2-322-564 - Keystone Archives/Heritage Images

King George V and Edward, Prince of Wales at the front, France, World War I, 1914-1918. Edward joined the Grenadier Guards in June 1914 and was keen to serve on the front line. The Secretary of War, Lord Kitchener, refused to permit him to do so however, citing the damage to national morale if the heir to the throne should be captured. Despite this, Edward visited the front as often as he could, which gained him considerable popularity with veterans of the conflict.