Were King George V and Vanguard originally conceived as battlecruisers?
Short answerNo; senior Royal Navy figures treated them as battleships, even where the preferred design was a very fast battleship.
NotesSome design documents describe King George V and Vanguard in battlecruiser-like terms. Stanley Goodall consistently treated them as battleships, as did Chatfield and Henderson. Henderson may have wanted unusually fast battleships, but that preference still sat on the battleship side of the distinction. One preliminary label should not override the design leadership's broader classification and intended employment.