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

[Elspeth]

I've merged the two threads you started on this topic, Lashinka.

Keep up the posting; this is an interesting topic and quite relevant considering what's going on with the present Prince of Wales.

[sara1981]

both not going buried at Royals?

Sara Boyce

[Elspeth]

Sara, they were both buried at Windsor after funeral services at St George's Chapel. The Duchess's funeral was private; there was no lying in state and no royal standard on her coffin.

[morgaine]

Some more Pics I hope you dont have posted yet!!!

[lashinka2002]

1. In New York City
2. Duke & Duchess holding hands
3. Vacationing in Italy 1953
4. In Bermuda 1940
5. Nixon escorts the duchess
6. In their Paris home 1964
7. South of France 1938
8. Duke & Duchess

[lashinka2002]

1. New Years Eve New York city Dec 31, 1949
2. Paris Lido night club 1955
3. Lido Paris club 1959 on the anniversary of abdication 23 years before
4. Venice Italy at a party they threw
5. top view of people dining at their table at the Waldorf. Duke & duchess at the centre of table leaning over near candles 1951
6. King Edward VIII on vacation in Yugoslavia with Wallis 1936
7. Duke & Duchess
8. At Washington Stage Door Canteen 1943

[lashinka2002]

1. Duchess arrives for husbands funeral
2. Duke's coffin arrives in England
3. Duchess at Buckingham Palace before Edwards funeral
4. Leaving St. Georges Chapel before burial at Frogmore June 5, 1972
5. Same pic as above
6. Wallis Simpson & QEII

[lashinka2002]

"A boy is holding a girl so very tight in his arms tonight"

"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"

"I like going there for golf. America's one vast golf course these days"

"I was shocked and angry with the startling suggestion that I should send from my land, my realm, the woman I intended to marry"

"The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children"

[lashinka2002]

1. Wearing a dress with brocade bodice, in her suite at the Hotel Meurice in Paris. 1937
2. Standing between two armchairs, and wearing elbow-length black satin gloves and a dark taffeta gown with hoop skirt, by Mainbocher. 1947
3. Sitting in an armchair and wearing a cap-sleeved, silk shantung gown by Mainbocher with black satin gloves and a gold necklace with sapphires and rubies. 1947
4. Wearing a sleeveless white dress with patterned skirt, sitting on the grass in the garden of Chateau de Cande.
5. The Duchess of Windsor wearing a dark short-sleeved dress with a printed neck scarf, and sitting before a Chinese screen.
6. Wearing a black dress with white embroidery in front, standing next to a dresser set with a vase of flowers, in a salon at the Chateau de Cande. 1937.
7. Wearing a white dress with painted design on the skirt, standing and holding bundles of flowered twigs in the garden of the Chateau de Cande.
8. Wearing a short-sleeved Vionnet dress and belt, holding a hip-length jacket. 1945.

[lashinka2002]

Has anyone heard of this rumor before?

This web site claims that there was a daughter born to the duke & duchess in 1934.
Please let me know of your opinions
I attached the home page of the site, if your interested here's the link
http://we3.org/





n December of 1936 King Edward VIII of Great Britain was forced, by elements in the British government, to give up his throne because he intended to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson. They were married six months later.

It was unknown to the world that Edward and Wallis had had a child in June of 1934, and that child was taken from them.

It was not until December of 1995, that their daughter learned her true parents' identity.

In the months that followed resemblances became apparent. Their daughter & her immediate family, spanning three generations, had inherited features from Wallis and Edward, and their families, as can be seen in the accompanying pictures. These likenesses together with the discovery of many hidden clues are evidence that divine intervention was necessary to expose past deeds which have altered the course of history.


Wallis and Edward on vacation in August and September, 1934, shortly after the loss of their child. This photo, and others taken during this vacation depict a somber mood.

[Elspeth]

I think that claim has been discussed here before and generally considered to be untrue.

[lashinka2002]

Oh, I didn't know. I must have missed that discussion!
It looks to be untrue to me as well.
The photographs seem altered and as far as I knew Wallis was unable to have children due to an abortion gone wrong in her younger years. Please correct me if i'm wrong.

[lashinka2002]

Edward VIII (1894-1972) was the eldest son of George V and and Mary of Teck (Queen Mary). He was the greatgrandson of Victoria. Edward was born Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David Windsoron at White Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey. He was known within his family as David. He along with his brothers grew up wearing silor suits and kilts. The images of David and his brothers and sisters were circulated more than any other prince and princess becausing of the developing technology of prinfting photographs in magazines and newspapers and the development of the popular penny postcard. He was perhaps the most popular Prince of Wales in English history--certainly in modern British history. His winning personaslity made him a great favorite with a wide range of the British public. It was given that popularity that his decession to abdicate to mary an American divorce was a great shock to the British people.

Queen Mary
Albert's mother is often criticised for being cold and indifferent to her children. This is an harsh assessment, but she clearly was not affectionate with her children. There were times, especially when her husband was not present that she played a more maternal role.

King George V
His father, who also was not expected to be king, was a harsh disciplinarian who because of his naval background was fanatically punctual. He was particularly severe with his two oldest sons, David (Edward VIII) and Albert. Some have even used the term cruel. Many assessments of his father unfairly assess him in modern terms and not in comparison to other turn of the century fathers. Even so, he does seem to have been unduly harsh and always formal with the children.

Siblings
George V and Queen Mary had 6 children, 5 boys and a girl. They were presented as the model British family. Certainly they did not have the problems the modern English press likes to report with the current royals. They did, of course, have their problems with Edward--eventually resulting in the greatest modern crisis in the monarch. Edward became famous for renouncing the throne to mary a divorced American. His brother Albert who had never been raised to be king, not only inherited the crown, but the great task of leading Britain through the trials of World War II.


Relationship with Parents
David complained that he had a miserable childhood. His major complaints concern his father. David did not get along with this father who was very severe with them. According to some sources Edward was actually terrified of his father. When his brother Bertie (George VI) was born, Edward asked his father where the baby came from. His father answered that he flew in through the window. When Edward asked what happened to his brother's wings, his father answered that he chopped them off. Edward was understandably terrified. As the boys got older, King George's idea of fatherhood was to lecture the boys relentlessly for any imperfections. Their father was also very strict about posture and deportment. Once when he saw David with his hands in the pockets of his sailor suit, ordered all the pockets sewn shut. We have not yet developed information on David's relationship with his mother. The letters between David and his parents have been saved. They are notable for the complete absence of affection. Their parents letters sounded more like an account of state functions that would seem more suitable for the Times. Their father reportedly berated them both because of their poor academic performance. Edward complained that their tutors had never taught him anything. He hated the constant belittlement by his father and did not grieve when he died.

Relationship with Siblings
Bertie was of course very close as child with his older brother David. As older boys they drifted apart. This was in part because as an older boy he refused to always defer to David. It is notable, for example, when David as Prince of Wales made trips around the Empire to help popularize the monarchy and relations with the mother country, the future Lord Mounbatton was chosen as a comanion and not Bertie. He was, however, a frequent visitor to Berie's home after Bertie mairred. He was the Princess Elizabeth's favorite uncle. He would play games with her. Then one day she was to later write, "He stopped coming." We have no information at this time on David's relations with his sister and other brothers.

[lashinka2002]

Environment
David and his younger brother Albert, as well as their sister Mary, were born into rather startlingly different circustance. More children were to come, but these three older children grew up in the nursery together and were very close to each other. Their great grandmother Queen Victioria was still alive and continued to live in an evironment of mourning and gloom. This could not have been more drasticaly different than the world of their grand parents the Prince and Princess of Wales who lived in a world of lights and special elegance. Both, but especially the Princess of Wales loved to spoil and dote on the children. Than their was their own parents, Prince George and Princess Mary. Their father believed in a rather plain life and insisted on strict discipline for the children.

Tutor & Education
Edward (David) and Bertie were educated at home by a tutor--apparently not very successfuly. The first school they went to was the Royal Naval College at Osborne. Almost all of the boys there were well used to the give and take of school life. Many had boarded at other schools. David and Bertie were, however, totally un prepared by their home tutoring.

Royal Navy Cadets
The first school the boys attended was the Royal Naval School at Osborne. Neither boy was used to dealing with other children and had quite a hard time of it. They were reportedly relentlessly hazed by the other cadets. Their classmates would rub ink in Edward's blond hair. Once they put Edward VIII in a window seal and pretended to guillotine him by closing the window.

Prince of Wales
David was the first Prince of Wales to be invested in 300 years. It was made into quite an event. At his investiture, he was horrified at the costume he had to wear, knee britches with long white stockings. He complained of what the other cadets would say if they saw him dressed like that.

World War I
Edward served during the First World War, causing much concern to his superiors as he was always trying to get to the front line. He was undoubtedly affected by the War as he sat in a safe staff position while so many were killed. .


Post-war Era
After World War I Edward proved to be an emensely popular Prince of Wales. He travelled extensively throughout the Empire and beyond on epic voyages. He also played hard, socially as well as sportingly, often putting himself recklessly at risk. He became better known and loved than any previous royal figure. He found royal appearances taxing and continued to be constantly criticised by his father. He was enormously popular with the British public. His good looks and charm gave him a charisma lacking in the rest of his family. Much has been written about his politics. Some believe he wanted to play amore active role in politics han was permitted by the unwritten British constitution. He seem like many in the 1930s to have lost faith in democrcy. Among his friends were British Fascist Oswald Mosley. Some even say that he was a NAZI sympethizer. Given his personal polulariuty, these sentiments appear to have caused concern with Prime Minister Baldwin who was all to willing to force his abdication when the opportunity presented itself.

King
Edward was born and bred to be the King of England. He served in France with the army during World War I (1914-18). The courtly Prince of Wales was in the 1930s the world's most eligible bachelor, attracting adoring females wherever he ventured. The press at the time followed his every move. Yet his 20s and 30s passed with no bride. He was popular with the British people, despite his rather capricious life style. He toured areas of Britain such as Wales, hard hit by the Great Depression. Many of his subjects view him as more sympathetic to their plight than th Government. Unmarried still at age 41, he was widely perceived as a charming gadabout, weak-willed and incapable of making up his mind. His grand nephew Prince Edward writes, "It is almost impossible to describe the sense of shock, disbelief and betrayal that swept not just Britain but the rest of the Empire over a matter of weeks when news leaked out of his affair with American diorcee Wallis Simpson.


Abdication
The King of England is head of the Church of England and defender of the faith. Divorce was not approved by the Church. Here Edward was seeking to develop a divorcee about to get a second divorce. Edward had little regard for Prime Minister Baldwin. The Prime Minister feined concern and advised the King to seek the Government's advise. Under the British Constitution, he king is obligated to follow the Governments advise when he requests it. The Government advised aginst the mairrge, leaving Edward no options. Baldwin while stressing divorce as the major issue, is believed this as a pretext for removing Edward who he considered dangerous.


Edward on December 11, 1936, in a radio broadcast that reached millions, the newly proclaimed King announced the unthinkable. 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, he said, without the help and support of the woman I love. That woman was preceived by many Brits as a domineering, scheeming woman, made worse because she was an American.


Plans for Edward's coronation, upset by the abdication, were left in place for his brother George VI. In May 1936 while riding back from an army parade in Hyde Park, Edward survived an assassination attempt made by an Irish journalist who was angry at the Home Secretary. The would-be killer, George McMahon, pulled out a gun, which came loose during a struggle with police and fell under the King's horse. The police retrieved the gun and Edward kept on riding.

Marriage
Edward married Wallis in 1937 at Chateau de Cande, Monts, France. Wallis was shunned by the royal family creating great bitterness between Edward and hif family. Financial squables caused further difficulties. He was 43 years old at the time of the mairrage.

World War II
Edward caused further controversy when he visited NAZI Germany and was warmly received by Hitler, Goering, and other NAZI luminaries. The NAZIs courted European royalty in an effort to establish their credibility. Edward's behavior in France with the Army and after fleeing to Spain when France fell caused further controversy. Charges that he was sympathetic to the NAZIs and considering NAZI attempts to set him up as puppet king have never been proven, but some evidence certinly raises eyebrows. His behavior in Spain after the fall of France certainly is difficult to explain. It even angered Churchill who has supported him. One historian goes as far as to accuse him of treason, claiming he passed information on the French defenses to a German spy, Charles Eugene Bedaux. The evidence, however, is hardly conclusive for such an allrgation. Historians continue, however, to debate the episode. The general consensus is that Edward was a dilatante, but not a traitor.

The Duke of Windsor
Although his wildly romantic declaration cost Edward his job and his country, for the King it seemed an even exchange. "She promised to bring into my life somethingthat wasn't there", he explained in his 1951 autobiography. "I was convinced that with her I'd be a more creative and more useful person." Others saw the relationship differently. She was a dominant type, says author Gore Vidal, "and he, having been beaten up by nannies and governesses all his life, needed a strong woman to bawl him out".


There were no known children. Mrs. Simpson because of an abortion could not have children. Some believe that Edward himself may have been infertile because od a severe illness contracted at Osbourne while he was a cadet.
Edward was known as the Duke of Windsor after his abdication. He published his autobiography, A King's Story" in 1951. The Duke was the subject of a 1965 documentary, A King's Story. The Duke died in 1972 at the age of 78 from natural causes. He is buried at Windsor, Berkshire.