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 II the western Baltic on 21 September. During these exercises, "Kaiser Wilhelm II" served as the umpire ship, and so Hoffmann temporarily transferred his flag to her sister ship . He returned to "Kaiser Wilhelm II" on 29 September after the conclusion of the exercises in Kiel. On 1 November 1900, "Kaiser Friedrich III" replaced "Kaiser Wilhelm II" as the I Squadron flagship; the latter, as the fleet flagship, remained assigned to the squadron for tactical purposes. From 4 to 15 December, "Kaiser Wilhelm II" and the I Squadron went on a winter training cruise to Norway; the ships anchored at