Nine Kings 1910 In May 1910, European royalty gathered in London for the funeral of King Edward VII. Among the mourners were nine reigning kings, who were photographed together in what very well may be the only photograph of nine reigning European kings ever taken. Of the nine sovereigns pictured, four would be deposed and one assassinated. Within five years, Britain and Belgium would be at war with Germany and Bulgaria. Only five of the nine monarchies represented still exist today: Norway, Spain (thanks to a restoration after nearly half a century without a king), the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Belgium. Oddly, the four sovereigns whose monarchies would not survive the twentieth century (Bulgaria, Portugal, Germany, and Greece) all stood together. It would not be possible to take a photograph of nine reigning European kings today, as there are only seven kingdoms remaining.
| Country | Sovereign | Born | Reigned | Died | |||||
| Greece | King George I | 24 December | 1845 | 27 June | 1863 | 18 March | 1913 | 18 March | 1913 |
| Spain | King Alfonso XIII | 17 May | 1886 | 17 May | 1886 | 14 April | 1931 | 28 February | 1941 |
| Bulgaria | King Ferdinand I | 26 February | 1861 | 7 July | 1887 | 3 October | 1918 | 10 September | 1948 |
| Germany | Emperor Wilhelm II | 27 January | 1859 | 15 June | 1888 | 18 November | 1918 | 4 June | 1941 |
| Norway | King Haakon VII | 3 August | 1872 | 18 November | 1905 | 21 September | 1957 | 21 September | 1957 |
| Denmark | King Frederik VIII | 3 June | 1843 | 29 January | 1906 | 14 May | 1912 | 14 May | 1912 |
| Portugal | King Manuel II | 19 March | 1889 | 1 February | 1908 | 5 October | 1910 | 2 July | 1932 |
| Belgium | King Albert I | 8 April | 1875 | 23 December | 1909 | 17 February | 1934 | 17 February | 1934 |
| United Kingdom | King George V | 3 June | 1865 | 6 May | 1910 | 20 January | 1936 | 20 January | 1936 |
If the photo were to have been recreated exactly one hundred years later, in May 2010, with all heirs to the nine kings assembled and sitting or standing in the same places, the following individuals would have been required, in most cases no more than two generations removed:
Standing, L-R: King Harald V of Norway (grandson of Haakon VII), King Simeon II of Bulgaria (grandson of Ferdinand I), Dom Duarte Duke of Braganza (third cousin once removed of Manuel II), Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia (great-great-grandson of Wilhelm II), King Constantine II of Greece (great-grandson of George I), King Albert II of Belgium (grandson of Albert I). Seated, L-R: King Juan Carlos I of Spain (grandson of Alfonso XIII), Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (granddaughter of George V), Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (great-granddaughter of Frederik VIII).
The Nine Kings’ Heirs a Century Later, in order of seniority:
| Country | Sovereign (or Claimant) | Born | Reign(ed) (or Inherited Claim) | Died | |||||
| Bulgaria | King Simeon II | 16 June | 1937 | 28 August | 1943 | 15 September | 1946 | ||
| United Kingdom | Queen Elizabeth II | 21 April | 1926 | 6 February | 1952 | 8 September | 2022 | 8 September | 2022 |
| Greece | King Constantine II | 6 June | 1940 | 6 March | 1964 | 1 June | 1973 | 10 January | 2023 |
| Denmark | Queen Margrethe II | 16 April | 1940 | 14 January | 1972 | 14 January | 2024 | ||
| Spain | King Juan Carlos I | 5 January | 1938 | 22 November | 1975 | 19 June | 2014 | ||
| Portugal | Dom Duarte, Duke of Braganza | 14 May | 1945 | 24 December | 1976 | ||||
| Norway | King Harald V | 21 February | 1937 | 17 January | 1991 | ||||
| Belgium | King Albert II | 6 June | 1934 | 9 August | 1993 | 21 July | 2013 | ||
| Germany | Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia | 10 June | 1976 | 25 September | 1994 | ||||
The Men’s Seating Plan for a Dinner hosted by HM King George V at Buckingham Palace on May 19, 1910, for world leaders gathered in London for the Funeral of the late King Edward VII.
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Prince Louis of Battenberg (1854-1921) Alexander, Duke of Fife (1849-1912) Adolphus, Duke of Teck (1868-1927)
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| Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein (1869-1931)Prince Christopher of Greece (1888-1940)Gaston, Count of Eu (1842-1922)Prince Danilo of Montenegro (1871-1939)Prince Johann Georg of Saxony (1869-1938)Prince George of Cumberland (1880-1912)Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)Prince Henry of Prussia (1862-1929)Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia (1888-1934)Crown Prince Constantine of Greece (1868-1923)Hereditary Prince Yusuf Izzettin Efendi of Turkey (1857-1916)King Manuel II of Portugal (1889-1932)King George I of Greece (1845-1913)King George V (1865-1936)German Emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941)King Frederik VIII of Denmark (1843-1912)Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (1863-1914)Prince Fushimi Sadanaru of Japan (1858-1923)Duke Albrecht of W | ||
