The famous “Nine Kings” photograph was captured on May 20, 1910, in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. It represents the largest and most iconic gathering of reigning European monarchs ever recorded in a single photograph, assembled for the state funeral of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.
Standing (Left to Right)
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King Haakon VII (Norway): nephew by marriage and son-in-law of Edward VII (married to Edward’s daughter, Princess Maud).
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Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
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King Alfonso XIII (Spain) – nephew-in-law of Edward VII (married to Edward’s niece, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg).
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King Manuel II (Portugal)
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King George V (United Kingdom) (seated) (son of Edward VII)
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Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany)
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King George I (Greece)
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King Frederick VIII (Denmark)
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King Albert I (Belgium)
Within four years, the outbreak of World War I shattered these familial alliances, pitting first cousins (like King George V and Kaiser Wilhelm II) directly against one another. By the end of the conflict, several of the royal houses represented in the photograph were permanently abolished or dismantled.