Person    | Male  Born 23/6/1894  Died 28/5/1972

King Edward VIII

Categories: Royalty, Seriously Famous

Born as Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, at White Lodge in Richmond Park. Known to friends and family as David. 

Reigned 20 January - 10 December 1936 when he abdicated in favour of marriage to the twice divorced Mrs Simpson, to the sound of Londoners singing "Hark the herald angels sing, Mrs Simpson's pinched our king". Also successfully introduced plus-fours to America. After the abdication he was given the title of Duke of Windsor, and his younger brother, Bertie, became King George VI.  Thereafter the Windsors lived abroad and he died in Paris. The Guardian published a much more unusual picture of Edward, as the Prince of Wales in 1920, surfing in Hawaii. 

More seriously, he was aged 42 when he succeeded as King and had already, as Prince of Wales since 1911, spent many years representing his father, King George V, on gruelling tours of the Empire, and unveiling what he described as a never-ending stream of foundation stones. The choice he had was: more of that, or the woman he loved?

2021: The Guardian ('Saturday', 9 October) published a review of 'The Secret Royals' - Aldrich and Cormac, by David Pegg in which he writes: "... nobody emerges from the book in a more unflattering light than Edward VIII. He is grasping, lazy, greedy, dishonest, unreliable, anti-Semitic, self-pitying, treasonous ...".

2023: Reading Patrick Hamilton’s 1935 ‘Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky’, we were interested to see, on page 254, a discussion that takes place in a pub about “His Majesty’s illness”. Bob hopes that he will be “more successful as an Edwardian than as a Georgian” and “The Governor had got it into his head that the Prince of Wales would Never Come to the Throne but that the Duke of York would be Elected instead.” No basis is given for this view but it was remarkably prescient.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
King Edward VIII

Commemorated ati

Duchy of Cornwall almshouses

This building was erected in 1914 by HRH Edward Prince of Wales to provide ac...

Read More

Foundation stone for Royal Commonwealth Society

Edward Prince of Wales laid this stone in the 26th year of the reign of King ...

Read More

Meard Street

2022: We were contacted by David Bieda who wrote: "Meard Street plaque. I’d l...

Read More

Monarchs - board in Wine Office Court

When they add Charles III we wonder if they will remember to also increment t...

Read More

Monarchs - board on Fleet Street

This board reads as if the pub has been rebuilt in each of the monarchs' reig...

Read More

Show all 6

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
King Edward VIII

Creations i

Cavalry Memorial

Unveiled in its original location, at Stanhope Gate by the Dorchester Hotel, ...

Read More

E G Anderson Hospital and the Prince of Wales

This hospital was formally opened by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, Patron of Un...

Read More

HMS Crystal Palace

This trophy was originally placed on the old quarter-deck (presumably constru...

Read More

Islington war memorial arch - foundation stone at the right

In 1923 the Prince of Wales was Edward, who later became, briefly, King Edwar...

Read More

Other Subjects

Marina, Duchess of Kent

Marina, Duchess of Kent

Born Athens into the Greek, Danish and Russian royal families, amongst others. 1934 she married George, Duke of Kent, and their son is Edward, Duke of Kent. Died Kensington Palace.

Person, Royalty

2 memorials
Queen Caroline of Anspach

Queen Caroline of Anspach

Queen consort of George II.  Born Ansbach.  She and her husband came to Britain in 1714 when he became heir presumptive to the English throne.  Politically aligned with Robert Walpole.  She acted a...

Person, Royalty, Germany

4 memorials
King Richard II

King Richard II

Became king aged 10, following the deaths of first his elder brother, then his father, Edward the Black Prince, and then his grandfather, Edward III. The Peasant's Revolt occurred when he was king...

Person, Royalty

1 memorial
King George II

King George II

Born Hanover, Germany, died Kensington, Palace, London. Reigned: 1727 - 1760. Notable as the last British sovereign to fight alongside his soldiers (in Germany, against the French). Also the king w...

Person, Royalty, Seriously Famous, Germany

9 memorials
King Richard I

King Richard I

Richard the Lionheart.  Born Oxford, son of Henry II. King of England 6 July 1189 - death. Also ruled parts of France. More French than English, he spent much of his live in Southern Europe, mainly...

Person, Royalty, Cyprus, France, Israel/Palestine

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Sir Derek Jacobi

Sir Derek Jacobi

Actor. Born Derek George Jacobi in Leytonstone. He was invited by Sir Laurence Olivier to be a founder member of the Royal National Theatre. Probably best known for playing the eponymous lead in th...

Person, Cinema, Theatre, TV & Radio

1 memorial
Imperial Hotel - statue 08 - Wolsey

Imperial Hotel - statue 08 - Wolsey

WC1, Russell Square

Sampson Strong's portrait of Wolsey has these clothes and, crucially, the raised fingers.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Jacques Vernier

Jacques Vernier

French politician. 1983 -2014 mayor of Douai in northern France, which, in 1979, twinned with Harrow. 1984 -1993 Member of the European Parliament. 1993 - 1997 member of the National Assembly of Fr...

Person, Politics & Administration, France

1 memorial
Adelaide Stoll

Adelaide Stoll

WC2, St Martin's Lane, London Coliseum

The Alamy photo of the unveiling is dated 30 May 1925 and captioned: "A bust of Adelaide Stoll, mother of music hall impresario Sir Oswal...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Sir Thomas Neill

Sir Thomas Neill

Irish-born insurance executive and pioneer of National Health Insurance. In 1894 he became general manager of the London, Edinburgh and Glasgow Insurance Company and joined the board of directors ...

Person, Politics & Administration, Ireland

1 memorial