Everybody else in the family was, he knew, under the impression that Eddy and May’s feelings for each other had been those of a practical nature, the same kind of feelings that attended all royally-arranged marriages, and while that may have been true in the beginning – at least where Eddy was concerned – he knew that by the time of his death, Eddy had developed a feeling of great affection for May; and May, Georgie suspected, had felt even more than affection for Eddy.

How could he possibly marry someone who, he was certain, was mourning his brother just as deeply as he was? The answer was that he couldn’t. And wouldn’t.

‘So that is how I feel, Granny,’ he said two days later as he stood nervously before her, trying to ignore his Aunt Beatrice, who was seated at her side, knitting. ‘I believe Cousin May’s feelings for dear Eddy went far deeper than is generally realized, and I believe it would be wrong and insensitive of me to suggest to her that she now marries me.’

His grandmother had never thought of Georgie as possessing a great deal of sensitivity, and it pleased her that she had been wrong on that score. It wasn’t, however, going to change her mind about what she was now about to say to him. Turning to Beatrice she said, ‘I would like to speak with dear Georgie alone, Beatrice.’

With her knitting still in her hands, Beatrice hurriedly left the room – something Georgie would have given a king’s ransom to have been able to do.

‘Two years ago, Georgie, typhoid fever threatened your life.’ The Queen’s double chin wobbled with emotion. ‘If something similar was to happen to you again, and this time you were tragically taken from us – as dear Eddy was so tragically taken from us – I would like you to think of the situation as regards the throne.’

Georgie struggled to do so.

‘As the eldest of your father’s remaining children, Looloo is next in line to the throne after your father. And it is my opinion, and the opinion of my ministers, that the position of Queen and Empress is one Looloo is totally unfitted for.’

She waited for the enormity of what she was saying to sink in and then said, ‘There is another crucial reason why a situation with Looloo as heiress presumptive cannot be allowed to happen, and that is Fife. Fond of him as I am, he is not royal. He is a subject. As I am sure you can see, the political ramifications of a queen and empress with a commoner husband do not bear thinking about.’

It didn’t. Georgie loved all his sisters, but with the best will in the world, he could see that Looloo – highly strung, nervous and dim – was not the best person to succeed to the throne.