Duke and Duchess of Windsor (1894-1972) and (1895-1986)


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Anyone who signs something without reading it thoroughly is a total fool. If your boss was doing than then they were an idiot as they could have been signing anything.

The boxes take about four hours, on average, to read - and the legislation doesn't take that long. I have read a number of pieces of legislation and it takes about 10 - 20 minutes most times to read each one.

That list of legislation you identified above wasn't the first time the Queen would have come across those papers as she only approves legislation 10 - 11 times a year (at the Privy Council meetings) but during the preceding months she would have read the legislation, discussed it with the PM and/or the relevant minister as well as with her private secretary.

Yes she does read all legislation and draft copies are often returned with notes in the margins from her with questions she wants explained. When I did a tour of the Houses of Parliament the guide even showed us a piece of draft legislation with those notations in the margin. She also told us that it was a good six months after that draft went to The Queen before the final form of the legislation was approved.
 
Thanks so much for that in depth explanation of the process of the legislations, the Queen's involvement and notations. Its been interesting for me to read because it explains more in depth of what the job of a constitutional monarch involves. She may not influence legislation or interfere with it but she knows what is going on, asks questions that arise and then advises her PM from there.

As much as over the past 60 and some years we've heard how ingrained the sense of duty is with The Queen, I don't think she'd do any less than fulfill the whole kit and kaboodle and that would involve reading each and every paper that is sent to her for her attention. I think Charles will be even more so when it comes time to turn in his blue boxes for the red boxes.
 
What a fascinating look at a beautiful old property! Thank you for posting, Sun Lion. All the same, although the Duchess's interior decorating skills were much praised (and those of the designers she consulted) all I could think when I looked at some of the rooms was 'Busy, busy, busy'! Perhaps its just that I'm more used to the more minimalistic furnishings and polished floorboards look of today.
 
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Iluvbertie said:
Anyone who signs something without reading it thoroughly is a total fool. If your boss was doing than then they were an idiot as they could have been signing anything.

The boxes take about four hours, on average, to read - and the legislation doesn't take that long. I have read a number of pieces of legislation and it takes about 10 - 20 minutes most times to read each one.

That list of legislation you identified above wasn't the first time the Queen would have come across those papers as she only approves legislation 10 - 11 times a year (at the Privy Council meetings) but during the preceding months she would have read the legislation, discussed it with the PM and/or the relevant minister as well as with her private secretary.

Yes she does read all legislation and draft copies are often returned with notes in the margins from her with questions she wants explained. When I did a tour of the Houses of Parliament the guide even showed us a piece of draft legislation with those notations in the margin. She also told us that it was a good six months after that draft went to The Queen before the final form of the legislation was approved.
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I see you still believe in fairytales but allez... a monarchy is a sort of fairytale anyway. The Queen has practically no other role than to sanction legislation passed through both Houses of Parliament. If you believe that Her Majesty reads the whole legislation about the qualification requirements of non-EU paramedics to fill the gaps in NHS-staffing, about model calculation schemes for air pollution in the city, about the transparency of financial products offered to consumers, about the accountancy regulations for offshore firms and God knows what more, so be it.

In reality it is simply impossible for one human being to get the flood of state paperwork read. There are only twenty-four hours in a day, even for this ninety years old veteran. The red boxes are opened, the Queen signs where her signature is required. And the red boxes are closed again. Often the red boxes are already back into Whitehall the very same day, which would make Her Majesty the world record holder in how to read thousands and thousands of pages in between feeding the corgis and receiving the Ambassador of Uruguay...
 
I find it silly to believe that the Queen is being presented with the legislation just the day she has to pass it. I mean, I'm inclined to believe that the Queen doesn't read through the entirety of each piece of legislation that is passed (it looks like there's about 2,000 pieces passed a year, which does lead to a fair amount of reading). But to say she just rubber stamps it all with no knowledge of what it says is also rather silly.

It's far more realistic to think that the Queen is given a Coles notes edition of the legislation she's signing, reads that along with the briefings regarding other legislation and whatever else the government is planned.
 
Curryong said:
What a fascinating look at a beautiful old property! Thank you for posting, Sun Lion. All the same, although the Duchess's interior decorating skills were much praised (and those of the designers she consulted) all I could think when I looked at some of the rooms was 'Busy, busy, busy'! Perhaps its just that I'm more used to the more minimalistic furnishings and polished floorboards look of today.
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Yes! Even though 'antiques' are out of fashion at the moment, were they in a house with a subtle monochromatic palette, lets say in pearl grey, it would be very elegant. The photos are somewhat deceptive regarding the scale of the rooms. Many look very small, until one reads the text where it says the mirror over the mantle is 10' tall.
 
Yes, I suppose the photographs do deceive. However, lovely as some individual pieces of historic value are, (I'd love some of their antiques) the whole effect just looks choked to me, and sometimes clashing colours don't help.

I suppose the Duchess and her designers were aiming for a French provincial cum English country house look, but unfortunately sometimes it just doesn't hit the mark. For instance I have to admit I'm no fan of floral chintz coverings and curtains at the best of times so perhaps I'm prejudiced, but glaring chintz drapes and two different coloured floral rugs on the floor of the big hall. Really?
 
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Those decor of those rooms always has always struck me as a bit hectic. Florals and stripes and plaids and gilded furnishings; medallions and trompe l'oeil and tassels - overdone even in its era, I feel.
 
Sun Lion said:
A very interesting article from an old magazine where the Duchess of Windsor describes the house in France known as "The Mill", where she and the Duke lived at times.

The Peak of Chic®: The Mill, Part One

The Peak of Chic®: The Mill, Part Two
Click to expand...


And links to magazines carrying the photos and the Duchess' words.


http://trove.nla.gov.au/aww/read/222707?q=duchess+of+york&s=20&resultId=num21#page/11/mode/1up

http://trove.nla.gov.au/aww/read/222707?q=duchess+of+york&s=20&resultId=num21#page/16/mode/2up

http://trove.nla.gov.au/aww/read/222707?q=duchess+of+york&s=20&resultId=num21#page/18/mode/1up

http://trove.nla.gov.au/aww/read/220876?q=duchess+of+windsor&s=10&resultId=num14#page/16/mode/2up

http://trove.nla.gov.au/aww/read/220876?q=duchess+of+windsor&s=10&resultId=num14#page/18/mode/2up

http://trove.nla.gov.au/aww/read/220893?q=duchess+of+windsor&s=30&resultId=num36#page/16/mode/2up

http://trove.nla.gov.au/aww/read/22...+real+home&s=0&resultId=num3#page/28/mode/2up
 
A chef AND an assistant chef in the kitchens! My, my! No wonder the Dook, as his wife called him, was reputedly always worrying about his investments!

It's a great find, Sun Lion. Thanks for posting these great links.

As I've said, a lovely house, but...more than a bit of hankering for lost glories going on there, I feel. Perhaps the tartan and plaids evoked memories of dear old Balmoral, even if the Duke hadn't liked it very much!
 
 
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Wonderful photos of Chateau de Cande where the Duke and Duchess married.

Many of the Duchess' outfits are on display here.

http://p1.storage.canalblog.com/11/27/1160346/89786494_o.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/-216A1TB5BPg/U...ougeM/s1600-h/cand%25C3%25A99f%255B4%255D.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZfFCYPuTBfg/U...NIbIY/s1600-h/cand%25C3%25A99h%255B3%255D.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2Niarr59y_8/U...GCBqg/s1600-h/cand%25C3%25A99g%255B3%255D.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vmeb_hpEzbQ/U...QwjNo/s1600-h/cand%25C3%25A99r%255B3%255D.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/-V5eE2g8x7uo/U...H7S9w/s1600-h/cand%25C3%25A99s%255B3%255D.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fY1VbdYhr_o/U...mXMiI/s1600-h/cand%25C3%25A99u%255B3%255D.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0L7B8_LoAjo/UoNXd2q9BNI/AAAAAAAAO_0/AWe5NVexf4g/s1600-h/cand9a3.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/-t8Ap1ecHBsU/U...1BVyis/s1600-h/cand%25C3%25A94%255B3%255D.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/-isAI2a4uIlk/UoNXZ0unZFI/AAAAAAAAO_E/5Nn3wBZH48g/s1600-h/cand73.jpg
 
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The Dook was a keen gardener. No doubt the gardens at the Mill got the same keen attention as those at Fort Belvedere.
 
 
thank you for posting these picture Sun Lion they are great !!
sam
 
This evening there was a PBS show 'Extraordinary Women' airing and tonight's particular episode was on Wallis Simpson. Very interesting. Learned some things I hadn't been aware. Overall, I think it was a sympathetic rendering.

Was surprised to find out that Wallis really did not intend to stay with the Prince when he became King, and that she actually did a lot of good works while in the Bahamas, or was it Bermuda? It also gave a good rendering of her childhood, and her hellish first marriage. Methinks she would have been a much happier woman had she been able to go back to Ernest Simpson and live her life out in that way (as she intended). 'David' really was obsessed with her. In the end she was trapped into that marriage by the world as much as by David. Interesting destiny. Once Ernest Simpson left her, she had little choice as a woman of her time, I think. :sad:
 
:previous: If she and Earnest had stayed within the boundaries of what was acceptable in the upper crust which, let's face it, was liberal and amoral in such a polite and casual way, they might have lived happily ever after discreetly cheating on each other wrapped up in the social whirl.

However, they were both blinded by Edward and his 'set' and the way they lived. While affairs were de rigour within the aristocracy, the royals were a whole different thing. There were too many "outsiders" privy to the intimate goings on by Edward and his set and things like glass ring marks on official state papers were a bit much to expect to go unnoticed. I think Wallis believed she was in control of the relationship right up until Edward decided he couldn't live without her and announced it to his family and government. And then, suddenly, there was no going back.

I don't believe she saw herself as Queen nor do I think she aspired to be so, but rather to be a wealthy, spoiled, discreet mistress, 'married' to Ernest to give the veneer of propriety, but free to be a wife in everything but name to a rich and powerful royal while Ernest dallied discreetly as well. Neither she nor Ernest factored his falling in love into the equation either. But both Edward and Ernest "fell in love" and she ended up married to an ex-king, effectively banished from England and condemned to obscurity.
 
:previous: I agree with everything you wrote except for the obscurity line. I don't believe the Duke and Duchess intended to fade into obscurity and everything they did and said was to try and make sure that they didn't.

There was the visit to Nazi Germany as newlyweds, the many visits to the US over the decades where they were feted by Society, both wrote memoirs, and there were lots of newspaper and magazine articles, like the ones posted above about their homes. They regularly crossed the Atlantic between Europe and the US in the great ocean liners of the day, garnering a great deal of publicity as they did so.

I think they both wished to be thought of and remembered as one of the great romances of the 20th century, star-crossed lovers if you will, in at least the US and Europe if not in Britain and the Empire/Commonwealth. I believe the idea of living quietly and fading into obscurity was hateful to both of them. Also, although David was obsessively in love with Wallis all his life, the memories of his life as a King Emperor were never far away. This was not a man who wanted to fade away and be forgotten.
 
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Want to stay at The Mill, former home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor?

Here are the details - see you there.

https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/properties/celibataire-6060


The Duke with The Mill in the background. Is this the point he called "Cardiac Hill"? :lol:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/07/29/6f/07296f2fd0417fa4d49f2ae50c2101f2.jpg


Some formal photos of the property.

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/C3YTRT/the...ntry-home-le-moulin-de-la-tuilerie-C3YTRT.jpg

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/C3TWFM/the...ntry-home-le-moulin-de-la-tuilerie-C3TWFM.jpg

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/C3TWH9/the...ntry-home-le-moulin-de-la-tuilerie-C3TWH9.jpg

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/C3TWE8/the...of-windsors-country-home-le-moulin-C3TWE8.jpg

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/C3TWBX/the...uchess-of-windsors-country-home-le-C3TWBX.jpg
 
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Curryong said:
:previous: I agree with everything you wrote except for the obscurity line. I don't believe the Duke and Duchess intended to fade into obscurity and everything they did and said was to try and make sure that they didn't.

Iwanted to fade away and be forgotten.
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well its simple -David didn't want the responsibilities of being King and the restrictions, such as not being able to marry a divorced American.. or having to do duties when eh wasn't in the mood. but he did want the perks. So when he married Wallis, I agree that he didn't think of "fading away into a quite life with his beloved".. He wated to be still seen as a King like figure, and to go on foreign trips and be lauded as royal...He wanted them to be seen and remembered as 2 of "History's Great Lovers"...
I think that David thought that in a few years he cuodl return to England whenever he liked and do duties, if he felt like it, as a Prince if not a king.. and still be part of the RF, but he could get away whenever he wanted to escape. He didn't realise that George VI would not want his "ex King brother" hanging around, and that the public would lose interest and the rest of the RF would never accept Wallis
Wallis would I think have been happy enough with David as King and her as his mistress, known as his partner in society, and rich and admired, but still having her husband to go back to. And if the affair had ended I think she would have happily returned to her married life (or just gotten a quiet divorce and remarried or been a single socialite), and let David go on as King. She was fond of him but I don't believe she was in love or that she expected the affair to go on indefinitely.
 
If she could have gotten her hands on J. Paul Getty, or one of the others, she would have dumped David.
 
padams2359 said:
If she could have gotten her hands on J. Paul Getty, or one of the others, she would have dumped David.
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I dare to doubt that. Becoming the Queen, an Empress of India even, seems more promising to me than becoming a Mrs Getty...
 
:previous:

If David would have lost all his income and title, Wallis may have gone after J Paul Getty, she did like her money. I doubt Mr. Getty would have reciprocated, he preferred glamorous models and blondes. ;)
Years and years ago I read a biography about Wallis and it stated that she was not really all that happy being married to David, of course, she loved the money, travel, title and jet set life, but David remained the immature man he always was and continued to smother her with an obsessive doting. He reportedly, still talked to her in baby talk at times until late middle age. Wallis supposedly became quite irritated and at times was quite mean to David and treated him horribly. As I wrote this was an unauthorized biography of Wallis so how much of it was, in fact, true, I can't say.
However, when David died, I have read that Wallis, already starting to suffer from dementia, kept repeatedly asking for him and wondering where he was.
I think it was a more complicated relationship than appeared on the surface.
In the end, after David abdicated, all they had was each other and had to rely on each other.
 
I think she would prefer a royal /husband or lover, to a rich American.. provided as you say Katrianna that the royal lover was rich and still treated as a special person, which David was.
But yes I think she was not that happy with David as a man.. but she'd gotten into a tangle where she could not really leave him. If she had walked out on him during the Abdication crisis, I think he would have pursued her and unless she had found another husband quickly I think she would have pretty much "had to give in" and come back to him.
He was obsessed. But I thnk she found it a bit waering and they were thrown inot each ohters' company and had to depend on each other. over time yes I thnk that that created a bond, and when eh was gone she was lonely for him. But at times, she was clearly fed up with him and preferred at least one other man, and he was fed up with their lifestyle where he had noting much to do. He loved being with her, but I should think even for him, as he grew older, he problaby had regrets and boredom..
 
At the time of the abdication, Wallis had really painted herself into a corner, which I think she had already realized well ahead of time especially when David became King. He had abdicated because he couldn't be without the woman he loved and declared it, not only to the people of Great Britain, but to millions listening or reading it around the world. The press built it up as a great sacrifice for love, for Wallis to leave David at that time would have put her in the position of the cold hearted, uncaring, gold digger per the press. The man who gave up everything and the woman who rejected him without a thought. I do believe that Denville is correct in that David would have pursued Wallis no matter what, he was that obsessed with her.
 
Katrianna said:
At the time of the abdication, Wallis had really painted herself into a corner, which I think she had already realized well ahead of time especially when David became King. Heher.
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I think she didn't realise how obsessed he was, perhaps, and she had envisaged the affair ending, probably because he had become king and had to make a suitable marriage. and that she would go back to Ernest. But Ern was then in love with his girlfriend and wanted ot marry her and Wallis found that David was besotted with her and wasn't willing to give her up and marry a nice young lady.
and she said that if she had left him, for good, he would have chased after her..
 
Denville said:
I think she didn't realise how obsessed he was, perhaps, and she had envisaged the affair ending, probably because he had become king and had to make a suitable marriage. and that she would go back to Ernest. But Ern was then in love with his girlfriend and wanted ot marry her and Wallis found that David was besotted with her and wasn't willing to give her up and marry a nice young lady.
and she said that if she had left him, for good, he would have chased after her..
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Even scarier is some reports I've read that David had told Wallis that if she ever left him, he'd kill himself. That's how besotted with her he was and from what I know of the man, he wasn't the strongest of character and it doesn't surprise me that he'd be symptomatic of being codependent totally on Wallis. They led a very narcissistic and hedonistic lifestyle and that is very common in people that demand to get what they want.

I think Wallis enjoyed high society and the high life but she wasn't that committed to any specific goals such as money, titles and devotion. By the time she did come to realize that David's dependency on her was a full blown fatal attraction, it was too late.

People often blame Wallis for the abdication and I do think she was a factor but not the cause. David, himself, would never have been a strong king to lead his country through WWII as his nature was more of a follower than a leader.

JMO of course.
 
Yes, Osipi, I think you are quite right. David had all the stubbornness of a weak and vain man. He was not a leader and it's always been my belief he never wanted to be King and was looking for an 'out' as early as the First World War. Wallis was in many ways the ideal solution. He could claim the high ground in this love story, in abdicating for the woman he loved he gained a lasting fame for both of them. Britain was so very lucky that he was not monarch in 1939.
 
I've never heard that he threatened to kill himself. But clealry he would not have let WaLLIS go without a drama and a fight and as she had presumably had some feeligns for him and was linked with him.. and in a way had no one to go back to, by then, she was stuck with him.
 
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