"At long last I am able to say a few words of my own"

He put his love for a woman before his duty to the throne, being the only King of England to abdicate willingly. He was much loved by the people, a real ‘playboy’, yet he had a serious side that few saw. His father was demanding and short tempered and harshly criticized his eldest son. This eldest son was also a style icon. He was Edward VIII.

Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David was born on 23rd June, 1894, at the White Lodge, Richmond Park. His father and mother were the Duke and Duchess of York, and at the time of his birth, this little Prince was third in line to the throne of England. This little baby became known within the family and to close friends “David”, (his last given name). As was common at that time, Edward and his four brothers and one sister were brought up by nannies, seeing their parents only twice or even once a day. One of these nannies was cruel to Edward (and the other children), pinching the little Prince and making him cry when ‘presented’ to his parents every day. The nanny’s abusive behavior was discovered and she was fired and replaced, with a much kinder nany, Charlotte Bill. The Duke of York, Edward’s father, was strict with his children but affectionate. His mother would ‘frolic’ with her children, when behind closed Palace doors, and encouraged them to confide in her.

To begin with, Edward was tutored at home by Helen Bricka. When his father became King, the young Prince’s education was placed under the care of Frederick Finch and Henry Hansell. Hansell taught the Prince until he was thirteen, and Edward learnt German and French. Taking the examination to enter the Royal Naval College at Osborne, Edward started there in 1907, (at thirteen years of age). Edward did not enjoy being at this college, and after two years, he moved to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. “A course of two years, followed by entry into the Royal Navy, was planned”.

When his father became King George V, Edward was given the titles Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay. On the 23rd June, 1910, he became the Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Edward was sixteen years of age. Being taken out of the naval course (before his formal graduation), Edward was now being prepared to be King. Serving three months aboard the battleship Hindustan, Edward was admitted into Magdalen College, Oxford. Edward left after eight terms, without any academic qualifications. The Prince was completely unprepared for it, although he was a keen horseman, learning to play polo.

The first World War started in 1914. Being the minimum age for active service, Edward was keen to do ‘his bit’ and joined the Grenadier Guards, hoping to serve on the front lines. Lord Kitchener (the Secretary of State for war at the time) refused to allow it as Edward was the heir to the throne. Even so, the Prince did get his wish to serve his Country by witnessing ‘first hand’ trench warfare and visiting the front line as much as he could. This made the new Prince of Wales popular among the veterans. Edward was awarded the Military Cross in 1916. In 1918, he gained a pilot’s license and undertook military flights.

Prince John died in 1919, at the age of thirteen, after a severe epileptic seizure. He was eleven years younger than Edward, who hardly knew his younger brother.

In the 1920’s, the New Prince of Wales represented his father at home and abroad. Edward received a great deal of attention, being unmarried, handsome and the heir. At one point this Prince was the most photographed ‘celebrity’ of the time. The average young man in America is more interested in the clothes of the Prince of Wales than in any other individual on Earth”, Men’s Wear magazine observed during Edward’s visit to the United States in 1924. The young Prince of Wales also visited the poverty-stricken areas of Britain and between 1919 and 1935, Edward went on 16 tours to various parts of the Empire.

During the 1920’s and 1930’s, Edward had a series of ‘love affairs’, some of the ladies were married. This concerned his father, George V, as well as the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. The King was disappointed that his eldest son had not settled down and reluctant to hand the throne over to Edward: “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months”, the King said. This was in contrast to his brother “Bertie” (later George VI), who had married and had two daughters. “I pray to God that my eldest son will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne”, their father said.

It was around this time that Edward was introduced to Wallis Simpson, who had divorced her husband in 1927. Their ‘relationship’ was worrying to the King who, although he and the Queen did meet Wallis at Buckingham Palace, refused to receive her again. The ‘couple’ were followed by the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police. They reported a visit by the ‘couple’ to an antique shop, where the proprietor noted: “that the lady seemed to have POW (Prince of Wales) completely under her thumb”. Members of the government, as well as establishment figures, were very concerned about this American divorcee having so much influence over the heir to the throne.

George V died on 20th January, 1936, and Edward succeeded his father to the throne of England, becoming Edward VIII. During the proclamation of his own accession, Edward watched from a window in St.James’s Palace — with Wallis Simpson. He became the first King (of the British Empire) to fly in an aircraft from Sandringham to London for his Accession Council. The new King was seen to ‘interfere’ with political matters. During his tour of depressed villages in South Wales, Edward said: “something must be done” for the unemployed coal miners, and this was seen as an ‘attempt’ to guide the government. Government ministers were reluctant to send confidential papers to the King, because it was clear that he paid very little attention to these documents, and the ministers were worried that someone else (including Wallis Simpson) might actually see them.

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson cruised the Eastern Mediterranean on the steam yacht “Nahlin”. When October arrived, it was clear that the new King wanted to marry Wallis. For once, the British media kept silent about this and the general public knew nothing until December. On 16th November, Edward VIII expressed his desire to marry Wallis Simpson, to the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, at Buckingham Palace. The Prime Minister told the new King that this was not acceptable. Remarriage after divorce was (then) opposed by the Church of England and the people would not accept Wallis Simpson as Queen. As the Head of the Church of England, Edward VIII was expected to support the church’s teachings.

Edward VIII ‘offered’ a solution of a “Morganatic” marriage. He would remain the King of England but Wallis would not become Queen, and any children that had would not be in line to the throne. A few politicians supported this idea, including Winston Churchill, but for any alteration to the line of succession, all the Dominions of the Empire had to agree. Australia, Canada and South Africa did not agree and New Zealand had never even heard of Wallis Simpson.

The King soon realized that he could not marry Wallis Simpson and remain the King of England. The Prime Minister presented him with three options: 1/ give up the thought of marrying Wallis Simpson, 2/ marry against the ministers’ wishes, or 3/ abdicate. Edward VIII made his choice!

On 10th December, 1936, Edward VIII signed the instruments of abdication at Fort Belvedere, in the presence of Prince Albert (the next in line to the throne), Prince Henry and Prince George — Edward’s brothers.

The next day, Edward spoke to the people during a worldwide BBC radio broadcast: “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love. The decision is mine and mine alone”. Edward left for Austria the next day. The Duke of York succeeded to the throne as King George VI.

The new King made his brother the Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness, although Edward’s wife and children could not hold the same title. The Duke of Windsor married Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony on 3rd June, 1937, in France. George VI forbade members of the Royal Family to attend. Being no longer on the “Civil List”, Edward had to rely on his personal income, which was considerable, receiving £300,000 from two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, which George VI bought from his brother.

Against the advice of the British government, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor visited Nazi Germany and met Adolf Hitler in Bavaria. During the visit, Edward was given full Nazi salutes and the couple were treated like royalty. The visit was ‘much publicized’ by the German media. To the outside world, it looked like the Duke favored fascism but, in all truthfulness, Edward wanted to help to avoid another war, remembering the horrors of the First World War. Settling down, the couple leased a mansion in Boulevard Suchet, in Paris, from (late) 1938.

During the Second World War, the Duke and Duchess ‘moved around’, finally being ‘encouraged’ to return to British soil. In July, 1940, Edward was given the appointment of Governor of the Bahamas, arriving in the Country on 17th August, 1940. Edward did not enjoy this appointment but was praised for his efforts to combat poverty there, and also for his resolution of civil unrest in 1942. In the same year, the Duke of Windsor resigned from the post.

After the war, the couple returned to France and spent the rest of their lives quietly, as the Duke had ‘retired’ from official roles. Edward was provided with a house at 4 route du Champ d’Entrainement for nominal rent. In 1952, the couple bought and renovated a weekend retreat “La Moulin de la Tuilerie”. It was the only property the couple owned themselves. The Duke had produced a memoir “A King’s Story” and the royalties added to the couple's income. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were now ‘celebrities’ and were seen as a part of Cafe society in the 1950’s and 1960’s. They hosted parties and traveled between New York and Paris, and doted on their pug dogs.

In 1953, Edward’s niece was crowned in London, and the couple watched the Coronation ceremony on television in Paris. The Duke was paid to write articles about the ceremony for the Sunday Express and Woman’s Home Companion, and he also wrote a short book: “The Crown and the People, 1902 - 1953”.

In 1952, the Duke attended his brother’s, George VI, funeral and in 1565, the couple attended the memorial service for the Princess Royal, Edward’s sister. In the same year, as they had returned to London, The Duke and Duchess were visited by Elizabeth II, Edward’s newly crowned niece. By now, the Duke’s health was deteriorating. Edward was operated on for an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta in 1964, and was treated for a detached retina in 1965. Being a smoker, in 1971, the Duke was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent cobalt therapy. In 1972, on a state visit to France, Elizabeth II visited her uncle for fifteen minutes. Ten days after this visit, Edward died on 28th May, 1972, less than a month before his 78th birthday. His body was returned to Britain. Wallis, who became frail and suffered with dementia, died in 1986. She was buried alongside Edward. Elizabeth II attended both funerals.

Was this a sad story? Or do we admire Edward for putting his love for a woman before his duty to the throne. Whatever our answer, this is a true story and one that is embedded within the pages of history.

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