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'''Edward VIII''' (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David ]; later '''The Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor'''; ] ] &ndash; ] ]) was ] of ], ], the ], and ] from the death of his father, ] (1910&ndash;36), on ] ] until his ] on ] ]. His memoirs, ''A King's Story'' were first published in 1951. '''Edward VIII''' (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David ]; later '''The Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor'''; ], ] &ndash; ], ]) was ] of ], ], the ], and ] from the death of his father, ] (1910&ndash;36), on ], ], until his ] on ], ]. His memoirs, ''A King's Story'' were first published in 1951.


He was the second British monarch of the ], his father having changed the name of the Royal house from the ] in ]. Prior to his accession to the throne, Edward VIII held the titles of Prince Edward of York, Prince Edward of York and Cornwall, ], ], and ] (all with the style ]). After his abdication he reverted to the style of a son of the sovereign, The Prince Edward, and was created ] on ] ]. During ] he was the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the ]. He was the second monarch of the ], his father having changed the name of the Royal house from the ] in ]. Prior to his accession to the throne, Edward VIII held the titles of Prince Edward of York, Prince Edward of York and Cornwall, ], ], and ] (all with the style ]). After his abdication he reverted to the style of a son of the sovereign, The Prince Edward, and was created ] on ], ]. During ] he was the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the ].


Edward VIII is the only British monarch to have voluntarily relinquished the throne. He signed the instrument of abdication on ] ]. The ] passed ] the next day and, on its receiving ] from Edward VIII, he legally ceased to be King in all but one of his ]s: his abdication as ] occurred one day later. He is one of the shortest-reigning monarchs in British history, and was never ]. Edward VIII is the only monarch of Britain to have voluntarily relinquished the throne. He signed the instrument of abdication on ], ]. The following day the parliaments of the ]s under the '']'' each passed an ] allowing the abdication. On the '']'''s receiving ] from Edward VIII, he legally ceased to be King in the UK and all its colonies and Crown dependencies. Similarly, in ] the gramting of Royal Assent to the ''Succession to the Throne Act'' by ] ], Edward ceased to be ]. By this method he was no longer king in all but one of his ]s: his abdication as ] occurred one day later. He is one of the shortest-reigning monarchs in British history, and was never ].


==Early life== ==Early life==
Edward VIII was born on ] ] at White Lodge, ], ]. Edward VIII was born on ], ], at White Lodge, ], ].


He was the eldest son of ] (later King George V), and ] (formerly Princess Victoria Mary of Teck). His father was the second son of ] (later King Edward VII) and ] (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark). His mother was the eldest daughter of ] and ]. As a great grandson of ] in the male line, Edward was styled ''His Highness Prince Edward of York'' at his birth. He was the eldest son of ] (later King George V), and ] (formerly Princess Victoria Mary of Teck). His father was the second son of ] (later King Edward VII) and ] (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark). His mother was the eldest daughter of ] and ]. As a great grandson of ] in the male line, Edward was styled ''His Highness Prince Edward of York'' at his birth.
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] ]


He was baptised in the Green Drawing Room of White Lodge on ] ] by ], ] and his twelve godparents were ] (1837&ndash;1901), the ] and ], the ] and ], the ], the ], the ], the ], the ] and ] and the ]. He was baptised in the Green Drawing Room of White Lodge on ], ], by ], ] and his twelve godparents were ] (1837&ndash;1901), the ] and ], the ] and ], the ], the ], the ], the ], the ] and ] and the ].


Edward VIII was named after his grandfather, Edward, Prince of Wales, and his great-grandfather King ]. The name Albert was included at the behest of Queen Victoria. His last four names &ndash; ], ], ] and ] &ndash; came from the Patron Saints of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The Prince was nevertheless, for the rest of his life, known to his family and close friends, by his last given name, David. Edward VIII was named after his grandfather, Edward, Prince of Wales, and his great-grandfather King ]. The name Albert was included at the behest of Queen Victoria. His last four names &ndash; ], ], ] and ] &ndash; came from the Patron Saints of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The Prince was nevertheless, for the rest of his life, known to his family and close friends, by his last given name, David.
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==Prince of Wales== ==Prince of Wales==
{{House of Windsor|edward8}} {{House of Windsor|edward8}}
He automatically became ] and ], ], ], ], and ] when his father, George V, ascended the throne on ] ]. The new King created him ] and ] on ] ] and officially invested him as such in a special ceremony at ] on ] ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |title=Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy Revised edition |year=1996 |publisher=Pimlico |location=London |page=p.327 }}</ref> For the first time since 1616 this investiture took place in ] at the instigation of the Welsh politician ], Constable of the Castle, who at that time held the position of ] in the ] government.<ref name="duke">The Duke of Windsor, p.78</ref> He automatically became ] and ], ], ], ], and ] when his father, George V, ascended the throne on ], ]. The new King created him ] and ] on ], ], and officially invested him as such in a special ceremony at ] on ], ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |title=Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy Revised edition |year=1996 |publisher=Pimlico |location=London |page=p.327 }}</ref> For the first time since 1616 this investiture took place in ] at the instigation of the Welsh politician ], Constable of the Castle, who at that time held the position of ] in the ] government.<ref name="duke">The Duke of Windsor, p.78</ref>


==Military career== ==Military career==
] ]
When the ] (1914&ndash;18) broke out Edward had reached the minimum age for active service and expressed keenness to participate. He had joined the army, serving with the ], in June ] and although Edward was willing to serve on the front lines, the Secretary of State for War, ], refused to allow it, citing the immense harm that the capture of the heir to the throne would cause.<ref>Roberts, p.41</ref><ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.109</ref> When the ] (1914&ndash;18) broke out Edward had reached the minimum age for active service and expressed keenness to participate. He had joined the army, serving with the ], in June, ], and although Edward was willing to serve on the front lines, the Secretary of State for War, ], refused to allow it, citing the immense harm that the capture of the heir to the throne would cause.<ref>Roberts, p.41</ref><ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.109</ref>


Despite this, Edward witnessed trench warfare at firsthand and attempted to visit the front line as often as he could, leading to his award of the ] in 1916. His role in the war, although limited, led to his great popularity among veterans of the conflict. As of 1911 he was also a Midshipman in the ], making Lieutenant in 1913. On his succession he became ] in the Navy, ] in the Army, and ]. Despite this, Edward witnessed trench warfare at firsthand and attempted to visit the front line as often as he could, leading to his award of the ] in 1916. His role in the war, although limited, led to his great popularity among veterans of the conflict. As of 1911 he was also a Midshipman in the ], making Lieutenant in 1913. On his succession he became ] in the Navy, ] in the Army, and ].
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==Romances== ==Romances==
In 1930, King George V gave Edward a home, ], near ] in ].<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.235</ref> There Edward had relationships with a series of married women including Anglo-American textile heiress ], American film actress ] and ] (born Thelma Morgan) an American woman of part-Chilean ancestry, who introduced the Prince to fellow American ]. Mrs Simpson had divorced her first husband in ] and subsequently married ], an Anglo-American ]man. Mrs Simpson and the Prince of Wales, it is generally accepted, became lovers while Lady Furness travelled abroad, though Edward adamantly insisted to his father the King that he was not intimate with her and that it was not appropriate to describe her as his mistress.<ref>Ziegler, p.233</ref> In 1930, King George V gave Edward a home, ], near ] in ].<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.235</ref> There Edward had relationships with a series of married women including Anglo-American textile heiress ], American film actress ] and ] (born Thelma Morgan) an American woman of part-Chilean ancestry, who introduced the Prince to fellow American ]. Mrs. Simpson had divorced her first husband in ] and subsequently married ], an Anglo-American ]man. Mrs. Simpson and the Prince of Wales, it is generally accepted, became lovers while Lady Furness travelled abroad, though Edward adamantly insisted to his father the King that he was not intimate with her and that it was not appropriate to describe her as his mistress.<ref>Ziegler, p.233</ref>


King George V was disappointed in Edward's failure to settle down in life and disgusted by his many affairs with married women. He was reluctant to see Edward inherit the crown. The King was quoted as saying of Edward: "After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months".<ref>{{cite book |last=Middlemas |first=Keith |coauthors= Barnes, John |title=Baldwin: A Biography |year=1969 |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |location=London |pages=p.976 }}</ref> He later said of Prince Albert and Albert's daughter, the ], (whom he called "Lilibet"): "I pray to God that my eldest son Edward will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne."<ref>{{cite book | last=Airlie |first=Mabell |authorlink=Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie |title=Thatched with Gold |year=1962 |publisher=Hutchinson |location=London |pages=p.197 }}</ref> Edward's relationship with Mrs Simpson further weakened his poor relationship with his father. Although the King and Queen met Mrs Simpson at Buckingham Palace in ]<ref>{{cite book |last=Windsor |first=The Duchess of |authorlink=Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor |title=The Heart Has Its Reasons |year=1956 |publisher=Michael Joseph |pages=p.205 }}</ref>, they later refused to receive her.<ref>Bradford, p.142</ref> But Edward had now fallen in love with Wallis and the couple grew ever closer. King George V was disappointed in Edward's failure to settle down in life and disgusted by his many affairs with married women. He was reluctant to see Edward inherit the Crown. The King was quoted as saying of Edward: "After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months".<ref>{{cite book |last=Middlemas |first=Keith |coauthors= Barnes, John |title=Baldwin: A Biography |year=1969 |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |location=London |pages=p.976 }}</ref> He later said of Prince Albert and Albert's daughter, the ], (whom he called "Lilibet"): "I pray to God that my eldest son Edward will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne."<ref>{{cite book | last=Airlie |first=Mabell |authorlink=Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie |title=Thatched with Gold |year=1962 |publisher=Hutchinson |location=London |pages=p.197 }}</ref> Edward's relationship with Mrs. Simpson further weakened his poor relationship with his father. Although the King and Queen met Mrs. Simpson at Buckingham Palace in ]<ref>{{cite book |last=Windsor |first=The Duchess of |authorlink=Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor |title=The Heart Has Its Reasons |year=1956 |publisher=Michael Joseph |pages=p.205 }}</ref>, they later refused to receive her.<ref>Bradford, p.142</ref> But Edward had now fallen in love with Wallis and the couple grew ever closer.


Edward's affair with the American divorcée led to such grave concern that the couple were followed by members of the Metropolitan police Special Branch, to examine in secret the nature of their relationship. An undated report detailed a visit by the couple to an antique shop, where the proprietor later noted that: "the lady seemed to have POW completely under her thumb."<ref>{{cite web |last=Boycott |first=Owen |coauthors=Bates, Stephen |title= Car dealer was Wallis Simpson's secret lover |publisher=The Guardian |date=] ] |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,885144,00.html |accessdate=2007-02-13 }}</ref> The prospect of having an American divorcée with a questionable past having such sway over the Heir Apparent caused some anxiety to government and establishment figures at the time. Edward's affair with the American divorcée led to such grave concern that the couple were followed by members of the Metropolitan police Special Branch, to examine in secret the nature of their relationship. An undated report detailed a visit by the couple to an antique shop, where the proprietor later noted that: "the lady seemed to have POW completely under her thumb."<ref>{{cite web |last=Boycott |first=Owen |coauthors=Bates, Stephen |title= Car dealer was Wallis Simpson's secret lover |publisher=The Guardian |date=] ] |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,885144,00.html |accessdate=2007-02-13 }}</ref> The prospect of having an American divorcée with a questionable past having such sway over the Heir Apparent caused some anxiety to government and establishment figures at the time.
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King George V died on ] ], and Edward ascended the throne as King Edward VIII. The next day, he broke royal protocol by watching the proclamation of his own accession to the throne from a window of ], in the company of the then still-married Mrs Simpson.<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.265</ref> It was also at this time that Edward VIII became the first British monarch to fly in an ], when he flew from ] to ] for his ]. King George V died on ], ], and Edward ascended the throne as King Edward VIII. The next day, he broke royal protocol by watching the proclamation of his own accession to the throne from a window of ], in the company of the then still-married Mrs. Simpson.<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.265</ref> It was also at this time that Edward VIII became the first British and ]s monarch to fly in an ], when he flew from ] to ] for his ].


Edward caused unease in government circles with actions that were interpreted as interference in political matters. On visiting the depressed coal mining villages in ] the King’s observation that "something must be done"<ref>{{citation |last=Matthew |first=H. C. G.|title=Edward VIII (1894–1972) |journal=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 }}</ref> for the unemployed coal miners was seen as directly critical of the Government, though it has never been clear whether the King had anything in particular in mind. Government ministers were also reluctant to send confidential documents and state papers to Fort Belvedere because it was clear that Edward was paying little attention to them and because of the perceived danger that Mrs Simpson and other house guests might see them.<ref>Ziegler, p.273-274</ref> Edward caused unease in government circles with actions that were interpreted as interference in political matters. On visiting the depressed coal mining villages in ] the King’s observation that "something must be done"<ref>{{citation |last=Matthew |first=H. C. G.|title=Edward VIII (1894–1972) |journal=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 }}</ref> for the unemployed coal miners was seen as directly critical of the Government, though it has never been clear whether the King had anything in particular in mind. Government ministers were also reluctant to send confidential documents and state papers to Fort Belvedere because it was clear that Edward was paying little attention to them and because of the perceived danger that Mrs. Simpson and other house guests might see them.<ref>Ziegler, p.273-274</ref>


] ]
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] ]


On ] ], an attempt was made on the King's life. An Irish malcontent, Jerome Brannigan (otherwise known as George Andrew McMahon) produced a loaded revolver as the King rode on horseback at ], near ]. Police spotted the gun and pounced on him; he was quickly arrested. At Brannigan's trial, he alleged that "a foreign power" had approached him to kill Edward, that he had informed ] of the plan, and that he was merely seeing the plan through to help MI5 catch the real culprits. The court rejected the claims, and sent him to jail for a year. It is now thought that Brannigan had indeed been in contact with ] but the veracity of the remainder of his claims remains open.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cook |first=Andrew |title=The plot thickens |publisher=The Guardian |date=], ] |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,867861,00.html |accessdate=2007-02-13 }}</ref> On ], ], an attempt was made on the King's life. An Irish malcontent, Jerome Brannigan (otherwise known as George Andrew McMahon) produced a loaded revolver as the King rode on horseback at ], near ]. Police spotted the gun and pounced on him; he was quickly arrested. At Brannigan's trial, he alleged that "a foreign power" had approached him to kill Edward, that he had informed ] of the plan, and that he was merely seeing the plan through to help MI5 catch the real culprits. The court rejected the claims, and sent him to jail for a year. It is now thought that Brannigan had indeed been in contact with MI5 but the veracity of the remainder of his claims remains open.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cook |first=Andrew |title=The plot thickens |publisher=The Guardian |date=], ] |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,867861,00.html |accessdate=2007-02-13 }}</ref>


By October it was becoming clear that the new King planned to marry Mrs Simpson, especially when divorce proceedings between Mr and Mrs Simpson were brought at ] Crown Court. By October it was becoming clear that the new King planned to marry Mrs. Simpson, especially when divorce proceedings between Mr. and Mrs. Simpson were brought at ] Crown Court.


==Abdication== ==Abdication==
{{main|Edward VIII abdication crisis}} {{main|Edward VIII abdication crisis}}


On ] ], Edward invited ] ] to ] and expressed his desire to marry ] when she became free to re-marry. Powerful figures in the British government deemed this marriage unacceptable, largely because Edward had become the ] which prohibited remarriage after divorce. On ], ], Edward invited ] ] to ] and expressed his desire to marry ] when she became free to re-marry. Powerful figures in the British government deemed this marriage unacceptable, largely because Edward had become the ] which prohibited remarriage after divorce.


His alternative proposed solution of a ] was rejected by the Prime Minister as well as other ] governments. The King informed Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry her. Baldwin then presented Edward with three choices: give up the idea of marriage; marry Mrs Simpson against his ministers' wishes; or abdicate.<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.354-355</ref> It was clear that Edward was not prepared to give up Mrs Simpson. By marrying against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis. His alternative proposed solution of a ] was rejected by the Prime Minister as well as other ] governments. The King informed Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry her. Baldwin then presented Edward with three choices: give up the idea of marriage; marry Mrs. Simpson against his ministers' wishes; or abdicate.<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.354-355</ref> It was clear that Edward was not prepared to give up Mrs. Simpson. By marrying against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis.


The Prime Ministers of ], ] and ] made clear their opposition to the King marrying a divorcée<ref>Ziegler, p.305-307</ref>; the ] expressed indifference and detachment and ], having never even heard of Mrs Simpson before, vacillated in disbelief.<ref>Bradford, p187</ref> Faced with this opposition, Edward at first responded that there were "not many people in Australia" and their opinion didn’t matter.<ref>Bradford, p.188</ref> The Prime Ministers of ], ] and ] made clear their opposition to the King marrying a divorcée;<ref>Ziegler, p.305-307</ref> the ] expressed indifference and detachment and ], having never even heard of Mrs. Simpson before, vacillated in disbelief.<ref>Bradford, p187</ref> Faced with this opposition, Edward at first responded that there were "not many people in Australia" and their opinion didn't matter.<ref>Bradford, p.188</ref>


Ultimately, he chose to abdicate.<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.387</ref> He duly signed an instrument of abdication at Fort Belvedere on ] ] in the presence of his three brothers, ], ] and ]. The next day, he performed his last act as King when he gave ] to ] which applied to the United Kingdom, and equivalent legislation from all the dominions except the Irish Free State. The Free State passed the equivalent ], which included the abdication in its schedule, the next day. Thus, legally, for one day he was merely an English prince, but King of Ireland. Ultimately, he chose to abdicate.<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.387</ref> He duly signed a British instrument of abdication at Fort Belvedere on ], ], in the presence of his three brothers, ], ] and ]. The next day, he performed his last act as King when he gave ] to '']'', which applied to the United Kingdom. Equivalent legislation was passed in all the Dominions except the Irish Free State. The Free State passed the equivalent '']'', which included the abdication in its schedule, the next day. Thus, legally, for one day he was merely an English prince, but King of Ireland.


On the night of ] ], Edward, now reverted to the title of Prince Edward, made a broadcast to the nation and the Empire, explaining his decision to abdicate. He famously said, "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."<ref>{{cite web | title= The Official Website of the British Monarchy |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/files/pdf/edwardviii.pdf |accessdate=2007-02-13 }}</ref> On the night of ], ], Edward, now reverted to the title of Prince Edward, made a broadcast to the nation and the Empire, explaining his decision to abdicate. He famously said, "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."<ref>{{cite web | title= The Official Website of the British Monarchy |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/files/pdf/edwardviii.pdf |accessdate=2007-02-13 }}</ref>


After the broadcast, Edward departed the United Kingdom for ], though he was unable to join Mrs Simpson until her divorce became absolute, several months later. His brother, ] succeeded to the throne as King George VI, with his eldest daughter, ] first in the line of succession, as the ]. After the broadcast, Edward departed the United Kingdom for ], though he was unable to join Mrs. Simpson until her divorce became absolute, several months later. His brother, ] succeeded to the throne as King George VI, with his eldest daughter, ] first in the line of succession, as the ].


==Duke of Windsor== ==Duke of Windsor==
On ] ], at his Accession Privy Council, George VI announced he was to make his brother Duke of Windsor, and also re-admit him to the highest degrees of the various British Orders of Knighthood. He wanted this to be the first act of his reign, although the formal documents were not signed until ] of the following year. But during the interim, Edward was universally known as the Duke of Windsor. The King's decision to create Edward a ] ensured that he could neither stand for election to the ] nor speak on political subjects in the ].<ref>]'s conversation with Sir ], Clerk to the Crown and Permanent Secretary to the ] quoted in Bradford, p.201</ref> On ], ], at his Accession Privy Council, George VI announced he was to make his brother Duke of Windsor, and also re-admit him to the highest degrees of the various British Orders of Knighthood. He wanted this to be the first act of his reign, although the formal documents were not signed until ] of the following year. But during the interim, Edward was universally known as the Duke of Windsor. The King's decision to create Edward a ] ensured that he could neither stand for election to the ] nor speak on political subjects in the ].<ref>]'s conversation with Sir ], Clerk to the Crown and Permanent Secretary to the ] quoted in Bradford, p.201</ref>


However, ] dated ] ], which re-conferred upon the Duke of Windsor the "title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness," specifically stated that "his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute." Some British ministers advised that Edward had no need of it being conferred because he had not lost it, and further that Mrs Simpson would automatically obtain the rank of wife of a prince with the style HRH; others maintained that he had lost all royal rank and should no longer carry any royal title or style as an abdicated King. On ] 1937 ] Sir ] submitted to ] Sir ] a memorandum summarising the views of ] T.M. Cooper, Parliamentary Counsel Sir Granville Ram and himself, to the effect that: However, ] dated ], ], which re-conferred upon the Duke of Windsor the "title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness," specifically stated that "his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute." Some British ministers advised that Edward had no need of it being conferred because he had not lost it, and further that Mrs. Simpson would automatically obtain the rank of wife of a prince with the style HRH; others maintained that he had lost all royal rank and should no longer carry any royal title or style as an abdicated King. On ], 1937, ] Sir ] submitted to ] Sir ] a memorandum summarising the views of ] T.M. Cooper, Parliamentary Counsel Sir Granville Ram and himself, to the effect that:
# We incline to the view that on his abdication the Duke of Windsor could not have claimed the right to be described as a Royal Highness. In other words, no reasonable objection could have been taken if the King had decided that his exclusion from the lineal succession excluded him from the right to this title as conferred by the existing Letters Patent # We incline to the view that on his abdication the Duke of Windsor could not have claimed the right to be described as a Royal Highness. In other words, no reasonable objection could have been taken if the King had decided that his exclusion from the lineal succession excluded him from the right to this title as conferred by the existing Letters Patent
# The question however has to be considered on the basis of the fact that, for reasons which are readily understandable, he with the express approval of His Majesty enjoys this title and has been referred to as a Royal Highness on a formal occasion and in formal documents. In the light of precedent it seems clear that the wife of a Royal Highness enjoys the same title unless some appropriate express step can be and is taken to deprive her of it. # The question however has to be considered on the basis of the fact that, for reasons which are readily understandable, he with the express approval of His Majesty enjoys this title and has been referred to as a Royal Highness on a formal occasion and in formal documents. In the light of precedent it seems clear that the wife of a Royal Highness enjoys the same title unless some appropriate express step can be and is taken to deprive her of it.
# We came to the conclusion that the wife could not claim this right on any legal basis. The right to use this style or title, in our view, is within the prerogative of His Majesty and he has the power to regulate it by Letters Patent generally or in particular circumstances.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://heraldica.org/topics/britain/drafting_lp1937.htm#documents_| title = The drafting of the letters patent of 1937| accessdate = 2007-02-04| date = 2003 January| work = National Archives file HO 144/22945| publisher = François Velde}} </ref> # We came to the conclusion that the wife could not claim this right on any legal basis. The right to use this style or title, in our view, is within the prerogative of His Majesty and he has the power to regulate it by Letters Patent generally or in particular circumstances.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://heraldica.org/topics/britain/drafting_lp1937.htm#documents_| title = The drafting of the letters patent of 1937| accessdate = 2007-02-04| date = 2003 January| work = National Archives file HO 144/22945| publisher = François Velde}} </ref>


The Duke of Windsor married Mrs. Simpson, who had changed her name by ] to Wallis Warfield, in a private ceremony on ] ] at Chateau de Candé, near ], Maine-et-Loire, France. When the Church of England refused to sanction the union, a County Durham clergyman, the Reverend Robert Anderson Jardine (Vicar of St Paul's, ]), offered to perform the ceremony, and the Duke happily accepted. The new king, George VI, absolutely forbade members of the British royal family to attend — Edward had particularly wanted Princes ] and ] (the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent) and ] to be there — and this continued for many years to rankle with the now ducal couple, notwithstanding the obvious awkwardnesses involved should royalty have been on hand because of the King's role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The Duke of Windsor married Mrs. Simpson, who had changed her name by ] to Wallis Warfield, in a private ceremony on ], ], at Chateau de Candé, near ], Maine-et-Loire, France. When the Church of England refused to sanction the union, a County Durham clergyman, the Reverend Robert Anderson Jardine (Vicar of St Paul's, ]), offered to perform the ceremony, and the Duke happily accepted. The new king, George VI, absolutely forbade members of the Royal Family to attend — Edward had particularly wanted Princes ] and ] (the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent) and ] to be there — and this continued for many years to rankle with the now ducal couple, notwithstanding the obvious awkwardnesses involved should royalty have been on hand because of the King's role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.


The denial of the style "HRH" to the Duchess of Windsor caused conflict, as did the financial settlement — the government declined to include the Duke or the Duchess on the ] and the Duke's allowance was paid personally by the King. But the Duke had compromised his position with the King by concealing the extent of his financial worth when they informally agreed on the amount of the sinecure the King would pay. Edward's worth had accumulated from the revenues of the ] paid to him as ] and ordinarily at the disposal of an incoming king. This led to strained relations between the Duke of Windsor and the rest of the royal family for decades. In the early days of George VI's reign the Duke telephoned daily, importuning for money and urging that the Duchess be granted the style of HRH, until the harassed King ordered that the calls not be put through. The denial of the style "HRH" to the Duchess of Windsor caused conflict, as did the financial settlement — the government declined to include the Duke or the Duchess on the ] and the Duke's allowance was paid personally by the King. But the Duke had compromised his position with the King by concealing the extent of his financial worth when they informally agreed on the amount of the sinecure the King would pay. Edward's worth had accumulated from the revenues of the ] paid to him as ] and ordinarily at the disposal of an incoming king. This led to strained relations between the Duke of Windsor and the rest of the Royal Family for decades. In the early days of George VI's reign the Duke telephoned daily, importuning for money and urging that the Duchess be granted the style of HRH, until the harassed King ordered that the calls not be put through.


The Duke had assumed that he would settle in Britain after a year or two of exile in ]. However, King George VI (with the support of his mother Queen Mary and his wife ]) threatened to cut off his allowance if he returned to Britain without an invitation. The new King and Queen were also forced to pay Edward for ] and ]. These properties were Edward's personal property, inherited from his father, King George V on his death, and thus did not automatically pass to George VI on abdication. The Duke had assumed that he would settle in Britain after a year or two of exile in ]. However, King George VI (with the support of his mother Queen Mary and his wife ]) threatened to cut off his allowance if he returned to Britain without an invitation. The new King and Queen were also forced to pay Edward for ] and ]. These properties were Edward's personal property, inherited from his father, King George V on his death, and thus did not automatically pass to George VI on abdication.
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In 1937, the Duke and Duchess visited ], against the advice of the British government, and met ] leader ] at ]. The visit was much publicised by the German media. During the visit the Duke gave full Nazi salutes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Donaldson |first=Frances |title=Edward VIII |year=1974 |pages=p.331-332 }}</ref> In 1937, the Duke and Duchess visited ], against the advice of the British government, and met ] leader ] at ]. The visit was much publicised by the German media. During the visit the Duke gave full Nazi salutes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Donaldson |first=Frances |title=Edward VIII |year=1974 |pages=p.331-332 }}</ref>


The couple then settled in France. In September ] they were brought back to Britain by ] in ], and the Duke was made a Major-General attached to the British Military Mission in France. The couple then settled in France. In September, ], they were brought back to Britain by ] in ], and the Duke was made a Major-General attached to the British Military Mission in France.


In February ], the German Minister in ], Count Zech, claimed that the Duke had leaked the Allied war plans for the defence of ].<ref>Bradford, p. 434</ref> When Germany invaded the north of France in May 1940, the Windsors fled south, first to ], then in June to ]. In July the pair moved to ], where they lived at first in the home of a banker with German contacts.<ref>Bloch, p.91</ref> In February, ], the German Minister in ], Count Zech, claimed that the Duke had leaked the Allied war plans for the defence of ].<ref>Bradford, p. 434</ref> When Germany invaded the north of France in May 1940, the Windsors fled south, first to ], then in June to ]. In July the pair moved to ], where they lived at first in the home of a banker with German contacts.<ref>Bloch, p.91</ref>


A "defeatist" interview with the Duke that was widely distributed may have served as the last straw for the British government: the Prime Minister ] threatened the Duke with a court-martial if he didn’t return to British soil.<ref>Bloch, p.93</ref> In August, a British warship dispatched the pair to the ], where in the view of ] the Duke could do least damage to the British war effort. A "defeatist" interview with the Duke that was widely distributed may have served as the last straw for the British government: the Prime Minister ] threatened the Duke with a court-martial if he didn't return to British soil.<ref>Bloch, p.93</ref> In August, a British warship dispatched the pair to the ], where in the view of ] the Duke could do least damage to the British war effort.


The Duke of Windsor was installed as ], and became the first British monarch to ever hold a civilian political office. He did not enjoy the position, and referred to the islands as "a third-class British colony".<ref>Bloch, p.364</ref> However, he was praised for his efforts to combat ] on the island nation, although his attitudes (unremarkable at the time) were racist. He said of ], the editor of the ''Nassau Daily Tribune'': "It must be remembered that Dupuch is more than half Negro, and due to the peculiar mentality of this Race, they seem unable to rise to prominence without losing their equilibrium."<ref name="ziegler" /> He was praised, even by Dupuch at the time, for his resolution of civil unrest over low wages in ] in ], even though he blamed the trouble on communist agitators and draft-dodging Jews.<ref>Ziegler, p.471-472</ref> He held the post until the end of ] in 1945. The Duke of Windsor was installed as ], and became the first British and Dominion monarch to ever hold a civilian political office. He did not enjoy the position, and referred to the islands as "a third-class British colony".<ref>Bloch, p.364</ref> However, he was praised for his efforts to combat ] on the island nation, although his attitudes (unremarkable at the time) were racist. He said of ], the editor of the ''Nassau Daily Tribune'': "It must be remembered that Dupuch is more than half Negro, and due to the peculiar mentality of this Race, they seem unable to rise to prominence without losing their equilibrium."<ref name="ziegler" /> He was praised, even by Dupuch at the time, for his resolution of civil unrest over low wages in ] in ], even though he blamed the trouble on communist agitators and draft-dodging Jews.<ref>Ziegler, p.471-472</ref> He held the post until the end of ] in 1945.


The Duchess of Windsor recorded in her autobiography ''The Heart Has Its Reasons'' that the Duke remarked, when telling her that Britain had declared war on Germany, that he feared that this would now mean the triumph of ]. Other sources support the Duchess's contention that he favoured German ] as a bulwark against communism, and even that he initially favoured an alliance with Germany.<ref>Papers of Count Albert Mensdorff in the State Archives, Vienna quoted in ] (1983). ''King George V'' London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, p.391</ref> Edward’s experience of "the unending scenes of horror"<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.122</ref> during ] led him to support appeasement. Hitler considered Edward to be friendly towards Nazi Germany, saying "His abdication was a severe loss for us."<ref>{{cite book |last=Speer |first=Albert |authorlink=Albert Speer |title=Inside the Third Reich |year=1970 ||publisher=Macmillan |location=New York |pages=p.118 }}</ref> Many historians have suggested that Hitler was prepared to reinstate Edward as King in the hope of establishing a fascist Britain.<ref>Ziegler, p.392</ref> The Duchess of Windsor recorded in her autobiography ''The Heart Has Its Reasons'' that the Duke remarked, when telling her that Britain had declared war on Germany, that he feared that this would now mean the triumph of ]. Other sources support the Duchess's contention that he favoured German ] as a bulwark against communism, and even that he initially favoured an alliance with Germany.<ref>Papers of Count Albert Mensdorff in the State Archives, Vienna quoted in ] (1983). ''King George V'' London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, p.391</ref> Edward's experience of "the unending scenes of horror"<ref>The Duke of Windsor, p.122</ref> during ] led him to support appeasement. Hitler considered Edward to be friendly towards Nazi Germany, saying "His abdication was a severe loss for us."<ref>{{cite book |last=Speer |first=Albert |authorlink=Albert Speer |title=Inside the Third Reich |year=1970 ||publisher=Macmillan |location=New York |pages=p.118 }}</ref> Many historians have suggested that Hitler was prepared to reinstate Edward as King in the hope of establishing a fascist Britain.<ref>Ziegler, p.392</ref>


It is widely believed that the Duke (and especially the Duchess) sympathised with fascism before and during World War II, and had to remain in the Bahamas to minimise their opportunities to act on those feelings. He is said to have told an American diplomat in 1940: "In the past 10 years Germany had totally reorganized the order of its society…Countries which were unwilling to accept such a reorganization of society and its concomitant sacrifices should direct their policies accordingly".<ref>Bloch, p.80</ref> It is widely believed that the Duke (and especially the Duchess) sympathised with fascism before and during World War II, and had to remain in the Bahamas to minimise their opportunities to act on those feelings. He is said to have told an American diplomat in 1940: "In the past 10 years Germany had totally reorganized the order of its society…Countries which were unwilling to accept such a reorganization of society and its concomitant sacrifices should direct their policies accordingly".<ref>Bloch, p.80</ref>


During the occupation of France, the Duke asked the German forces to place guards at his Paris and Riviera homes: they did so.<ref>Roberts, p.52</ref> The British Foreign Office strenuously objected when the pair planned to tour aboard a yacht belonging to a Swedish magnate, ], whom American intelligence wrongly believed to be a close friend of Nazi leader ].<ref>Bloch, pp.154-159, 230-233</ref> ] wrote to ] just before the couple were sent to the Bahamas, " is well-known to be pro-Nazi and he may become a centre of intrigue."<ref>Ziegler, p.434</ref> At least the latter part of this assessment is corroborated by German operations designed to use the Duke. (See ].) During the occupation of France, the Duke asked the German forces to place guards at his Paris and Riviera homes: they did so.<ref>Roberts, p.52</ref> The British Foreign Office strenuously objected when the pair planned to tour aboard a yacht belonging to a Swedish magnate, ], whom American intelligence wrongly believed to be a close friend of Nazi leader ].<ref>Bloch, pp.154-159, 230-233</ref> ] wrote to ] just before the couple were sent to the Bahamas, " is well-known to be pro-Nazi and he may become a centre of intrigue."<ref>Ziegler, p.434</ref> At least the latter part of this assessment is corroborated by German operations designed to use the Duke. (See ].)
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They spent much of the remainder of their lives essentially in ], as the Duke never occupied another professional role after his wartime governorship of the Bahamas. Effectively taking on the role of minor celebrities, the couple were for a time in the ] and ] regarded as part of ]. They hosted parties and shuttled between Paris and New York; many of those who met the Windsors socially reported on the vacuity of the Duke's conversation (see ]). They spent much of the remainder of their lives essentially in ], as the Duke never occupied another professional role after his wartime governorship of the Bahamas. Effectively taking on the role of minor celebrities, the couple were for a time in the ] and ] regarded as part of ]. They hosted parties and shuttled between Paris and New York; many of those who met the Windsors socially reported on the vacuity of the Duke's conversation (see ]).


In 1951 the Duke produced a ghost-written memoir, ''A King's Story'', in which he makes no secret of his disagreement with liberal politics.<ref name="duke" /> The royalties from the book, as well as large and illegal currency transactions, supplemented the Duke’s allowance.<ref name="p53" /> Nine years later, he also penned a relatively unknown book, ''Windsor Revisited'', chiefly about the fashion and habits of the Royal Family throughout his life, from the time of ] through his grandfather and father, and his own tastes. In 1951 the Duke produced a ghost-written memoir, ''A King's Story'', in which he makes no secret of his disagreement with liberal politics.<ref name="duke" /> The royalties from the book, as well as large and illegal currency transactions, supplemented the Duke's allowance.<ref name="p53" /> Nine years later, he also penned a relatively unknown book, ''Windsor Revisited'', chiefly about the fashion and habits of the Royal Family throughout his life, from the time of ] through his grandfather and father, and his own tastes.


] and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1970]] ] and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1970]]


The couple appeared on ]'s television interview show "Person to Person", in which the Duchess repeatedly and loudly cut into the Duke's comments to correct his observations, and generally appeared to be the domineering personality her detractors had represented her to be. The couple visited President ] at the White House in 1955 and in 1970 appeared in a 50-minute BBC television interview; that year they were invited as guests of honour to a dinner at the White House by President ] in repayment for their having entertained Nixon in Paris during the mid-1960s when his political fortunes were low. The couple appeared on ]'s television interview show ''Person to Person'', in which the Duchess repeatedly and loudly cut into the Duke's comments to correct his observations, and generally appeared to be the domineering personality her detractors had represented her to be. The couple visited President ] at the ] in 1955 and in 1970 appeared in a 50-minute ] television interview; that year they were invited as guests of honour to a dinner at the White House by President ] in repayment for their having entertained Nixon in Paris during the mid-1960s when his political fortunes were low.


The Royal Family never accepted the Duchess and would not receive her formally, but the Duke sometimes met his mother and brother, the King, after his abdication. Queen Mary in particular maintained her anger with Edward and her indignation as to Wallis ("To give up all this for that," she said<ref>Bradford, p.198</ref>). Queen Elizabeth, Edward’s sister-in-law, remained doubtful about Wallis for several reasons - for Wallis's role in bringing Elizabeth's husband to the throne; for what she regarded as Wallis's inappropriate and arrogant assumption of the role of consort to the king, while still married to Ernest Simpson; and for Wallis's well-known scorn for King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their children. The Royal Family never accepted the Duchess and would not receive her formally, but the Duke sometimes met his mother and brother, the King, after his abdication. Queen Mary in particular maintained her anger with Edward and her indignation as to Wallis ("To give up all this for that," she said<ref>Bradford, p.198</ref>). Queen Elizabeth, Edward's sister-in-law, remained doubtful about Wallis for several reasons - for Wallis's role in bringing Elizabeth's husband to the throne; for what she regarded as Wallis's inappropriate and arrogant assumption of the role of consort to the king, while still married to Ernest Simpson; and for Wallis's well-known scorn for King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their children.


In 1965, the Duke and Duchess returned to ]. They were visited by the Queen, ] and the Princess Royal. A week later, the Princess Royal died and they attended her memorial service. In 1967 they joined the royal family for the ] of Queen Mary's birth. The last occasion they were in the UK together was for the funeral of Princess Marina in 1968. In 1965, the Duke and Duchess returned to ]. They were visited by the Queen, ] and the Princess Royal. A week later, the Princess Royal died and they attended her memorial service. In 1967 they joined the Royal Family for the ] of Queen Mary's birth. The last occasion they were in the UK together was for the funeral of Princess Marina in 1968.


The Duke died of throat cancer on ] ] at his home in Paris, and his body was returned to Britain for burial at ], near ]. The increasingly senile and frail Duchess travelled to England to attend his funeral, staying at Buckingham Palace during her visit. She died 15 years later, and was buried alongside her husband simply as "Wallis, Duchess of Windsor". The Duke died of throat cancer on ], ], at his home in Paris, and his body was returned to Britain for burial at ], near ]. The increasingly senile and frail Duchess travelled to England to attend his funeral, staying at Buckingham Palace during her visit. She died 15 years later, and was buried alongside her husband simply as "Wallis, Duchess of Windsor".


When the Duke and Duchess's correspondence was published after the Duchess's death, the book failed to sell, with interest largely confined to the magnitude of the Duke's ] and his curious term of endearment for her: "Eanum Pig." When the Duke and Duchess's correspondence was published after the Duchess's death, the book failed to sell, with interest largely confined to the magnitude of the Duke's ] and his curious term of endearment for her: "Eanum Pig."

Revision as of 18:35, 14 February 2007

Edward VIII
King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British
Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India
File:EdwardVIIICover.jpgThe Duke of Windsor first published his memoirs in 1951, the book is a primary source for the history of the abdication and the British Royal Family in the first half of the Twentieth century.
Reign20 January 1936 - 11 December 1936
PredecessorGeorge V
SuccessorGeorge VI
Burial5 June 1972
Frogmore Estate, Berkshire
SpouseWallis, Duchess of Windsor (post-abdication)
Names
Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David Windsor
HouseHouse of Windsor
FatherGeorge V
MotherMary of Teck

Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David Windsor; later The Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor; June 23, 1894 – May 28, 1972) was King of Great Britain, Ireland, the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from the death of his father, George V (1910–36), on January 20, 1936, until his abdication on December 11, 1936. His memoirs, A King's Story were first published in 1951.

He was the second monarch of the House of Windsor, his father having changed the name of the Royal house from the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1917. Prior to his accession to the throne, Edward VIII held the titles of Prince Edward of York, Prince Edward of York and Cornwall, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, and Prince of Wales (all with the style Royal Highness). After his abdication he reverted to the style of a son of the sovereign, The Prince Edward, and was created Duke of Windsor on March 8, 1937. During World War II he was the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahamas.

Edward VIII is the only monarch of Britain to have voluntarily relinquished the throne. He signed the instrument of abdication on December 10, 1936. The following day the parliaments of the Dominions under the Statute of Westminster each passed an Act allowing the abdication. On the Declaration of Abdication Act's receiving Royal Assent from Edward VIII, he legally ceased to be King in the UK and all its colonies and Crown dependencies. Similarly, in Canada the gramting of Royal Assent to the Succession to the Throne Act by Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir, Edward ceased to be King of Canada. By this method he was no longer king in all but one of his realms: his abdication as King of Ireland occurred one day later. He is one of the shortest-reigning monarchs in British history, and was never crowned.

Early life

Edward VIII was born on June 23, 1894, at White Lodge, Richmond, Surrey.

He was the eldest son of The Duke of York (later King George V), and The Duchess of York (formerly Princess Victoria Mary of Teck). His father was the second son of The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and The Princess of Wales (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark). His mother was the eldest daughter of The Duke of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. As a great grandson of Queen Victoria in the male line, Edward was styled His Highness Prince Edward of York at his birth.

Edward of Wales Little David, photographed by his grandmother Queen Alexandra

He was baptised in the Green Drawing Room of White Lodge on July 16, 1894, by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury and his twelve godparents were Queen Victoria (1837–1901), the Prince and Princess of Wales, the King and Queen of Denmark, the King of Württemberg, the Queen of Greece, the Tsarevitch of Russia, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Duke and Duchess of Teck and the Duke of Cambridge.

Edward VIII was named after his grandfather, Edward, Prince of Wales, and his great-grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark. The name Albert was included at the behest of Queen Victoria. His last four names – George, Andrew, Patrick and David – came from the Patron Saints of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The Prince was nevertheless, for the rest of his life, known to his family and close friends, by his last given name, David.

Edward's parents, The Duke and Duchess of York, were often removed from their children's upbringing, like other upper-class English parents of the day. Edward and his younger brother Albert were abused by one of the royal nannies. The nanny would pinch Edward before he was due to be presented to his parents. His subsequent crying and wailing would lead the Duke and Duchess to send Edward and the nanny away. On the other hand, the King, though a harsh disciplinarian, was demonstrably affectionate and Queen Mary displayed a frolicksome side when dealing with her children that belies her austere public image, having been greatly amused by the children making tadpoles on toast for their French master, and encouraged them to confide matters in her which it would have provoked the King to know.

Prince of Wales

British Royalty
House of Windsor
George V
Consort
Mary of Teck
Children
Edward VIII
George VI
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince John
Edward VIII

He automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland when his father, George V, ascended the throne on May 6, 1910. The new King created him Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on June 23, 1910, and officially invested him as such in a special ceremony at Caernarfon Castle on July 13, 1911. For the first time since 1616 this investiture took place in Wales at the instigation of the Welsh politician David Lloyd George, Constable of the Castle, who at that time held the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Liberal government.

Military career

Edward during World War I

When the First World War (1914–18) broke out Edward had reached the minimum age for active service and expressed keenness to participate. He had joined the army, serving with the Grenadier Guards, in June, 1914, and although Edward was willing to serve on the front lines, the Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, refused to allow it, citing the immense harm that the capture of the heir to the throne would cause.

Despite this, Edward witnessed trench warfare at firsthand and attempted to visit the front line as often as he could, leading to his award of the Military Cross in 1916. His role in the war, although limited, led to his great popularity among veterans of the conflict. As of 1911 he was also a Midshipman in the Royal Navy, making Lieutenant in 1913. On his succession he became Admiral of the Fleet in the Navy, Field Marshal in the Army, and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

Royal duties

HRH The Prince of Wales canoeing in Canada, 1919

Throughout the 1920s the Prince of Wales represented his father, King George V, at home and abroad on many occasions. He took a particular interest in visiting the poverty stricken areas of the country. Abroad, the Prince of Wales toured the Empire, undertaking 16 tours between 1919 and 1935, and in the process acquiring the Bedingfield ranch, near Pekisko, High River, Alberta.

He made unedifying and often deeply racist comments about the Empire's subjects and various foreign peoples, both during his career as Prince of Wales and later as Duke of Windsor, particularly in Africa and India but also in Canada, the West Indies, Mexico and Australia (see wikiquotes). They were little commented upon at the time, but later biographers severely taxed his reputation with them.

He soon became the 1920s version of a latter-day movie star. At the height of his popularity, he became the most photographed celebrity of his time and his dress sense emulated by those in fashion. An enduring, albeit trivial, legacy is the fashion item of the Windsor knot, named for him after his fondness for large-knotted ties, though he did not necessarily wear the knot.

Romances

In 1930, King George V gave Edward a home, Fort Belvedere, near Sunningdale in Berkshire. There Edward had relationships with a series of married women including Anglo-American textile heiress Freda Dudley Ward, American film actress Mildred Harris and Lady Furness (born Thelma Morgan) an American woman of part-Chilean ancestry, who introduced the Prince to fellow American Wallis Simpson. Mrs. Simpson had divorced her first husband in 1927 and subsequently married Ernest Simpson, an Anglo-American businessman. Mrs. Simpson and the Prince of Wales, it is generally accepted, became lovers while Lady Furness travelled abroad, though Edward adamantly insisted to his father the King that he was not intimate with her and that it was not appropriate to describe her as his mistress.

King George V was disappointed in Edward's failure to settle down in life and disgusted by his many affairs with married women. He was reluctant to see Edward inherit the Crown. The King was quoted as saying of Edward: "After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months". He later said of Prince Albert and Albert's daughter, the Princess Elizabeth, (whom he called "Lilibet"): "I pray to God that my eldest son Edward will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne." Edward's relationship with Mrs. Simpson further weakened his poor relationship with his father. Although the King and Queen met Mrs. Simpson at Buckingham Palace in 1935, they later refused to receive her. But Edward had now fallen in love with Wallis and the couple grew ever closer.

Edward's affair with the American divorcée led to such grave concern that the couple were followed by members of the Metropolitan police Special Branch, to examine in secret the nature of their relationship. An undated report detailed a visit by the couple to an antique shop, where the proprietor later noted that: "the lady seemed to have POW completely under her thumb." The prospect of having an American divorcée with a questionable past having such sway over the Heir Apparent caused some anxiety to government and establishment figures at the time.

Reign

Royal styles of
Edward VIII
Reference styleHis Majesty
Spoken styleYour Majesty
Alternative styleSir

King George V died on January 20, 1936, and Edward ascended the throne as King Edward VIII. The next day, he broke royal protocol by watching the proclamation of his own accession to the throne from a window of St. James's Palace, in the company of the then still-married Mrs. Simpson. It was also at this time that Edward VIII became the first British and Dominions monarch to fly in an aeroplane, when he flew from Sandringham to London for his Accession Council.

Edward caused unease in government circles with actions that were interpreted as interference in political matters. On visiting the depressed coal mining villages in South Wales the King’s observation that "something must be done" for the unemployed coal miners was seen as directly critical of the Government, though it has never been clear whether the King had anything in particular in mind. Government ministers were also reluctant to send confidential documents and state papers to Fort Belvedere because it was clear that Edward was paying little attention to them and because of the perceived danger that Mrs. Simpson and other house guests might see them.

File:EdwardVIIIcoin.jpg.jpg
Left-facing currency portrait of Edward VIII

Edward's unorthodox approach to his role extended also to the currency which bore his image. He broke with tradition whereby on coinage each successive monarch faced in the opposite direction to his or her prececessor. Edward insisted his left side was superior to that of his right, and that he face left (as his father had done). Only a handful of coins were actually struck prior to the abdication, and when George VI succeeded he also faced left, in order to maintain the tradition by suggesting that had any coins been minted featuring Edward's portrait, they would have shown him facing right.

Signature of King Edward VIII
The 'R' and 'I' after his name indicate 'king' and 'emperor' in Latin ('Rex' and 'Imperator').

On July 16, 1936, an attempt was made on the King's life. An Irish malcontent, Jerome Brannigan (otherwise known as George Andrew McMahon) produced a loaded revolver as the King rode on horseback at Constitution Hill, near Buckingham Palace. Police spotted the gun and pounced on him; he was quickly arrested. At Brannigan's trial, he alleged that "a foreign power" had approached him to kill Edward, that he had informed MI5 of the plan, and that he was merely seeing the plan through to help MI5 catch the real culprits. The court rejected the claims, and sent him to jail for a year. It is now thought that Brannigan had indeed been in contact with MI5 but the veracity of the remainder of his claims remains open.

By October it was becoming clear that the new King planned to marry Mrs. Simpson, especially when divorce proceedings between Mr. and Mrs. Simpson were brought at Ipswich Crown Court.

Abdication

Main article: Edward VIII abdication crisis

On November 16, 1936, Edward invited Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin to Buckingham Palace and expressed his desire to marry Wallis Simpson when she became free to re-marry. Powerful figures in the British government deemed this marriage unacceptable, largely because Edward had become the Supreme Governor of the Church of England which prohibited remarriage after divorce.

His alternative proposed solution of a morganatic marriage was rejected by the Prime Minister as well as other Dominion governments. The King informed Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry her. Baldwin then presented Edward with three choices: give up the idea of marriage; marry Mrs. Simpson against his ministers' wishes; or abdicate. It was clear that Edward was not prepared to give up Mrs. Simpson. By marrying against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis.

The Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada and South Africa made clear their opposition to the King marrying a divorcée; the Irish Free State expressed indifference and detachment and New Zealand, having never even heard of Mrs. Simpson before, vacillated in disbelief. Faced with this opposition, Edward at first responded that there were "not many people in Australia" and their opinion didn't matter.

Ultimately, he chose to abdicate. He duly signed a British instrument of abdication at Fort Belvedere on December 10, 1936, in the presence of his three brothers, The Duke of York, The Duke of Gloucester and The Duke of Kent. The next day, he performed his last act as King when he gave royal assent to His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, which applied to the United Kingdom. Equivalent legislation was passed in all the Dominions except the Irish Free State. The Free State passed the equivalent External Relations Act, which included the abdication in its schedule, the next day. Thus, legally, for one day he was merely an English prince, but King of Ireland.

On the night of December 11, 1936, Edward, now reverted to the title of Prince Edward, made a broadcast to the nation and the Empire, explaining his decision to abdicate. He famously said, "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."

After the broadcast, Edward departed the United Kingdom for Austria, though he was unable to join Mrs. Simpson until her divorce became absolute, several months later. His brother, Prince Albert, Duke of York succeeded to the throne as King George VI, with his eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth first in the line of succession, as the heir presumptive.

Duke of Windsor

On December 12, 1936, at his Accession Privy Council, George VI announced he was to make his brother Duke of Windsor, and also re-admit him to the highest degrees of the various British Orders of Knighthood. He wanted this to be the first act of his reign, although the formal documents were not signed until March 8 of the following year. But during the interim, Edward was universally known as the Duke of Windsor. The King's decision to create Edward a royal duke ensured that he could neither stand for election to the House of Commons nor speak on political subjects in the House of Lords.

However, letters patent dated May 27, 1937, which re-conferred upon the Duke of Windsor the "title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness," specifically stated that "his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute." Some British ministers advised that Edward had no need of it being conferred because he had not lost it, and further that Mrs. Simpson would automatically obtain the rank of wife of a prince with the style HRH; others maintained that he had lost all royal rank and should no longer carry any royal title or style as an abdicated King. On April 14, 1937, Attorney General Sir Donald Somervell submitted to Home Secretary Sir John Simon a memorandum summarising the views of Lord Advocate T.M. Cooper, Parliamentary Counsel Sir Granville Ram and himself, to the effect that:

  1. We incline to the view that on his abdication the Duke of Windsor could not have claimed the right to be described as a Royal Highness. In other words, no reasonable objection could have been taken if the King had decided that his exclusion from the lineal succession excluded him from the right to this title as conferred by the existing Letters Patent
  2. The question however has to be considered on the basis of the fact that, for reasons which are readily understandable, he with the express approval of His Majesty enjoys this title and has been referred to as a Royal Highness on a formal occasion and in formal documents. In the light of precedent it seems clear that the wife of a Royal Highness enjoys the same title unless some appropriate express step can be and is taken to deprive her of it.
  3. We came to the conclusion that the wife could not claim this right on any legal basis. The right to use this style or title, in our view, is within the prerogative of His Majesty and he has the power to regulate it by Letters Patent generally or in particular circumstances.

The Duke of Windsor married Mrs. Simpson, who had changed her name by deed poll to Wallis Warfield, in a private ceremony on June 3, 1937, at Chateau de Candé, near Tours, Maine-et-Loire, France. When the Church of England refused to sanction the union, a County Durham clergyman, the Reverend Robert Anderson Jardine (Vicar of St Paul's, Darlington), offered to perform the ceremony, and the Duke happily accepted. The new king, George VI, absolutely forbade members of the Royal Family to attend — Edward had particularly wanted Princes Henry and George (the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent) and Lord Louis Mountbatten to be there — and this continued for many years to rankle with the now ducal couple, notwithstanding the obvious awkwardnesses involved should royalty have been on hand because of the King's role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

The denial of the style "HRH" to the Duchess of Windsor caused conflict, as did the financial settlement — the government declined to include the Duke or the Duchess on the Civil List and the Duke's allowance was paid personally by the King. But the Duke had compromised his position with the King by concealing the extent of his financial worth when they informally agreed on the amount of the sinecure the King would pay. Edward's worth had accumulated from the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall paid to him as Prince of Wales and ordinarily at the disposal of an incoming king. This led to strained relations between the Duke of Windsor and the rest of the Royal Family for decades. In the early days of George VI's reign the Duke telephoned daily, importuning for money and urging that the Duchess be granted the style of HRH, until the harassed King ordered that the calls not be put through.

The Duke had assumed that he would settle in Britain after a year or two of exile in France. However, King George VI (with the support of his mother Queen Mary and his wife Queen Elizabeth) threatened to cut off his allowance if he returned to Britain without an invitation. The new King and Queen were also forced to pay Edward for Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle. These properties were Edward's personal property, inherited from his father, King George V on his death, and thus did not automatically pass to George VI on abdication.

World War II

File:Nazi Windsors.jpg
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor with Adolf Hitler

In 1937, the Duke and Duchess visited Germany, against the advice of the British government, and met Nazi leader Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden. The visit was much publicised by the German media. During the visit the Duke gave full Nazi salutes.

The couple then settled in France. In September, 1939, they were brought back to Britain by Lord Mountbatten in HMS Kelley, and the Duke was made a Major-General attached to the British Military Mission in France.

In February, 1940, the German Minister in the Hague, Count Zech, claimed that the Duke had leaked the Allied war plans for the defence of Belgium. When Germany invaded the north of France in May 1940, the Windsors fled south, first to Biarritz, then in June to Spain. In July the pair moved to Lisbon, where they lived at first in the home of a banker with German contacts.

A "defeatist" interview with the Duke that was widely distributed may have served as the last straw for the British government: the Prime Minister Winston Churchill threatened the Duke with a court-martial if he didn't return to British soil. In August, a British warship dispatched the pair to the Bahamas, where in the view of Winston Churchill the Duke could do least damage to the British war effort.

The Duke of Windsor was installed as Governor, and became the first British and Dominion monarch to ever hold a civilian political office. He did not enjoy the position, and referred to the islands as "a third-class British colony". However, he was praised for his efforts to combat poverty on the island nation, although his attitudes (unremarkable at the time) were racist. He said of Étienne Dupuch, the editor of the Nassau Daily Tribune: "It must be remembered that Dupuch is more than half Negro, and due to the peculiar mentality of this Race, they seem unable to rise to prominence without losing their equilibrium." He was praised, even by Dupuch at the time, for his resolution of civil unrest over low wages in Nassau in 1942, even though he blamed the trouble on communist agitators and draft-dodging Jews. He held the post until the end of World War II in 1945.

The Duchess of Windsor recorded in her autobiography The Heart Has Its Reasons that the Duke remarked, when telling her that Britain had declared war on Germany, that he feared that this would now mean the triumph of communism. Other sources support the Duchess's contention that he favoured German fascism as a bulwark against communism, and even that he initially favoured an alliance with Germany. Edward's experience of "the unending scenes of horror" during World War I led him to support appeasement. Hitler considered Edward to be friendly towards Nazi Germany, saying "His abdication was a severe loss for us." Many historians have suggested that Hitler was prepared to reinstate Edward as King in the hope of establishing a fascist Britain.

It is widely believed that the Duke (and especially the Duchess) sympathised with fascism before and during World War II, and had to remain in the Bahamas to minimise their opportunities to act on those feelings. He is said to have told an American diplomat in 1940: "In the past 10 years Germany had totally reorganized the order of its society…Countries which were unwilling to accept such a reorganization of society and its concomitant sacrifices should direct their policies accordingly".

During the occupation of France, the Duke asked the German forces to place guards at his Paris and Riviera homes: they did so. The British Foreign Office strenuously objected when the pair planned to tour aboard a yacht belonging to a Swedish magnate, Axel Wenner-Gren, whom American intelligence wrongly believed to be a close friend of Nazi leader Hermann Göring. Lord Caldecote wrote to Winston Churchill just before the couple were sent to the Bahamas, " is well-known to be pro-Nazi and he may become a centre of intrigue." At least the latter part of this assessment is corroborated by German operations designed to use the Duke. (See Operation Willi.)

The Allies became sufficiently disturbed by the German plots that President Roosevelt ordered covert surveillance of the Duke and Duchess when they visited Palm Beach, Florida, in April 1941. The former Duke of Wurttemberg (then a monk in an American monastery) had convinced the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the Duchess had been sleeping with the German ambassador in London, Joachim von Ribbentrop, had remained in constant contact with him, and had continued to leak secrets.

Later life

After the war, the couple returned once again to France to live at 4 rue du Champ d'Entraînement on the Neuilly-sur-Seine side of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, where the City of Paris provided him with a house and the French government exempted him from income tax.

They spent much of the remainder of their lives essentially in retirement, as the Duke never occupied another professional role after his wartime governorship of the Bahamas. Effectively taking on the role of minor celebrities, the couple were for a time in the 1950s and 1960s regarded as part of café society. They hosted parties and shuttled between Paris and New York; many of those who met the Windsors socially reported on the vacuity of the Duke's conversation (see wikiquotes).

In 1951 the Duke produced a ghost-written memoir, A King's Story, in which he makes no secret of his disagreement with liberal politics. The royalties from the book, as well as large and illegal currency transactions, supplemented the Duke's allowance. Nine years later, he also penned a relatively unknown book, Windsor Revisited, chiefly about the fashion and habits of the Royal Family throughout his life, from the time of Queen Victoria through his grandfather and father, and his own tastes.

President Nixon and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1970

The couple appeared on Edward R. Murrow's television interview show Person to Person, in which the Duchess repeatedly and loudly cut into the Duke's comments to correct his observations, and generally appeared to be the domineering personality her detractors had represented her to be. The couple visited President Eisenhower at the White House in 1955 and in 1970 appeared in a 50-minute BBC television interview; that year they were invited as guests of honour to a dinner at the White House by President Richard M. Nixon in repayment for their having entertained Nixon in Paris during the mid-1960s when his political fortunes were low.

The Royal Family never accepted the Duchess and would not receive her formally, but the Duke sometimes met his mother and brother, the King, after his abdication. Queen Mary in particular maintained her anger with Edward and her indignation as to Wallis ("To give up all this for that," she said). Queen Elizabeth, Edward's sister-in-law, remained doubtful about Wallis for several reasons - for Wallis's role in bringing Elizabeth's husband to the throne; for what she regarded as Wallis's inappropriate and arrogant assumption of the role of consort to the king, while still married to Ernest Simpson; and for Wallis's well-known scorn for King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their children.

In 1965, the Duke and Duchess returned to London. They were visited by the Queen, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and the Princess Royal. A week later, the Princess Royal died and they attended her memorial service. In 1967 they joined the Royal Family for the centenary of Queen Mary's birth. The last occasion they were in the UK together was for the funeral of Princess Marina in 1968.

The Duke died of throat cancer on May 28, 1972, at his home in Paris, and his body was returned to Britain for burial at Frogmore, near Windsor Castle. The increasingly senile and frail Duchess travelled to England to attend his funeral, staying at Buckingham Palace during her visit. She died 15 years later, and was buried alongside her husband simply as "Wallis, Duchess of Windsor".

When the Duke and Duchess's correspondence was published after the Duchess's death, the book failed to sell, with interest largely confined to the magnitude of the Duke's uxoriousness and his curious term of endearment for her: "Eanum Pig."

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles

  • 1894-1898: His Highness Prince Edward of York
  • 1898-1901: His Royal Highness Prince Edward of York
  • 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Cornwall
  • 1901-1910: His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Wales
  • 1910 His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall
  • 1910-1936: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
    • in Scotland: 1910-1936: His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, Duke of Rothesay
  • 1936: His Majesty The King

and, occasionally, outside of the United Kingdom, and with regard to India

  • 1936: His Imperial Majesty The King-Emperor
  • 1936-1937: His Royal Highness The Prince Edward
  • 1937-1972: His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor (began use immediately upon abdication)

Styles

From his father's ascension to the throne on 6 May 1910 until his own accession on 20 January 1936, Prince Edward held the style "His Royal Highness, The Prince Edward, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland."

His full style as king was "Edward VIII, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland, and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India"

Military positions

Military Force Unit Position Year
File:Canadian Red Ensign 1921.svg
Canadian Forces 		Canadian Militia and Naval and Air Forces Commander-in-Chief 1936

Legacy

In media

  • The calypso song "Edward VIII" by the Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Caresser was the most popular calypso record in 1937.
  • In the 1963 cartoon Million Hare, Bugs Bunny remarks that he has the same tailor as the Duke of Windsor.
  • Portrayed by Richard Chamberlain in the 1972 made for TV movie The Woman I Love - Focuses on the love between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
  • Portrayed by Edward Fox in the 1978 miniseries Edward and Mrs. Simpson - focus is again on the love story.
  • Guy Walters The Leader. Headline Book Publishing Ltd. 2003. - A fictional alternative history of World War II: Edward VIII does not abdicate but reigns as king with Wallis Simpson as queen. They rule a fascist England after World War II and are allied with Hitler, but are opposed by the hero of the book, Captain James Armstrong.
  • The Prince of Wales's profound effect on his public — possibly easy to dismiss as trivial and transient frivolity many years later, particularly many years after the fiasco of the abdication crisis and the long years of idleness that followed — is given extensive literary treatment in Robertson Davies's Deptford Trilogy. One of the characters, Boy Staunton, is a great admirer of Edward VIII, having met him in person once and styled himself after him. His discontent upon reaching the position of Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario mirrors Edward's decision to choose love over his title and position.
  • In singer-songwriter Al Stewart's song "Life Between the Wars" there is a reference to Edward: "The King is leaving Buckingham Palace/It's far too cold; he'd rather have Wallis"
  • In the novel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, written under the pen name Hannah Green, there is a mental patient whom believes she is the 'secret first wife of Edward the VIII, abdicted King of England'.

Fashion

Notes and sources

  1. The Duke of Windsor, p.7
  2. The Duke of Windsor, p.38-39
  3. Ziegler, p.79
  4. Weir, Alison (1996). Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy Revised edition. London: Pimlico. p. p.327. {{cite book}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  5. ^ The Duke of Windsor, p.78
  6. Roberts, p.41
  7. The Duke of Windsor, p.109
  8. The Duke of Windsor, p.215
  9. ^ Ziegler, p.448
  10. Broad, Lewis (1961). The Abdication: Twenty-five Years After. A Re-appraisal. London: Frederick Muller Ltd. pp. p.4-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  11. The Duke of Windsor, p.235
  12. Ziegler, p.233
  13. Middlemas, Keith (1969). Baldwin: A Biography. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. pp. p.976. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. Airlie, Mabell (1962). Thatched with Gold. London: Hutchinson. pp. p.197. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  15. Windsor, The Duchess of (1956). The Heart Has Its Reasons. Michael Joseph. pp. p.205. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  16. Bradford, p.142
  17. Boycott, Owen (January 30 2003). "Car dealer was Wallis Simpson's secret lover". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-02-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  18. The Duke of Windsor, p.265
  19. Matthew, H. C. G. (2004), "Edward VIII (1894–1972)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press
  20. Ziegler, p.273-274
  21. Cook, Andrew (January 3, 2003). "The plot thickens". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-02-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. The Duke of Windsor, p.354-355
  23. Ziegler, p.305-307
  24. Bradford, p187
  25. Bradford, p.188
  26. The Duke of Windsor, p.387
  27. "The Official Website of the British Monarchy" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  28. Clive Wigram's conversation with Sir Claud Schuster, Clerk to the Crown and Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor quoted in Bradford, p.201
  29. "The drafting of the letters patent of 1937". National Archives file HO 144/22945. François Velde. 2003 January. Retrieved 2007-02-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. Donaldson, Frances (1974). Edward VIII. pp. p.331-332. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  31. Bradford, p. 434
  32. Bloch, p.91
  33. Bloch, p.93
  34. Bloch, p.364
  35. Ziegler, p.471-472
  36. Papers of Count Albert Mensdorff in the State Archives, Vienna quoted in Rose, Kenneth (1983). King George V London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, p.391
  37. The Duke of Windsor, p.122
  38. Speer, Albert (1970). Inside the Third Reich. New York: Macmillan. pp. p.118. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  39. Ziegler, p.392
  40. Bloch, p.80
  41. Roberts, p.52
  42. Bloch, pp.154-159, 230-233
  43. Ziegler, p.434
  44. Evans, Rob (June 29, 2002). "Wallis Simpson, the Nazi minister, the telltale monk and an FBI plot". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-02-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  45. Ziegler, p.534-535
  46. ^ Roberts, p.53
  47. Bradford, p.198

References

  • Bloch, Michael (1982). The Duke of Windsor’s War. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
  • Bradford, Sarah (1989). King George VI. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Roberts, Andrew (2000). Edited by Antonia Fraser (ed.). The House of Windsor. London: Cassell and Co. ISBN 0-304-35406-6. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)
  • Windsor, HRH The Duke of (1951). A King’s Story. London: Cassell and Co.
  • Ziegler, Philip (1991). King Edward VIII: The official biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-57730-2.

Further reading

  • Bloch, Michael (editor) (1986). Wallis and Edward: Letters 1931-1937. Summit Books. ISBN 0-671-61209-3. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  • Godfrey, Rupert (editor) (1998). Letters From a Prince: Edward to Mrs. Freda Dudley Ward 1918-1921. Little, Brown & Co. ISBN 0-7515-2590-1. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  • Williams, Susan (2003). "The historical significance of the Abdication files". Public Records Office - New Document Releases - Abdication Papers, London. Public Records Office of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  • Ziegler, Philip (1985). Mountbatten: the official biography. Collins.

External links

Template:Succession box two to two
Preceded byNew Creation Duke of Windsor
1937–1972 		Succeeded byTitle Extinct
Preceded byvacancy Grand Master of the Order of St Michael and St George
1917–1936 		Succeeded byThe Earl of Athlone
Preceded bynew office Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire
1917–1936 		Succeeded byQueen Mary

Template:British Monarchs

Princes of Wales
See also: Principality of Wales
Dukes of Cornwall
Cornwall Portal
Dukes of Rothesay

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