. It also provides details on how the grandson of Queen Victoria was cruel and demanding in private circles, despite maintaining a pleasant image before the public.
The exact cause of death of George V was kept secret for 50 years until his doctor Lord Dawson’s diary entries were released in 1986. The new documentary reaffirms the reason behind the former king’s death. “At about 11 o'clock, it was evident that the last stage might endure for many hours, I therefore decided to determine the end and injected three-quarters gram of morphia (morphine) and shortly afterwards one gram of cocaine into the distended juglar vein,” Dawson wrote in the diary.
The doctor’s motive behind the killing was also explained in the documentary as a royal expert and biographer Angela Levin said in the program: “He also manipulated it so that he would die just before midnight so that his death would make the front page of The Times, which was the king's favorite paper. There's been this argument about whether it was murder or euthanasia, if you look at it objectively it was a huge decision to make to kill a king without absolute authority, it's a very dark but interesting mystery.”
While royal expert Ingrid Stewart added, “He fell ill with a cold and after five days he was bedridden, he was obviously going. People are saying in effect he killed the king, it's a very controversial debate these days, the medical team certainly had more power than they do today.”
The Queen's former spokesperson, Dickie Arbiter, also spoke about George V’s death. “Mary [his wife], is certainly not someone who could condone euthanasia she was highly religious and she said one thing or another, she let her feeling be known. Was it the right thing to do? It's not for us to judge. Would the King have survived? Probably not. Would he have suffered? Undoubtedly yes,” he said.
In addition, reports have claimed that diaries revealing how George V got a dragon and a tiger tattooed on his arms during a visit to Japan as a teenager will also become a part of a new exhibition at Buckingham Palace, set to be on display in 2022. ‘Japan: Courts and Culture’ was earlier scheduled to be on display in summer but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was postponed for next year. It details the story of the diplomatic, artistic, and cultural exchanges between Britain and Japan from the monarchy of James I to Queen Elizabeth II.
George V has also written in a diary, the facsimile copy of which will also be on display, that he was tattooed with a “large dragon in blue and red writhing all down the arm”. “We have spent a very pleasant week on shore up at Nara & Kioto (sic), we saw a great deal in the time but we were not long enough, it was too hurried. Nearly every body on board has been tattooed. I have got a dragon on one arm done at Tokio (sic) & a tiger on the other arm done at Kioto (sic),” he entered.