Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX were closely related due to their mutual descent from either Queen Victoria, King Christian IX or both. The most commonly cited example is the fact that Nicholas, his wife, Alexandra, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany were all first cousins of King George V of the United Kingdom. Other countries who fought against Germany in addition to Russia and the United Kingdom were Romania, whose queen-consort, Marie, wife of King Ferdinand I, was a cousin of the Kaiser, and Greece, whose queen-consort, Sophia, wife of King Constantine I, was the Kaiser's own sister. Additionally, King George V was a first
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II early July 1900, "Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm" and the other three "Brandenburg"-class battleships, which were assigned to the I Division of the I Squadron, were ordered to East Asian waters to assist in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion. As a result, "Kaiser Wilhelm II" and the other ships of the II Division were transferred to the I Division on 8 July, under the command of "Konteradmiral" Paul Hoffmann. On 15 August the annual autumn maneuvers began; initially, the fleet practiced tactical maneuvers in the German Bight. A cruise in battle formation through the Kattegat followed, and the maneuvers concluded in