Epsom College patron, which relationship with British monarchs has continued ever since; King Edward VII after the death of his mother, King George V, King Edward VIII in 1936, King George VI from 1937, and then the current Queen until the present. Its long-standing association with medicine was estimated in 1980 as having helped almost a third of its 10,000 alumni enter that profession. It was founded in 1855 to provide support for poor members of the medical profession. Funding for such a bold undertaking proved inadequate to the task, resulting in a reduced number of buildings and therefore insufficient space to
George VI to buy from Edward the royal residences of Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, as these were private properties and did not pass to George VI automatically. Three days after his accession, on his 41st birthday, he invested his wife, the new queen consort, with the Order of the Garter. George VI's coronation at Westminster Abbey took place on 12 May 1937, the date previously intended for Edward's coronation. In a break with tradition, Queen Mary attended the ceremony in a show of support for her son. There was no Durbar held in Delhi for George VI, as had occurred for