King Edward VII’s Dogs Reportedly Caused Diplomatic Uproar, Sparked WWI

King Edward VII’s love for dogs reportedly caused a diplomatic uproar and sparked World War I years ago.

In the Netflix documentary “The Royals,” it was revealed that King Edward VII was given a Wire Hair Fox Terrier named Caesar in 1902. When he passed away in 1910, Caesar walked behind his master’s coffin during the procession.

According to Thomas Blaikie, a royal correspondent for “The Lady,” Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany was very annoyed with the dog because of his prominence during his uncle’s funeral. Wilhelm felt that Caesar took precedence over him.

“This fueled his antipathy toward England and led directly to the First World War,” Blaikie said.

Toby Amies, a broadcaster, also said that Wilhelm was furious that he was in the same procession as the little dog. He said that the decision to include Caesar in King Edward VII’s funeral showed the difference management styles of the empires at that time. The British Royals used animals to make them seem more human.

And following King Edward VII’s death, Caesar would whine outside his master’s door and would refuse to eat. He instantly became the image of loyalty.

Prior to his death, King Edward VII gave the beloved dog a special treatment. He gifted it with lavish presents and gifts. Caesar was also seen with a beautiful collar that had the words “I am Caesar, I belong to the King” engraved on it.

In related news, King Edward VII wasn’t the only royal that loved dogs. Queen Elizabeth II also bred several Corgis throughout her life. However, when her last Corgi, Willow, passed away this year, she opted to take care of Dorgis – a crossbreed between a Corgi and a dachshund.

And in 1999, one of the Queen’s Corgis, Phoenix, surprisingly died at the age of 14 due to alcohol poisoning. Royal author Philip Dampier said that one of Her Majesty’s footmen poisoned the dog after he got fed up with taking care of them.

Matthew King thought that it was funny to see the dogs staggering about after giving them alcohol, but one of them actually died because of his wrongdoing.