Prince Edward of Wales the future King Edward VII of Great Britain and Ireland Edward VII was King of Great Britain between and Before his accession to the throne Edward held the title of Prince of Wales and has the distinction of having been heir apparent to the throne longer than anyone in English or British history During the long widowhood of his mother Queen Victoria he was largely excluded from wielding any political power but came to represent the personification of the fashionable leisured elite Edwards reign saw the first official recognition of the office of the Prime Minister in and he was the first British monarch of the House of SaxeCoburgGotha which was renamed by his son George V as the House of Windsor