by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, later The Duke of Windsor; Credit – Wikipedia

The future King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom was born on June 23, 1894, at White Lodge, Richmond Park on the outskirts of London, England.  At the time of his birth, his great-grandmother Queen Victoria sat on the throne of the United Kingdom.  His parents, the future King George V and Queen Mary were the Duke and Duchess of York, and his grandparents, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were the Prince and Princess of Wales.  The infant prince was the eldest son of his parents and was third in the line of succession behind his grandfather and father.

The little prince was christened with a long string of names, Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, on July 16, 1894, in the Green Drawing Room at White Lodge by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury.  The name Edward was in honor of his late uncle and elder brother of his father Prince Albert Victor known as Prince Eddy.  Christian was for his great-grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark and Albert was for his great-grandfather Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  The last four names, George, Andrew, Patrick, and David, were in honor of the patron saints of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.  In the family, the prince was known as David.

David had twelve grandparents, nine of whom were reigning sovereigns/consorts or future reigning sovereigns/consorts:

• Christian IX, King of Denmark (his maternal great-grandfather)
• Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg (his mother’s distant cousin)
• The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Edinburgh (his father’s paternal uncle Alfred)
• The Prince of Wales (his grandfather, the future King Edward VII)
• Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia (the future Emperor Nicholas II, his father’s first cousin)
• The Duke of Teck (his maternal grandfather)
• Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (his mother’s maternal uncle)
• Queen Victoria (his paternal great-grandmother)
• Queen Louise of Denmark (his maternal great-grandmother, born Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel)
• Queen Olga of Greece (his great-aunt, born Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia)
• The Princess of Wales (his paternal grandmother, the future Queen Alexandra, born Princess Alexandra of Denmark)
• The Duchess of Teck (his maternal grandmother, born Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge)

David had four brothers and one sister:

• King George VI (1895-1952), married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, had two daughters
• Mary, Princess Royal (1897-1965), married Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, had two sons
• Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1900-1974), married Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott, had two sons
• Prince George, Duke of Kent, (1902-1942), married Princess Marina of Greece, had two sons and one daughter
• Prince John (1905-1919)

David’s Family, 1906

David and his siblings were raised at York Cottage, his parents’ home on the grounds of Sandringham, and York House, St James’ Palace. When Queen Victoria died in 1901, his grandfather became King Edward VII. His parents became The Prince and Princess of Wales, and soon the family moved to Marlborough House, just across from St James’ Palace.  David and his brother, the future King George VI (called Bertie in the family), were raised by Frederick Finch, the nursery footman, and Henry Hansell, their tutor. Finch remained an important person in David’s life as he later became his valet and his butler. David continued under Hansell’s instruction until 1907 when he enrolled at the Osborne Naval College.  He did not enjoy his time there and after two years, he moved on to continue his studies at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

David as a midshipman on board HMS Hindustan, Credit – Wikipedia

In May 1910, David’s grandfather King Edward VII died and David’s father became King George V. David automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester a month later on June 23, 1910, his 16th birthday.  Now that he was the heir to the throne, his education intensified. He was withdrawn from his naval course before his formal graduation and served as a midshipman for three months aboard the battleship Hindustan.  Next, he was enrolled at Magdalen College, Oxford, even though he was intellectually underprepared. He left Oxford after eight terms without any academic qualifications.

On July 13, 1911, at Caernarvon Castle in Wales, David was formally invested as Prince of Wales in a ceremony instigated and devised by Welsh politician David Lloyd George, Constable of the Castle and Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time and a future Prime Minister.  David, at the sensitive age of sevemteen, was made to wear what he considered a ridiculous fancy outfit.

The Prince of Wales at the Front in Merville, France, August 8, 1915; Credit – Wikipedia

When World War I started in 1914, David was eager to participate. He had joined the Grenadier Guards in June 1914 and was willing to serve on the front lines.  However, Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener refused to allow it because of the possible harm that could occur if the enemy captured the heir to the throne.  David countered that he had four younger brothers and the succession to the throne was safe, but it was to no avail. The sense of frustration he felt was to remain for the rest of his life. David did not witness trench warfare first-hand but he visited the front lines as often as he could.

David, as Prince of Wales, made several successful overseas tours in the 1920s and the 1930s. He was a popular prince and was admired for his fashion style and easy manner.  Much to his father’s annoyance, David showed little interest in marrying and settling down. His father was disgusted by his affairs with married women and was reluctant to see him inherit the throne. King George V prophetically said, “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months.”

In 1930, King George V gave David the lease of Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park. There, David continued his relationships with a series of married women, including socialite Freda Dudley Ward and Thelma, Viscountess Furness, the American wife of a British peer, who introduced the prince to her friend and fellow American Wallis Simpson. Wallis was in her second marriage to Ernest Simpson, an American-born naturalized British shipping executive.  Her first marriage had ended in divorce.  The Simpsons became frequent guests at Fort Belvedere and Wallis acted as his hostess despite the presence of her complacent husband.

On January 20, 1936, King George V died and David became King Edward VIII.  He showed impatience with court protocol and caused concern by his disregard for established constitutional conventions. He was also completely enthralled by Wallis and was naively convinced that once she was free from her marriage, he would be able to marry her and she would be queen.  At that time, it was unthinkable that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England could marry a person who had been divorced not just once, but twice.  David’s insistence on proceeding with these plans despite much advice to the contrary provoked a government crisis.

David informed Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry Wallis. Baldwin then presented the king with three choices:  (1) give up the idea of marriage  (2) marry against his ministers’ wishes  (3) abdicate. It was evident that David was not prepared to give up Wallis and knew that if he married against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis. He chose to abdicate.

The Instrument of Abdication; Credit – Wikipedia

King Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication at Fort Belvedere on December 10, 1936, in the presence of his brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York, the heir to the throne; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The next day, the last act of his reign was the royal assent to His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, necessary because only Parliament can change the succession to the throne. On the evening of December 11, 1936, once again His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the former king gave his famous radio speech in which he said, “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.”

On December 12, 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council, the new King George VI announced his intention to give his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”.

• Wikipedia: Edward VIII Abdication Crisis

On June 3, 1937, David married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé, near Tours, France. The legality of King George VI’s Letters Patent stating that David’s style Royal Highness could not be extended to his wife or children is doubtful.  As the son of a British monarch, David was entitled to that style which should have automatically reverted to him upon his abdication and automatically extended to his legal wife and any legitimate children. David considered denying his wife the style Her Royal Highness unjust, but out of respect for his brother, he never made it a public issue.  In their household, the Duchess of Windsor was always addressed as Royal Highness.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson

During World War II, David was stationed with the British Military Mission to France. However, after accusations that he held Nazi sympathies, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor lived the latter part of their lives in Paris, France in a mansion they called Villa Windsor located at 4 Route du Champ d’Entraînement in the Bois de Boulogne, a large park. The house is owned by the city of Paris and was leased to the Windsors at a nominal rent from 1952 to 1986.  During the 1950s and 1960s, the Duke and Duchess were treated as celebrities and were the toast of parties they hosted and attended as guests.  The couple visited Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon at the White House and were popular guests among society around the world.

President Richard Nixon and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, 1970; Credit – Wikipedia

The Duchess was never fully accepted by the Royal Family. Her mother-in-law Queen Mary refused to formally receive her. Occasionally, the Duke visited his mother and brother King George VI, and he attended his brother’s funeral in 1952 and his mother’s funeral in 1953. He did not attend the coronation of his niece Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. In 1965, the Duke and Duchess visited London and were visited by the Duke’s niece Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke’s sister-in-law Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and the Duke’s sister Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. During their visit to London, the Duke’s sister Mary suddenly died and the couple attended her funeral. The funeral of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent in 1968 was the last royal event the Duke attended. He was invited to the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969 but declined the invitation.

The Duke’s health started to decline during the 1960s when he was treated for an aneurysm and detached retina. He was a heavy smoker and in late 1971 was diagnosed with throat cancer. Early in 1972, the Duke underwent surgery for a hernia. On May 18, 1972, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales visited the Duke of Windsor at his Paris home while on a state visit to France. The Duke was too ill to come downstairs to tea, but the Queen spent 15 minutes talking alone with her Uncle David in his sitting room after the Duchess of Windsor hosted tea in the downstairs drawing room.

Ten days later, a statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is announced with deep regret that His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, has died at his home in Paris at 2:25 A.M., Sunday, May 28, 1972.” The Duke of Windsor died a month before his 78th birthday. The Duke’s body lay in state at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and an unexpectedly large number of people filed by the casket.

Queen Elizabeth II, The Duchess of Windsor, and The Queen Mother at the Duke of Windsor’s funeral

At the Duke’s request, a private royal funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The casket, draped in the Duke’s personal standard, was carried into the chapel by eight soldiers of the Welsh Guard followed by The Duke of Edinburgh, King Olav V of Norway, a first cousin of the Duke, and other male members of the Royal Family. Excepting the Duke’s only surviving brother The Duke of Gloucester, who was too ill, all other adult members of the Royal Family attended the funeral. The Dean of Windsor the Rt. Rev. Launcelot Fleming conducted the funeral service with the Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey and the Archbishop of York Donald Coggan. During the funeral, the Garter King of Arms recited words reserved for a deceased sovereign: “Knight of the Garter, of the Thistle, of St. Patrick, Knight Grand Cross of a multiplicity of Orders, sometime the most high, most mighty and most excellent monarch Edward VIII of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India.”

The Duke’s casket was made of plain English oak and bore the inscription “HRH The Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, Duke of Windsor. Born 1894. Died 1972. King Edward VIII 20th January – 11th December 1936.” The Duke of Windsor was buried near his brother the Duke of Kent at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore behind the Royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Frogmore near Windsor Castle. The Duchess of Windsor attended her husband’s funeral. She lived as a recluse in her Paris home until she died in 1986 and was buried next to her husband.

Graves of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Photo Credit – findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

House of Windsor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Index
• House of Windsor Index
• Birth of the House of Windsor
• British Royal Weddings
• Children, Grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren, and Great-Great-Grandchildren of King George V
• Coronations after the Norman Conquest (1066 – present)
• First Cousins of King George VI and King Edward VIII
• History and Traditions: Windsor Weddings Part 1 – Children of King George V
• History and Traditions: Windsor Weddings Part 2 – Later Windsor Weddings
• House of Windsor Christenings
• House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and House of Windsor Burial Sites
• Line of Succession to the British Throne
• Windsor Weddings Part 1 – Children of King George V
• Windsor Weddings Part 2 – Later Windsor Weddings
• When The British Monarch Dies

by Emily McMahon © Unofficial Royalty 2013

I have recently found myself with a bit more free time on my hands due to an attack of acute appendicitis and a consequent appendectomy. In these days appendectomies are typically quick, routine surgeries that involve fairly easy recoveries for most patients (as mine has been). However, surgery to relieve appendicitis is a relatively new treatment that has been practiced regularly for only about the past 100 years – previous sufferers of appendicitis typically died of sepsis.

One of the most famous (and at the time controversial) surgeries for appendicitis occurred in the United Kingdom in 1902. After spending more than 59 years as the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, would be beginning his own rule as Edward VII. What occurred a few months into Edward’s reign changed the course of medical and legal history in surprising ways.

Edward had been king for a few months when a brilliant coronation ceremony was meticulously planned for June 26, 1902, at Westminster Abbey. Having spent nearly sixty years in pursuit of the finer things in life, Edward had had plenty of time to consider exactly how large of a celebration his coronation would entail. Several thousand pounds of fowl were ordered for the banquet, viewing stands were constructed along the parade route, and numerous hotels were built to accommodate the influx of expected guests to London.

While Edward was focused on the details of his coronation, his body had other plans. In the two weeks preceding the coronation, Edward had recurrent abdominal pain accompanied by a fever. After being examined by several members of his medical staff, Frederick Treves (once a physician for Joseph Merrick, otherwise known as the Elephant Man), Edward’s accomplished and newly-appointed Sergeant-Surgeon was summoned for his opinion.

Dr. Frederick Treves. Photo credit: Wikipedia

By the time Treves first examined Edward on June 18, Edward was running a constant fever and had developed a mass in the lower right quadrant of his abdomen. For his part, Edward was eager to resume his activities and was annoyed at the thought of rumors of his illness circulating. Edward’s private secretary, Sir Francis Knollys, quickly issued a report denying any problems with Edward’s health.

Although Edward was feeling well enough to attend a lavish banquet on June 23, he was confined to bed the following day with a high fever and intense pain. After another examination of the King, the medical team concluded that Edward was suffering from appendicitis and required immediate surgery.

The regrettable timing aside, Edward was incredibly fortunate to have appendicitis while in the care of Dr. Treves. Although not the first to perform an appendectomy, Treves first did surgery on a patient with recurrent appendicitis in 1888. After the successful surgery, Treves authored a paper presented to the Royal Medical and Surgical Society a few months later recommending the removal of appendices in similar cases. Although his recommendation was not well-received by the medical community, by the turn of the 20th century he had removed more than one thousand appendices.

Insisting on fulfilling his duty, Edward rejected his doctors’ planned course of action. He continued to refuse surgery until Treves bluntly pointed out that Edward would be dead before the coronation took place. This approach seemed to work on Edward as he finally agreed to the surgery – and the coronation was officially postponed until further notice.

Shortly after noon on June 24, the abscess in Edward’s abdomen was drained, irrigated, packed with gauze, and fitted with rubber tubing to allow additional pus to escape. The operation took about an hour and a half. Edward started to choke during the operation, but the team managed to get the King to breathe again by pulling on his beard, thus opening his mouth.

Edward’s appendix was actually not removed, but the draining and cleaning of the abscess prevented further illness. On the following day, Edward was able to sit up in bed and smoke a cigar and within two weeks, it was clear that the King would make a full recovery. The medical team (including Treves) was awarded knighthoods for their actions and authored numerous articles that described the King’s illness and treatment.

Most rejoiced at the King’s miraculous recovery, particularly those in the East End poorhouses who received the thousands of chickens, quails, and game hens intended for the coronation banquet. However, the canceled coronation took its toll on those contracted to provide supplies, services, and payment for venues booked. A number of so-called “coronation cases” were decided in the British courts surrounding the contracts broken due to the cancellation.

Most of these contracts were voided as the arrangements were typically made with the sole purpose of celebrating the coronation. However, in the case of Herne Bay Steamboat Company vs. Hutton, it was ruled that a river cruise could be booked and enjoyed regardless of whether the coronation was held. Mr. Hutton was one of the few coronation case plaintiffs who was ordered to provide full payment as agreed by contract.

A more scaled-down coronation for Edward was held on August 9. While the practice of surgical intervention for appendicitis gained acceptance from one of its most famous patients, its adoption was not universal nor were the symptoms of appendicitis yet fully recognized. Shortly before Edward’s operation, Treves’ own daughter Hattie died of a ruptured appendix. Edward’s nephew Christian of Hanover had died from appendicitis that was incorrectly diagnosed a few months before. And in a final twist of irony, Frederick Treves himself died of peritonitis in Switzerland in 1923. An autopsy was not performed, but the culprit was assumed to be a ruptured appendix.

There is no word yet on the new date for my coronation.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom; Wikipedia

The eldest son and second of nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Edward VII was born on November 9, 1841, at Buckingham Palace in London, England.  He was given the names Albert Edward in honor of his father and his maternal grandfather Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and was called Bertie by his family. The infant prince was christened at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on January 25, 1842, by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury.

His godparents were:

• King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia
• Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (his great-uncle)
• Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his great-uncle)
• The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born Duchess Marie of Württemberg, his step-grandmother)
• The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born Landgravine Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, his step-great-grandmother and the step-mother of Prince Albert’s mother)
• Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom (his great-aunt)

The Prince of Wales in a sailor suit, watercolor, painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1846

Bertie had eight siblings:

• Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901) married Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, had four sons and four daughters
• Princess Alice (1843-1878) married Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, had two sons and five daughters
• Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1844-1900) married Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia, had one son and four daughters
• Princess Helena (1846-1923) married Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, had two sons and two daughters
• Princess Louise (1848-1939) married John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, 9th Duke of Argyll, no children
• Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (1850-1942) married Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, had one son and two daughters
• Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-1884) married Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, had one son and one daughter
• Princess Beatrice (1857-1944) married Prince Henry of Battenberg, had three sons and one daughter

Albert, Victoria and their nine children, 1857. Left to right: Alice, Arthur, Albert, Edward, Leopold, Louise, Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred, Victoria, and Helena; Credit – Wikipedia

As the eldest son of the British monarch, he was automatically Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at birth. Through his father Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he was also Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Duke of Saxony. When Bertie was one month old, he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.  Bertie’s parents were determined to give him an education that would prepare him for his future role, but he did not have the aptitude for studies.  Instead, his strengths were his social skills.

Bertie’s father, Prince Albert, died on December 14, 1861.  The month before, Prince Albert had been informed of rumors that Bertie was having an affair with an Irish actress while doing army service in Ireland.  Already feeling ill, Prince Albert went to Ireland to discuss the affair with his son. For the rest of her life, Queen Victoria blamed Bertie for his father’s death.

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert had been seeking a bride for their eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, known in the family as Bertie. Victoria and Albert’s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia, known as Vicky in the family, was enlisted to help with the search. Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel, had originally been fifth on the list of potential brides. However, Vicky thought Alix, as she was called in her family, would be the perfect match for Bertie and she sent back glowing reports of her to Victoria and Albert. Prince Albert concluded that Alix was “the only one to be chosen”. Vicky then arranged the first meeting between Alix and Bertie in Speyer Cathedral, then in the Kingdom of Prussia, now in Germany, on September 24, 1861. On September 9, 1862, after the death of his father in December 1861, Bertie proposed to Alix at the Royal Palace of Laeken, the home of his great-uncle King Leopold I of the Belgians.  The couple was married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on March 10, 1863. Queen Victoria, in perpetual mourning for Prince Albert, watched the ceremony from Catherine of Aragon’s Closet overlooking the left side of the altar. 

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark

Bertie and Alix on their wedding day, photographed by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, March 10, 1863; Credit – Wikipedia

Bertie and Alix had six children:

• Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (1864 – 1892), unmarried
• King George V (1865 – 1936), married 1893 Princess Mary of Teck; had children
• Princess Louise, Princess Royal (1867 – 1931), married 1889 Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, had children
• Princess Victoria (1868 – 1935), unmarried
• Princess Maud (1869 – 1938), married King Haakon VII of Norway; had one son
• Prince Alexander John (born and died 1871), lived one day

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Bertie and Alix, made their homes at Marlborough House near Buckingham Palace in London and Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, purchased by Queen Victoria for Bertie and Alix. It is still a privately owned residence of the British monarch.

Sandringham House; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

During his marriage, Bertie had quite many mistresses. Apparently, Alix knew about many of them and accepted them. Among the women, Bertie socialized with were: the actress Lillie Langtry; Lady Randolph Churchill (born Jennie Jerome in the USA, was the mother of Winston Churchill); Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick; actress Sarah Bernhardt; and Alice Keppel, the great-grandmother of Queen Camilla.

Alice Keppel; Credit – Wikipedia

After waiting 59 years, Bertie became king upon the death of his mother on January 22, 1901. The coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra was held at Westminster Abbey on August 9, 1902.  Originally scheduled for June 26, it had to be postponed because the new king developed appendicitis.  Bertie and Alix began the practice of the royal family’s public appearances as we now know them during Queen Victoria’s withdrawal after her husband’s death, and they continued this during Bertie’s reign.  The king had royal palaces repaired and reintroduced traditional ceremonies, such as the State Opening of Parliament, that Queen Victoria had not attended.

King Edward VII was known as “the Uncle of Europe” because he was related to many other royals:

• Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was his nephew
• Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia was his nephew by marriage
• Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden, Queen Marie of Romania, Queen Sophie of Greece, and Empress Alexandra of Russia were his nieces
• King Haakon VII of Norway was both his nephew by marriage and his son-in-law
• King George I of Greece and King Frederik VIII of Denmark were his brothers-in-law
• King Albert I of the Belgians, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, and King Carlos I of Portugal, and King Manuel II of Portugal were his second cousins

Bertie’s habits did not keep him in the best of health.  He ate too much and usually smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day.  He began to suffer from chronic bronchitis.  In March 1910 while vacationing in Biarritz, France, Bertie collapsed and remained in Biarritz to recuperate. On April 27, 1910, he returned to Buckingham Palace.  Queen Alexandra had also been away but started her return trip home as soon as she knew about her husband’s condition and arrived in London on May 5.

On May 6, 1910, Bertie insisted that his valet dress him in his frock coat and formal clothes before he received his private secretary Francis Knollys and his good friend Ernest Cassel.  During the afternoon, the king suffered a series of heart attacks, but he refused to be put into bed, sitting instead in a chair.  Alix sent for Alice Keppel, Bertie’s mistress, and arranged for her to see the king during one of his periods of consciousness.  His son George, soon to be king, told him that his horse, Witch of the Air, had won at Kempton Park that afternoon. The king replied, “I am very glad,” his last words. After waiting 59 years to become king and reigning for nine years, King Edward VII lapsed into a coma and died peaceably just before midnight on May 6, 1910, at the age of 68.

King Edward VII was buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on May 20, 1910.  Barbara Tuchman opens The Guns of August, her great book about World War I, a war that would cause the extinction of many European monarchies, with a description of Edward VII’s funeral:

“So gorgeous was the spectacle in the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration.  In scarlet and blue and green and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun.  After them came five heirs apparent, seven queens – four dowagers and three regnant – and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries.  Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last.”

• YouTube: Funeral of Edward VII
• Thames Web: The Funeral of King Edward VII

Tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; Photo Credit – https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/606282/tomb-of-king-edward-vii-and-queen-alexandra

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Books

• Edward and Alexandra: Their Private and Public Lives – Richard Alexander Hough
• Edward VII: The Last Victorian King – Christopher Hibbert
• King Edward VII – Philip Magnus
• Queen Alexandra – Georgina Battiscombe
• The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, The Playboy Prince – Jane Ridley
• The Marlborough Set – Anita Leslie

Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• House of Hanover: Queen Victoria Index
• Bibliography of Royal Biographies: Queen Victoria and Family
• Christenings of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Their Children, and Select Grandchildren
• Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Family
• History and Traditions: Weddings of Queen Victoria and Her Children
• Queen Victoria’s Children and Grandchildren Articles Index
• Queen Victoria’s Great-Grandchildren
• Queen Victoria’s Great-Great-Grandchildren
• Queen Victoria’s Inner Circle Index (Household, Ladies, Prime Ministers, Private Secretaries, Relatives Articles)

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Index
• House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index
• British Royal Weddings
• Coronations after the Norman Conquest (1066 – present)
• First Cousins of King Edward VII
• House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and House of Windsor Burial Sites

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Mary of the United Kingdom, the fourth daughter and eleventh of fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, was born on April 25, 1776, at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London. Mary was christened on May 19, 1776, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’s Palace, by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury.  Her godparents were:

• Landgrave Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel  (her first cousin once removed)
• Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of her first cousin once removed)
• Duchess Charles of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, her paternal aunt by marriage)

Princess Mary at age six by Thomas Gainsborough, 1782; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary had fourteen siblings:

• King George IV (1762 – 1830), married Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, had issue: Princess Charlotte of Wales who died in childbirth as did her child
• Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1763 – 1827), married Frederica of Prussia, no issue
• King William IV (1765 – 1837), married Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, no surviving legitimate issue, has illegitimate descendants
• Charlotte, Princess Royal (1766 – 1828), married King Friedrich I of Württemberg, no surviving issue
• Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1767 – 1820), married Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, had issue: Queen Victoria, present British Royal Family are his descendants
• Princess Augusta Sophia (1768 – 1840), never married, no issue
• Princess Elizabeth (1770 – 1840), married Friedrich, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, no issue
• King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland (1771 – 1851), married Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; had issue
• Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773 – 1843), married twice, both in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 1) Lady Augusta Murray, had issue, marriage annulled 2) Lady Cecilia Buggin (later 1st Duchess of Inverness), no issue
• Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1774 – 1850), married Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, had issue, present British Royal Family are his descendants through his granddaughter Mary of Teck who married King George V of the United Kingdom
• Princess Sophia (1777 – 1848), never married, possible illegitimate issue
• Prince Octavius (1779 – 1783), died in childhood
• Prince Alfred (1780 – 1782), died in childhood
• Princess Amelia (1783 – 1810), never married, no issue

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – Wikipedia

The three younger sisters, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia were educated together, spending much time with Charlotte de Montmollin, their French governess, who taught the sisters not only French but exquisite needlework. Jane Gomm joined the sisters in 1786 as an English teacher and then supervised the remainder of their education. Mary, Sophia, and Amelia lived much of the time apart from their parents sometimes with the younger brothers at Kew Palace, but most often at Lower Lodge (now called Royal Lodge) at Windsor. The three younger sisters were much less disciplined than the three elder sisters. The artist John Singleton Copley discovered this when he painted Mary, Sophia, and Amelia with the family pets in 1785. The children, the dogs, and the parrots would not cooperate. Somehow Copley managed to finish the painting, but he then returned to historical painting and never painted another portrait. The Copley painting is below.

Mary at left, age nine, with her two younger sisters Sophia and Amelia by John Singleton Copley, 1785; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s childhood was very sheltered. The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark. Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, her exile, and her early death from scarlet fever at age 23. The story was told in several novels including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). Despite what happened to their aunt, the sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.”

Princess Mary by William Beechey, 1797; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1796, Mary fell in love with her second cousin Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau, the youngest son of King George III’s first cousin William V, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, when his family lived in exile in London. There was no marriage because King George III mandated that his oldest daughters be married first. In 1799 Prince Frederick died of an infection while serving in the army and Mary was allowed to go into mourning for him.

Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau, Mary’s would-be bridegroom, circa 1790; Credit – Wikipedia

Before King George’s first bout with what probably was porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover and to find them husbands. Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented talk of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which had always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity. She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her. The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated which restricted them from meeting eligible suitors of their own age.

Mary had a very close relationship with her youngest sibling Princess Amelia and jokingly called her “Mama’s Tool” because she was so obedient to her mother. By 1810, Amelia was fatally ill with pulmonary tuberculosis. She then developed erysipelas, an acute skin infection. Before the advent of antibiotics, erysipelas frequently resulted in death. Amelia’s case of erysipelas was particularly severe with the rash literally from her head to her toes. Mary nursed her sister through her last illness and was at Amelia’s bedside when she died on November 2, 1810, at the age of 27. Mary deeply mourned Amelia’s premature death for many years.

Princess Amelia by Andrew Robertson, 1807; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, three of the six sisters married, and one of them was Mary. Charlotte, Princess Royal married at age 29 which was a rather late age for marriage, but Elizabeth was 48 and Mary was 40 at the time of their marriages. On July 22, 1816, at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, Princess Mary married her paternal first cousin, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the son of King George III’s brother, Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Prince William was six months older than Mary and had become Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh upon his father’s death in 1805. William had been encouraged to remain single so that there might be a suitable match for Princess Charlotte of Wales, the heiress to the throne, in case no foreign prince proved suitable. However, ten weeks earlier, Princess Charlotte had married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. As a great-grandson of King George II, William was styled His Highness Prince William of Great Britain. On the day of his marriage, Mary’s brother, The Prince Regent (the future King George IV), granted William the style of His Royal Highness.

Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince William attended Trinity College (University of Cambridge) and was granted a Master of Arts degree in 1790. From 1811 until his death, he was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He entered the British Army at the age of thirteen in 1789 and quickly ascended the ranks: Major-General in 1796, Lieutenant-General in 1799, General in 1808 and Field-Marshal in 1816. In 1799, he participated in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland as a Major-General of the British Army, under the command of his cousin Prince Frederick, Duke of York.

Mary and William’s marriage was childless, and the couple lived at Gloucester House in Piccadilly, London and Bagshot Park, now the home of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.  Although William wanted to marry Mary, he often treated her unkindly. Mary’s meddling sister-in-law Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester made her situation even more difficult.

William died after eighteen years of marriage at the age of 58 on November 30, 1834, at Bagshot Park. Mary was a great favorite with all the members of the royal family, particularly her niece Queen Victoria. She was renowned for her charm and kindness. Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh died at age 81, the longest-lived and the last survivor of her parents’ fifteen children, on April 30, 1857, at Gloucester House in London. She also has the distinction of being the only child of King George III to be photographed (see below). Princess Mary was buried with her husband in the Gloucester Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Princess Mary at age 80 on the right with her niece Queen Victoria and two of Victoria’s children, Princess Alice and the Prince of Wales (future Edward VII); Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
2017.
“Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2017. Web. 16 Feb. 2017.
“Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 16 Feb.
Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Bessie Wallis Warfield was born on June 19, 1896, in Square Cottage at the Monterey Inn in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the only child of  Teackle Wallis Warfield and Alice Montague and was named after her mother’s older sister Bessie Montague Merryman and her father. Teackle’s family had money, but it was “new money,” and the family was looked down upon by the older, established families.  Solomon Warfield, Teackle’s brother, was a self-made millionaire, but Teackle was the least eligible catch of the family.  He was sickly, had been ill with tuberculosis since he was 18-years-old, and had a poor-paying job as a county auctioneer. Wallis’ mother was Alice Montague from a Southern “Old Family”.

The Montague family could not fathom Alice’s decision to marry Teackle.  Only three people attended their wedding: Alice’s sister Bessie and two of Teackle’s friends.  Five months after Wallis’ birth, her father died at the age of 27.  Wallis and her mother were dependent upon the charity of relatives until her mother remarried.  Her uncle Solomon paid for her to attend the most expensive girls’ school in Maryland and she made friends with a number of girls from wealthy families.

Wallis at six months with her mother; Credit – www.findagrave.com

When Wallis was 20, she married Earl Winfield Spencer, a U.S. Navy pilot.  Allegedly, Spencer was abusive and an alcoholic. After several separations, the Spencers divorced in December 1927.  Before her marriage was officially ended, Wallis became involved with Ernest Simpson, a shipping executive, who had been born in the United States but became a British citizen during World War I.  Wallis and Ernest married in 1928.

Earl Winfield Spencer, Jr., Wallis’ first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernest Simpson, Wallis’ second husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Through a friend, Consuelo Thaw, Wallis met Consuelo’s sister Thelma, Viscountess Furness, who was the mistress of Edward, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King George V of the United Kingdom.  In early 1931, Thelma introduced Wallis to the Prince of Wales.  Over the next several years, the Prince of Wales and the Simpsons attended various house parties and other social events, and Wallis was presented at court.  In January 1934, Wallis became the mistress of the Prince of Wales, known as David in the family.  Wallis eventually divorced her second husband in October 1936.  On May 7, 1937, Wallis legally resumed her maiden name but continued to use the title “Mrs.” so she was Mrs. Wallis Warfield.

Wallis in 1936; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 20, 1936, King George V died and David became King Edward VIII. He showed impatience with court protocol and caused concern with his disregard for established constitutional conventions. He was also completely enthralled by Wallis and was naively convinced that once she was free from her marriage, he would be able to marry her and she would be queen.  At that time, it was unthinkable that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England could marry a person who had been divorced not just once, but twice.  David’s insistence on proceeding with these plans, despite advice to the contrary, provoked a government crisis.

King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson on holiday in Yugoslavia, 1936; Credit – Wikipedia

David informed Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry Wallis. Baldwin then presented the king with three choices:  (1) give up the idea of marriage  (2) marry against his ministers’ wishes  (3) abdicate. It was evident that David was not prepared to give up Wallis and he knew that if he married against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis. He chose to abdicate.

King Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication on December 10, 1936, in the presence of his brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York, the heir to the throne; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The next day, the last act of his reign was the royal assent to His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, necessary because only Parliament can change the succession to the throne. On the evening of December 11, 1936, once again His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the former king gave his famous radio speech in which he said, “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.”

On December 12, 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council, the new King George VI announced he would give his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”.

On June 3, 1937, David married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé, near Tours, France. The legality of King George VI’s Letters Patent stating that David’s style Royal Highness could not be extended to his wife or children is doubtful.  As the son of a British monarch, David was entitled to that style which should have automatically reverted to him upon his abdication and automatically extended to his legal wife and any legitimate children. David considered holding back the style Her Royal Highness from his wife unjust, but out of respect for his brother, he never made a public issue.  In their household, the Duchess of Windsor was always addressed as Royal Highness.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson

During World War II, David was at first stationed with the British Military Mission to France but after accusations that he held Nazi sympathies, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas to remove him from Europe during World War II. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor lived the latter part of their lives in Paris, France in a mansion they called Villa Windsor located at 4 Route du Champ d’Entraînement in the Bois de Boulogne, a large park. The house is owned by the city of Paris and was leased to the Windsors at a nominal rent from 1952 to 1986.  During the 1950s and 1960s, the Duke and Duchess were treated as celebrities and were the toast of parties they hosted and attended as guests.  The couple visited Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon at the White House and were popular guests among society around the world.

The Duchess was never fully accepted by the British Royal Family. Her mother-in-law Queen Mary refused to formally receive her. Occasionally, the Duke visited his mother and brother King George VI but he did attend his brother’s funeral in 1952 or his mother’s funeral in 1953. He did not attend the coronation of his niece Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. In 1965, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor visited London and they were visited by Duke’s niece Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke’s sister-in-law Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and the Duke’s sister Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood. During their visit to London, the Duke’s sister Mary suddenly died and the couple attended her funeral. The funeral of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent in 1968 was the last royal event the Duke attended. He was invited to the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969 but declined the invitation.

The Duke’s health started to decline during the 1960s when he was treated for an aneurysm and detached retina. He was a heavy smoker and in late 1971 was diagnosed with throat cancer. Early in 1972, the Duke underwent surgery for a hernia. On May 18, 1972, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales, visited the Duke at his Paris home while on a state visit to France. The Duke was too ill to come downstairs to tea, but the Queen spent 15 minutes talking alone with her Uncle David in his sitting room after the Duchess of Windsor hosted tea in the downstairs drawing room.

Ten days later, a statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is announced with deep regret that His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, has died at his home in Paris at 2:25 A.M., Sunday, May 28, 1972.” The Duke of Windsor died a month before his 78th birthday. The Duke’s body lay in state at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and an unexpectedly large number of people filed by the casket. At the Duke’s request, a private royal funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel. Excepting the Duke’s only surviving brother, The Duke of Gloucester who was very ill, all other adult members of the Royal Family attended the funeral along with King Olav V of Norway who was the Duke’s first cousin.  The Duke of Windsor was buried near his brother The Duke of Kent at the Royal Burial Ground behind the Royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Frogmore near Windsor Castle. The Duchess of Windsor attended her husband’s funeral.

The Duchess of Windsor survived her husband by fourteen years. Increasingly frail and suffering from dementia, she lived the remainder of her life as a recluse, supported by her husband’s estate and an allowance from Queen Elizabeth II.  She suffered several falls and broke her hip twice. After the Duke of Windsor’s death, the Duchess’s French lawyer, Suzanne Blum, assumed power of attorney. Blum sold items belonging to the Duchess to her friends at lower than market value and was accused of exploiting the Duchess.  In 1980, the Duchess lost her ability to speak. She became bedridden and did not receive any visitors except her doctor and nurses.

The Duchess of Windsor in 1975

The Duchess of Windsor died on April 24, 1986, at the age of 89, at her home in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, France.  Her funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and was attended by her two surviving sisters-in-law: The Queen Mother and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, and also Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.  Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince and Princess of Wales also attended the burial. Wallis was buried next to her husband in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore near Windsor Castle.

Graves of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, adjacent to Windsor Castle, Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Birmingham, Stephen. Duchess: The Story Of Wallis Warfield Windsor. 1st ed. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1981. Print.
• Higham, Charles. The Duchess Of Windsor. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2005. Print.
• “King Edward VIII, The Duke Of Windsor”. Unofficial Royalty. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
• “Wallis Simpson”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
• Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Arthur, Prince of Wales; Credit: Wikipedia

The first child of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch, and Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV, niece of King Richard III,  and sister of King Edward V, was born purposefully in Winchester, England, once the capital of the Kingdom of Wessex, on September 20, 1486.  The name Arthur was chosen in hopes that he would bring a new Arthurian age to the new Tudor dynasty.

Arthur was christened on September 24, 1486, at Winchester Cathedral. His godparents were:

• John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford
• Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby
• William FitzAlan, 16th Earl of Arundel
• Elizabeth Woodville, Queen Consort of King Edward IV, his maternal grandmother
• Cecily of York, his maternal aunt

Arthur had six siblings:

• Margaret Tudor (1489 – 1541), married (1) James IV, King of Scots, had issue including James V, King of Scots; (2) Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, had issue; (3) Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven, no surviving issue; Margaret was the grandmother of both Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the parents of King James I of England
• Henry VIII, King of England (1491 – 1547), married (1) Catherine of Aragon, had daughter Queen Mary I of England; (2) Anne Boleyn, had daughter Queen Elizabeth I of England; (3) Jane Seymour, had son King Edward VI of England; (4) Anne of Cleves, no issue; (5) Catherine Howard, no issue; (6) Catherine Parr, no issue
• Elizabeth Tudor (1492 – 1495)
• Mary Tudor (1496 – 1533), married (1) Louis XII, King of France, no issue; (2) Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, had issue, grandparents of Lady Jane Grey
• Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset (1499 – 1500)
• Katherine Tudor (born and died February 1503) her mother, Elizabeth of York, died as a result of Katherine’s birth

Henry VII’s family: At left, Henry VII, with Arthur, Prince of Wales behind him, then Henry (later Henry VIII), and Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Margaret, then Elizabeth who didn’t survive childhood, Mary, and Katherine, who died shortly after her birth; Credit – Wikipedia

Arthur had an education befitting the heir to the throne and a household for him was set up in Ludlow Castle near the Welsh border when he was six years old. His early education covered the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, which he learned very quickly. In 1491,  John Rede, former Headmaster of Winchester College, became his tutor, followed by the blind poet Bernard André in 1496, and then Thomas Linacre in 1501.

When Arthur was very young, his father began negotiations for him to marry Catherine of Aragon, the youngest child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. The Treaty of Medina del Campo, ratified by Spain in 1489 and by England in 1490, contained the marriage contract between Catherine and Arthur. Catherine left Spain in 1501, never to return, and on November 14, 1501, the two 15-year-olds, Catherine and Arthur, were married at the Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Catherine was escorted to the cathedral by the 10-year-old Henry, Duke of York, who would eventually become her second husband.

Catherine of Aragon, circa 1502; Credit – Wikipedia

After the marriage, the couple lived at Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, England near the Welsh border, where, as Prince of Wales, Arthur presided over the Council of Wales and the Marches.  It is doubtful that the marriage was consummated, and this question later became vitally important when King Henry VIII sought to annul his marriage to Catherine.  Arthur and Catherine became ill within months of the marriage, probably because of the sweating sickness.  Catherine survived, but she was left a widow as Arthur did not survive. 15-year-old Arthur died on April 2, 1502, and was buried in Worcester Cathedral. Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth were naturally distraught at the death of their eldest son. Their second son succeeded his father as King Henry VIII in 1509, leaving us to ask the question, “What if Arthur had become king?”

Tomb of Arthur, Prince of Wales; Credit – www.geograph.org.uk

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.