King Edward VIII

by Virginia Adams (14)

Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David Windsor was born on 23rd June 1894 at White Lodge in Surrey, England. He is the eldest son of George V, who it is rumoured he did not get along with and was terrified of. His mother is Queen Mary. He is known to his family as "David", but the rest of us know him better as the Prince of Wales, (his other titles include Knight of the Garter, Great Steward of Scotland, Lord of the Isles, Baron of Renfrew, Earl of Carrick, Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay). One day the world will know him better as the Duke of Windsor.

He was educated at Osborne, then joined the Navy and attended Dartmouth Naval Academy (perhaps Miss Trunchbull met him there), and later Oxford University. During the Great War (1914 -18) he was in the Army but was not happy with his assignments to safe positions on the Italian front, and he was heard to announce, "What difference does it make if I am killed? The king has three other sons!"

When he returned to England after the war he took up his official duties which included travelling throughout Britain including visits to places suffering from economic depression, where he showed genuine concern for the people. He also undertook official tours around the world. Edward will be the first monarch to be a qualified pilot, and created The King's Flight (which will in future be known as 32 (The Royal) Squadron) to provide air transport for the Royal family's official duties.

He is the man everyone wants to know and be seen with, a real idol of our times. He is dashing, charming, has boyish good looks and has become known in the American press as the "arbiter of men's fashions, a fearless horseman, tireless dancer, idol of bachelors, dream of spinsters." He is always in the company of the rich, sophisticated, fun loving and the well connected, this of course includes beautiful women and he can boast a string of mistresses.

One such who has been variously described by friends as "a close friend of the Prince" and even "The Princess of Wales" is Lady Furness, a socialite with many connections. Lady Furness is a good hostess and puts on many dinner parties.It was at one of these parties in June 1931, that Edward was introduced to Wallis Simpson, a sophisticated, charming, and charismatic American woman who recently moved to London with her second husband Ernest. It didn't take long before they became constant companions and lovers, spending much of their private time at Edward's home, Fort Belvedere, and taking holidays together. This was not merely another affair, Edward seriously intended to marry Wallis once she was free. Those close to him, as well as the foreign press, knew of their relationship, however, Canadian born Lord Beaverbrook, the newspaper baron, has signed a deal to keep the press silent in Britain but this did not stop rumours circulation abroad.

The King, his father, was less than pleased with this liaison with an American, twice married commoner. The situation further reinforced his low opinion of his son, he once was heard to say "When I am gone, the boy will ruin himself in six months."

We live in changing times, now the main function of the monarch is, primarily, to serve as a symbolic figure that links the Empire together and that exhibited the grandeur of this Empire to the world. Since 1911 it has been generally recognised that the sovereign, in practice, holds only three rights. These are the rights to be consulted, to encourage, and to warn. Further to remain above politics the sovereign must abide by the decisions of a cabinet that possesses the confidence of a parliamentary majority. Edward wants to be a successful king, but a King in a modern way, which means on his own terms.

With the disapproval of his family, the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, the government, the church (of which the monarch is head) and the people to his marriage to Wallis Simpson, and without the backing of the influential press, what is Edward to do? Only time will tell.