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Wallis Simpson
Hand Written Signed Letter
Wallis Simpson! What more
can be said of the woman who caused a King to give up is throne.
Never in history has there been such a love story and one we will
never see again.
This letter comes with a press
photo dated 7/8/1936
This is a 2-page hand written
letter from Wallis Simpson, wife of King Edward VIII, later to
become Duke and Duchess of Windsor in Germany to George Grove,
Esq. in New York, dated August 29, 1937, not long after she married
the Duke of Windsor. In the letter, she refers to the difficult
times during Edward's abdication. Her handwriting is a little
hard for me to read, but here is my best effort.
August 29,
Dear George,
I appreciate your thoughts of me last.
He calls here even though the flowers have gone astray. It was
a time where one hopes one's friends were (Can't read) a little
bit about me. It was all so horrible and such a strain. We had
a lovely summer resting from those months and now look forward
to starting out lives afresh. Hoping we meet someday and that
you are well and happy.
I am your ever,
Wallis
Edward VIII (1894-1972) became
King of England after the death of his father, George V, on January
20, 1936.
Nearly 42-years-old and a
bachelor, Edward then made known his desire to marry an American
woman named Wallis Warfield Simpson, whom he had known since 1931.
He sought the approval of his family, the Church of England, and
the political establishment to marry her, but met with strong
opposition. She had been married twice and her second divorce
was still pending.
This love affair and possible
royal marriage resulted in sensational newspaper headlines around
the world and created a storm of controversy, but did not sway
Edward. On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII submitted his abdication
and it was endorsed by Parliament the next day. He thus became
the only British monarch ever to resign voluntarily.
The speech below is from December
11, when Edward publicly announced his decision via radio to a
worldwide audience.
His younger brother, George
VI, took the throne and immediately gave Edward the title, Duke
of Windsor. The Duke and Simpson were married in France on June
3, 1937 and lived in Paris. During World War II, Edward served
as governor of the Bahamas. He died in Paris on May 28, 1972.
His wife died there, April 24, 1986.
"At long last I am able
to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold
anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible
for me to speak.
A few hours ago I discharged
my last duty as King and Emperor, and now that I have been succeeded
by my brother, the Duke of York, my first words must be to declare
my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart.
You all know the reasons which
have impelled me to renounce the throne. But I want you to understand
that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the
empire, which, as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for
twenty-five years tried to serve.
But you must believe me when
I tell you that 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.
And I want you to know that
the decision I have made has been mine and mine alone. This was
a thing I had to judge entirely for myself. The other person most
nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take
a different course.
I have made this, the most
serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought of what
would, in the end, be best for all.
This decision has been made
less difficult to me by the sure knowledge that my brother, with
his long training in the public affairs of this country and with
his fine qualities, will be able to take my place forthwith without
interruption or injury to the life and progress of the empire.
And he has one matchless blessing, enjoyed by so many of you,
and not bestowed on me -- a happy home with his wife and children.
During these hard days I have
been comforted by her majesty my mother and by my family. The
ministers of the crown, and in particular, Mr. Baldwin, the Prime
Minister, have always treated me with full consideration. There
has never been any constitutional difference between me and them,
and between me and Parliament. Bred in the constitutional tradition
by my father, I should never have allowed any such issue to arise.
Ever since I was Prince of
Wales, and later on when I occupied the throne, I have been treated
with the greatest kindness by all classes of the people wherever
I have lived or journeyed throughout the empire. For that I am
very grateful.
I now quit altogether public
affairs and I lay down my burden. It may be some time before I
return to my native land, but I shall always follow the fortunes
of the British race and empire with profound interest, and if
at any time in the future I can be found of service to his majesty
in a private station, I shall not fail.
And now, we all have a new
King. I wish him and you, his people, happiness and prosperity
with all my heart. God bless you all! God save the King! "
Edward VIII - December 11,
1936
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