Wilhelm II, German Emperor despite appeals from the Allies. King George V wrote that he looked on his cousin as "the greatest criminal in history", but opposed Prime Minister David Lloyd George's proposal to "hang the Kaiser". President Woodrow Wilson of the United States opposed extradition, arguing that prosecuting Wilhelm would destabilize international order and lose the peace. Wilhelm first settled in Amerongen, where on 28 November he issued a belated statement of abdication from both the Prussian and imperial thrones, thus formally ending the Hohenzollerns' 400-year rule over Prussia. Accepting the reality that he had lost both of his crowns for good, he
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse of Wilhelm II. She held this post until 24 October, when "Kaiser Friedrich III" returned to service. In the meantime, "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" was present for the Kiel Week sailing regatta in June and the dedication of a monument at the "Marineakademie" (Naval Academy) in Kiel. At the end of July, she led the squadron on a cruise to Spanish waters, and while docked in Cádiz, they rendezvoused with the "Brandenburg"-class battleships returning from East Asian waters. The I Squadron was back in Kiel by 11 August, though the late arrival of the "Brandenburg"s delayed the participation of the