News about Edward VIII

It is often assumed that it was the Abdication that poisoned relations between Edward Vlll and his family but less well-known is that money played a crucial part. After he chose to abdicate in December 1936, it was arranged that he would receive £25,000 per year. But it was quickly discovered that the ex-king had not been open about his financial situation and that he was far wealthier than he had claimed. He had told George Vl he had just under £100,000, when, in fact, he had some £800,000 - some £47million now - on deposit abroad, much of it controlled by Mrs Simpson. This vast wealth allowed the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to live a luxurious lifestyle, renting a mansion in Central Paris and taking a ten-year lease on the Chateau de la Croe (inset) on Cap d'Antibes, later owned by Aristotle Onassis, Stavros Niarchos and Roman Abramovich. They employed sixteen servants, including two chauffeurs, all dressed in a personal livery designed by the Duke , and travelled with so much luggage - up to 73 pieces - that it often had to be stored in hotel corridors.

Alessandro Nasini, the curator behind the exhibition celebrating 100 years of royal portrait photographs, said retouching - which can vary from simply cropping an image to removing entire backgrounds - remains a vital tool in royal portrait photography. Many of the photos on display to the public at the King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from today have been retouched and notes describe the process. His comments came two months after five major news and picture agencies (inset, PA's 'kill notice') issued 'kill notices' withdrawing a photograph (left) of the Princess of Wales with her children for Mother's Day because it had been digitally altered. Kate later admitted she had been experimenting with editing the family photo, taken by William. Pictured right: A sign in the new exhibition explaining how retouching is an 'essential part of photography'.

It was a glorious day that boosted the country after the worst constitutional crisis in living memory. On May 12, 1937, five months after Edward VIII's abdication, his brother Albert - the stammering Duke of York - was crowned King George VI. The unlikely monarch's coronation took place on the same day that had been set aside for his errant sibling before he stepped away to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. With his beloved wife Elizabeth - the future Queen Mother - alongside him, George's coronation was overseen by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Gordon Lang. He was widely thought to have helped push Edward VIII to abdicate and was fiercely criticised for a radio broadcast in which he heaped opprobrium on the departed monarch. Watching the ceremony were the monarch's daughters, 11-year-old Princess Elizabeth - the future Queen - and her sister Margaret, who was aged just six. Although the scene in Westminster Abbey was the epitome of regal glory, there were some mishaps.

She was so ill in her final years that her death was seen as a blessing. One of her closest friends was 'delighted' when told the news of her passing, only wishing it had come sooner. Wallis Simpson , the woman who became the Duchess of Windsor after marrying the man who chose love over duty, died on April 24 1986. She was 89. The American widow of the former King Edward VIII had been beset by illness after her husband's death in 1972 and lived out her final years almost alone in her Paris home, unable to walk or leave a room that had become her world.

When 23-year-old Anne Coke married the Scottish aristocrat Colin Tennant at St Withburga's Parish Church in Norfolk on 21 April 1956, it must have seemed like a fairytale match. After all Lady Anne, the daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, was a wealthy and beautiful former Debutante of the Year whose family had been close confidantes of the Royals family for generations. Her grandmother was Edward VIII's mistress and her father an equerry to George VI, while she had been maid of honour at the late Queen's coronation three years earlier and would later become lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. Indeed, Anne had been great friends with the young Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth ever since they had played together as children both at Sandringham and at her own grand home a few miles away - Holkham Hall, a stunning Palladian mansion set in its own glorious 25,000-acre estate. The suave and charismatic Hon. Colin, meanwhile, was heir to Baron Glenconner and the family's 3,500-acre estate at The Glen, near Traquair in the Scottish Borders. As part of Princess Margaret's rather raffish set, he knew many glamorous people from the world of literature, art and show business.

Buckingham Palace has been the official residence of the monarch since 1837. It is the go-to place on great ceremonial occasions, when crowds fill the length of the Mall to see the King - or Queen - on the famous balcony. On special occasions there are fly-pasts above it and so this great edifice in the centre of London has come to represent stability at the centre of national life. As for those who live inside it the story is rather different, however. It is by no means the favourite home of the Kings and Queens who have occupied it.

After seven decades of certainty and of a monarch who was an unwavering physical presence on the landscape of British national life, the future for the Royal Family suddenly looks less than clear. In the past, it had been been rocked by scandals, extra-marital affairs and what felt in the mid-1990s like a never-ending stream of divorces that all but shattered the fairy-tale ideal of the modern royal marriage. Despite these upheavals royal life, as a whole, continued as normal. This is not the case today, when the difficulties are not just a matter of reputation but are practical.

Wallis Simpson , the Duchess of Windsor, was frantic with worry. On 16 October 1946, she and her husband the Duke of Windsor - the former Edward VIII - had left Ednam Lodge in Berkshire, where they had been staying with friends,  for dinner at Claridge's hotel in London. In their absence, a daring raid took place at the house, and jewellery of Wallis's that  worth as much as £25,000 (around £1.3 million today) was stolen, never to be recovered. It affected both the Duke and Duchess deeply. Edward later wrote to his brother, King George VI , saying he had discovered 'the bitter and costly way that Great Britain is no longer the secure and law-abiding country it used to be.'

Keane Duncan (right) said that as part of his campaign to become North Yorkshire's first citizen, he would use public cash to 'wrestle the hotel free' from the grip of current owners, Britannia Hotels. The towering 413-bed coastal venue (left) in Scarborough was built in 1867, with its striking design once leading to it being dubbed one of seven wonders of the English seaside by Historic England. But in recent years the Victorian behemoth has been slammed by customers for its dated 'filthy' rooms - and it now holds the ignominious title of Yorkshire's most complained about hotel, with more than 4,100 terrible reviews on Tripadvisor. Councillor Duncan has vowed that if he is elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire, he will buy the hotel back from Britannia - which has been named the UK's worst hotel firm for 11 years running - and use it to 'return Scarborough to its glory days'.

With its other-worldly theft of light for a few ethereal moments, a solar eclipse has been something of an enduring fascination for all of human history. It was no different yesterday when millions of people in the US, Canada and Mexico were treated to the spectacle. In the UK, cloudy skies scuppered the chance for people living in northern and western Scotland to see what was a partial eclipse in the sky above. But that was not the case for many in Britain on June 29 1927, when the phenomenon was in full view for millions who either lived in or had flocked to a spot within the path of totality (left, Britons in the village of Giggleswick, North Yorkshire; school children in London (top right); nurses watching from a rooftop (bottom right). It ran across the UK from Cardigan Bay in Wales to Hartlepool in the north-east of England. Celebrated author Virginia Woolf captured the national mood when she wrote later that year: 'We had fallen. It was extinct. There was no colour. The earth was dead.' It marked the first time since 1724 that a total eclipse had been visible in Britain. In 1999, the phenomenon enraptured the nation once again (inset, a cub scout watches the eclipse from the Greenwich Observatory in 1999).

As the Netflix show came to an end last year after six blockbusting seasons, Crown writer Peter Morgan was excited and relieved - as was everyone else. Both of the last two decades were particularly controversial, as the telling of the Queen's reign entangled the modern age and prompted uproar. Morgan said he was done with the Royal family right after the last broadcast, but I guess there has since been a change of heart. According to insiders, the 60-year-old is still interested in two royal tales he may or not have told: Edward VIII's abduction of 1936 to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson; and the tale of Queen Mary, the wife of George V. Morgan is working with one of The Crown's top producers, but it's all informal - no contracts have been signed or agreements have been made.

The royals like their friends to be wealthy. And there were few people more wealthy than Earl Farquhar, who gave a princess the equivalent of £5 million to make her happy. Farquhar was so loaded he was convinced that he was not the king but two kings, not one king, but two - and caused the third to be eternally grateful. He was eagerly welcomed into the innermost royal circle as a result of his appointment as Lord Steward of the Household, effectively the first dignitary of the royal court. Why? Lord Farqhuar was a second-day King Midas, bringing gold out of dust. Nothing captures a royal more than someone who can make money out of nothing.

When Queen Camilla arrives in Worcester Cathedral today for the royal ceremony of distributing gifts on Thursday, she will be both preserving an ancient tradition and doing it in a unique way. For, although the Maundy tradition can be traced back to medieval times, it is unheard of for a monarch to be represented by a spouse at this church service. Hundreds of years ago, the festival was held as a way of honoring Jesus' example of service the night before he was crucified. According to Bible records, he gathered with his followers for a Jewish Passover meal (the Last Supper) and demonstrated a great deal of humility by washing their feet.

After the Princess of Wales' touching announcement, it was fitting to learn that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had sent a tender private message to their brother and sister-in-law. writes AN WILSON. Let's all hope that the truce, if one exists, lasts and that Meghan and Harry are eventually accepted into the Royal Family.

She is a figure from another world to many. But this royal wielded a great deal on the Queen, taking her to London's great sights and exhibitions as a child. The Queen said it was impossible to imagine the world without her presence on March 24.

Millions of us, as a result of the Princess of Wales' illness, expressed a deep sadness and fear for her and her children. Those, and there are a lot of them, are unable to escape the emotional attachment of Crown and Country. Even if we've never met Kate or her children, the connection is remarkably personal. This is one of those times in which we discover why it matters so much that we have a Royal Family rather than simply a Head of State.

After a year of royal scandal and turmoil in which she dubbed her 'annus horribilis,' Queen Elizabeth II's reign came to an end in 1992. With Diana, Andrew separated from Sarah, Anne divorced, Windsor Castle went up in flames, and public opinion turned against the royals. The Royal Family is now facing what may be the worst crisis since Edward VIII's abdication in 1936 amid a sea of bad news in 2024. The Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis brings the latest blow to the royals since the start of the year, with the King being diagnosed with the disease, Prince Harry's continuing estrangement, and Thomas Kingston's death. This comes after two devastating deaths for the family over the past three years - Prince Philip in April 2021, aged 99, and Elizabeth II in September 2022, aged 96. Prince William is expected to be out of royal duties until after Easter, as he supports Kate, and the Royal Family is left with only four senior royals for the next week: Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie. Harry has been based in the United States since 2020, and Prince Andrew has stepped back in 2019 due to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Your Majesty, never mistress; it will only end in tears. Every British monarch over the past 400 years should have received this single piece of advice, but no one of them would have listened. These kings and princes were the rock stars of their day - women flocked and bowed before them, and they could choose whoever they liked. And as many as they wanted. Admittedly murder, blackmail, grand larceny, and kidnapping were all part of bedding these royal mistresses, but their Majesties never shrank above it.

Prince Edward and his partner Wallis Simpson, who was suspected Nazi sympathiser by Mussolini's totalitarian government, have been offered for the first time. The Italian Embassy in Belgravia, one of London's most expensive areas, was housed from 1923 to 2009 before being turned into a private residence. Count Dino Grandi welcomed celebrities, including Edward Edward Edward, before he became King in 1936, Miss Simpson, Lady Alexandra Curzon, Diana Mitford, 'Fruity' Metcalfe, and former Prime Minister Lloyd George George during this period.

He's the youngest child of the late King and Prince Phillip, who spent many years in the shadow of his older brothers and sister who were more prominent. However, although his siblings have been rattled by scandals and marriage break-ups, Prince Edward has pressed on with his duties, loyal, and popular wife Sophie by his side. We have 60 amazing facts about the man known in royal circles as'steady Eddie,' in honor of his 60th birthday.'

Edward VIII's abdication on December 11, 1936, culminated in a long fight between King, Church, and Government over Edward's insistence on marrying the twice divorced American Wallis Simpson. On December 3, 1936, raging views of Edward Edward's private life exploded on the British public stage, consuming the country for nine days, sparking a constitutional revolt that threatened the very fabric of national life. Edward's zealous resolve and his unreserving affection for an unsuitable consort have been deemed the driving factors in what has been deemed the pivotal moment in Britain's twentieth-century monarchy. However, there is another important yet overlooked factor in Edward's incredible decision: the fear of being overwhelmed by paranoia that dogged Wallis in the final weeks of his reign.

We all wish King Charles will recover from his cancer and rule us for a long time to come. However, he is a 75-year-old man with a serious disease. At the time, rumors about Prince and Princess of Wales are flying around, prompting us to wonder if they are in a position to take over if this desperate task is put upon them. Our hearts go out to them, but they are not in a position to hide the harsh truth about their health from us - although much they may wish to.

Last week, Prince Philip referred to Meghan as 'DoW' - Duchess of Windsor. The selection of Edward VIII and Prince Harry as appropriate consorts warrants some reflection. Neither Megan nor Wallis were removed from traditional royal brides' clothing. They were both successful well-established adults who met their princes as charming, educated teenagers. They were unfazed by the grand British settings in which they abruptly found themselves after scaling the American ladder of achievement. Although their apprehensions shocked more traditional observers, it endeared them to their respective husbands. The fact that neither knew anything about the world in which they had recently stepped seemed to have been for both of them, at least at the beginning, was insignificant. Of course, Megan was given a lot of things that Wallis did not understand. She was welcomed into the family by a grand royal wedding, given the style of Her Royal Highness and the prospect of serving as a senior working royal.

It was a visit to a disgraced former king meeting a popular future king. Prince Charles, the 21-year-old Prince Charles, visited his great-uncle, the erstwhile Edward VIII, at his Paris home in October 1970. In May 1972, the Duke of Windsor, then 76, was just a year away from being diagnosed with throat cancer that would later kill him. However, if Charles, who is now fighting his own cancer diagnosis, had hoped that Edward might be a kind of mentor, he would have been dissatisfied. For a few minutes, he later wrote an account of the duke's "most dreadful American visitors" and how he was'relieved to escape' his house after only 45 minutes. The meeting was portrayed by Derek Jacobi and Charles by Josh O'Connor in the third series of Netflix's The Crown (inset), in which Edward was portrayed by Derek Jacobi and Charles. Above: Charles outside the duke's home in May 1972, just weeks before his death, when the Queen visited Edward just weeks before his death. He was so sick that only the Queen saw him up close and personal.