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 and the removal of some of her searchlights. While the ship was laid up, "Admiral" Hans von Koester replaced Hoffmann as the fleet commander, a position he would hold until the end of 1906. The annual training routine began at the end of March 1901 with squadron exercises in the Baltic. On the night of 1–2 April, "Kaiser Friedrich III" ran hard aground on the Adlergrund, a shoal to the east of Cape Arkona, and "Kaiser Wilhelm II" lightly brushed the bottom. After a short inspection, it was determined that "Kaiser Wilhelm II" was undamaged, and so Prince Heinrich transferred