Abdication of Wilhelm II and the Dutch government, however, refused the Allies' requests to extradite him. King George V wrote that his cousin was "the greatest criminal in history", but opposed Prime Minister David Lloyd George's proposal to "hang the Kaiser". U.S. President Woodrow Wilson also opposed extradition, arguing that punishing 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 of both the Prussian and imperial thrones. He also released his soldiers and officials in both Prussia and the empire from their oaths of loyalty to him. Wilhelm
Kaiser Friedrich III-class battleship part in extensive training maneuvers in September 1902 with the rest of the fleet. Throughout the maneuvers the "Kaiser Friedrich III"-class ships operated as the opposing force, with the exception of "Kaiser Wilhelm II". As the fleet flagship, "Kaiser Wilhelm II" hosted Wilhelm II during several of the mock engagements and served as the observation point for the senior staff. Between 1907 and 1910, the ships of the class were heavily rebuilt, with the exception of "Kaiser Karl der Grosse". During the modernization, the ships had their superstructures cut down. Four 15 cm guns and one torpedo tube were also