Although, technically, not a 'royal' wedding, the relationship between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson cannot be overlooked in a book about royal weddings. This was the relationship and wedding that, in recent history, changed our monarchy - it made a king abdicate for the woman that he loved.
Edward was brought up to be King. He was charismatic and charming, and had a dashing beauty about him. Edward knew from childhood that he was destined to become King. He was the first child to George V and Mary of Teck. His other siblings were Albert (later George VI), Mary, The Princess Royal, Prince Henry, Prince George and Prince John. Born during the reign of Queen Victoria, his father ascended the throne when Edward was six. Edward and his siblings were brought up by nannies and educated by private tutors. After this, he moved on to the Osborne Naval College for two years - which he did not enjoy - then onto the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. After that he went into the Navy. However, just a month after his sixteenth birthday on 23 June 1910, he was made Prince of Wales after his father became King and had to withdraw from college to undertake preparations for his future career as King. He did a stint at Magdalen College, Oxford, but left prematurely.
As the First World War broke out, Edward joined the Grenadier Guards and saw service in the trenches; although the Secretary of State at the time refused to let him serve on the front
Above: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor. After the King's abdication, the couple lived in France. This view shows them just before their wedding.
Right: Edward and Wallis at home in the West Indies.
Line in case he was captured. His popularity with the people increased due to his willingness fight for his country. After the war, the Prince of Wales undertook tours of the Empire and visited many places at home and abroad. One of these trips was to Australia on HMS Renown - my grandfather was a stoker on board at the time of this trip and brought my great-aunt a brooch with the Australian map, a Wishbone and Kookaburra on it. This was in turn handed down to me. During his travels, Edward also was a regular on the world's great ocean liners such as RMS Olympic and RMS Queen Mary. As he was seen around town and in glamorous places, Edward was well-photographed and became a fashion trend-setter.
However, there was another side to the Prince of Wales. He was unmarried and could not settle down. He had affairs with married women, including Freda Dudley Ward - a textile heiress - and Lady Furness. It was she who introduced Edward to Mrs Wallis Simpson.
Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896 in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, she was the only child of Teackle Wallis Warfield and Alice Montague. However, her father died of tuberculosis when she was a baby and she and her mother were taken care of by her wealthy uncle, Solomon Davies Warfield. Shortly after, her aunt Bessie was widowed and Wallis and her mother moved into her house in Baltimore. In 1908, Wallis' mother married Democratic Party chief, John Freeman Rasin Jr. Wallis attended the private school, Oldfields School, during her early life. Her uncle paid for them. She made friends with heiresses, industrialists and Senators' daughters.
Her first husband was Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. She met him while visiting her cousin Corinne in Florida. He was a US Navy pilot. They were married on 8 November 1916 in Baltimore. Win and Wallis moved to San Diego, then onto Washington DC. While her husband was posted overseas, she had an affair with an Argentinian Diplomat, Felipe Espil. Another of Wallis' affairs was rumoured to be with Count Galeazzo Ciano, who became Mussolini's son-in-law. She and her husband split in 1925 and were divorced in 1927.
However, Wallis did not let the grass grow under her feet. By the time her divorce came through, she was already linked with Ernest Simpson, who was in shipping. After divorcing his wife, he married Wallis on 21 July 1928 in London. As the couple were affluent, they met many aristocrats and titled people. She became friends with Lady Furness, who was the Prince of Wales' current mistress. While moving in the same circles, Wallis caught Edward's eye and the pair soon started an affair. At that point, Wallis' marriage to Ernest Simpson was disintegrating. His fortune had diminished and the couple were living beyond their income.
As the relationship between Edward and Wallis flourished, concerns were being raised about his dependence on her. She was unacceptable as Queen because she was a divorcee, his mother and father could not accept her as a member of the Court, and the affair was affecting his work.
In 1936, George V died and Edward became Britain's next king. Unfortunately, his relationship with Wallis was unacceptable to the Government and to Court. Also, the Church of England would not allow him to marry her as her ex-spouses were still living.
After her Decree Nisi was granted in October 1936, Wallis fled to Cannes, France, after the scandalous affair was made public in Britain. The King was given an ultimatum - Wallis or his Country. He chose Wallis. On 10 December 1936, Edward signed the Instrument of Abdication. Then, on 11 December, broadcast his abdication speech to the nation and left Britain.
The couple were reunited at the Chateau de Cande in France in May 1937. Edward
Edward and Wallis travelling in style. Wallis was renowned for her chic up-to-the-minute fashion sense. Here, they have just arrived at Cherbourg on the Boat Train, ready to catch the Queen Mary in 1952.
Gave her a 19.77 carat emerald, accompanied by diamonds. They were married one month later on 3 June 1937 - King George V's birthday. The Royal Family did not approve of the wedding and did not attend. Wallis was not accepted into royal circles nor was she allowed to use the title of Her Royal Highness.
The chateau had been beautifully decorated for the wedding with pink and white peonies. Sixteen guests, including Wallis' Aunt 'Bessie', attended the ceremonies. The first ceremony was a French civil ceremony, then a religious blessing was performed by the Reverend Robert Jardine. He was an Episcopalian Minister from Yorkshire. They could not have a Church of England blessing because the Church did not approve of their marriage.
Wallis's wedding attire consisted of a blue, full-length cocktail dress in silk crepe fabric by the designer Mainbocher. This also came with a fitted jacket and gloves. A hat with pink and blue feathers had been designed by Caroline Reboux in the style of a cloche hat. Her blue shoes were made of suede and designed by Georgette of Paris. She borrowed a handkerchief from her aunt. Her trousseau was made up of more than sixty pieces by famous French designers such as Dior.
The couple's wedding reception was a meal of lobster, chicken a la King, salad and to finish, strawberries and cream. They had a six-tier wedding.
For their honeymoon, they went to Venice and Milan, then Austria, then onto the Schloss Wasserleonburg in Germany. As Wallis had a fear of flying - after seeing two air accidents when she was first married to Earl Winfield Spencer - she preferred to travel by land and sea.
World History
