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King Edward VII, 1901-1910

The royal portraits in the Senate’s collection honour the Upper Chamber’s ties to the Crown and Canada’s heritage as a constitutional monarchy.

King Edward VII succeeded to the throne in 1901 at age 59, following the long reign of his mother, Queen Victoria. He died in 1910 after several years of declining health.

Edward VII married Alexandra of Denmark in 1863 and they had six children. Their second son became King George V upon Edward VII’s death.

The Senate’s portrait of Edward VII is the work of Sir Luke Fildes, a popular and successful newspaper and magazine illustrator who pivoted to portraiture. It’s one of four reproductions of royal portraits that George V gifted to the Government of Canada in 1928 to celebrate the country’s Diamond Jubilee. The four works replaced royal portraits lost in the 1916 fire that destroyed the original Centre Block.

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