| The German Empire without Bismarck had | | | | This mental paranoia made him to give |
| started to experience a general lack of coherence | | | | importance to personal diplomacy with his British |
| and consistency in the foreign policy issues | | | | cousins to shape British - German relations where |
| towards other powers. William's "love-hate" | | | | they had no power at all. Through Queen Victoria, |
| relationship with Great Britain and in particular with | | | | William was a first cousin to many of the |
| his British cousins further made chaos in the | | | | crowned heads in Europe most notably George V |
| consistency of foreign policy while the elite had | | | | of the United Kingdom and Nicholas II of Russia |
| their own agenda and further messed foreign | | | | through his consort, the Empress Alexandra. |
| affairs. | | | | Kaiser William II, the first grandchild of Queen |
| William never had in mind an open armed conflict | | | | Victoria had lasting affection from the British Public |
| with Britain or never even imagined it, but his | | | | as he was at his maternal grandmother's |
| general anti-British sentiments, which arose within | | | | deathbed, holding her in his arms as she passed |
| him from his youth by his own prejudices, | | | | away. But his immature political and diplomatic |
| reflected among the elite of the German | | | | blunders spoiled that in the coming years. |
| government and created further confusion. | | | | William gave importance to his personal |
| William's prejudices towards Britain made him to | | | | appearance and emotions than to his |
| believe when war came about in 1914, his late | | | | statesmanship. He had a vast collection of |
| uncle Edward VII trapped him into a diplomatic | | | | uniforms and costumes and used to wear |
| mess by the British attempts to encircle Germany | | | | different ones for each occasion, often four or |
| under the Entente Cordiale with France in 1904 | | | | more a day and was treated as a joke, saying |
| and with Russia in 1907. He was unrealistic about | | | | that when eating plum pudding the emperor would |
| the constitutional set-up in Britain and believed that | | | | dress as a British Admiral, the honorary rank he |
| his late uncle had a say on British foreign policy. | | | | had been awarded by his grandmother in 1889. |