♥️ TREE 342: Unruly Figures – Edward VIII
Every Monday in February, Valorie Clark is sharing an episode of her fascinating podcast Unruly Figures. This post will whet your appetite but really good stuff is in the podcast episode. Listen, learn and enjoy. —Jeff
It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air, so I want to talk about one of the most stunning Big Romantic Gestures in political history: Edward VIII’s abdication.
Edward VIII, or as he was later called, the Duke of Windsor, was born in 1894. He was a shy and melancholy child, probably due to an abusive nanny and distant parents. As he grew up, the Prince was known to be quite handsome and became a men’s fashion icon. He was one of the first royals to be mobbed by screaming fans every time he appeared in public–an early version of the Beatlemania that was to come.
He struggled to find love. He dated a series of married, older women before falling in love with Wallis Simpson, a married American. She too was known for being fashionable and a wonderful host.
Once he took the throne, this affair was a source of trouble. His role as King made him Head of the Church of England as well, and he couldn’t be seen carrying on with a married woman. Even if she divorced, he could never be with her – the Church of England didn’t recognise remarriage if an ex-spouse was still living. He had to choose: the throne or Wallis.
To call the abdication romantic depends on your point of view. Certainly, with rose-tinted glasses, it seems the peak of romance to choose love over duty, but his country felt betrayed by him and they spent their marriage in exile.
Edward composed Mallorca while on a trip to the Mediterranean when he was still the Prince of Wales. Here’s a midi version. It’s also on this album, which you Northumbrian pipes fans will surely know already.
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