(1894-1972)
Son of: George V of Great Britain & Mary of Teck.
Husband of Wallis Simpson.
Husband of Wallis Simpson.
The first royal sex symbol of the modern age.
"He was the first Royal sex symbol of the modern age. The wistful features of the Prince of Wales adorned the bedside tables and dormitory walls of thousands of schoolgirls and young women across Britain and the Empire. He may have sent his austere father, King George V, into despair but Prince Edward -- David to his family -- was the undisputed darling of the dominions." (Daily Mail)
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
"He was the first Royal sex symbol of the modern age. The wistful features of the Prince of Wales adorned the bedside tables and dormitory walls of thousands of schoolgirls and young women across Britain and the Empire. He may have sent his austere father, King George V, into despair but Prince Edward -- David to his family -- was the undisputed darling of the dominions." (Daily Mail)
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
"Prince Edward was a very good-looking man. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and a boyish look on his face that lasted his entire life. . . ." (Rosenberg)
Royal sartorial sense.
"The late Duke of Windsor was known for many things, including the abdication of throne and a country for the woman he loved, the twice divorced American Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson. His sartorial sense, however, lives on in photographs taken of him from the time he was a teenager through to the end of his life. Short and not particularly handsome, he nevertheless was a popular subject of the paparazzi of the day and at one point the most photographed person in the world. The man knew how to dress and dress well. Interestingly, the Duke of Windsor not only the namesake for the famous Windsor knot, but lessons can be learned from his sartorial instincts. Today, I would like to point out five aspects in dress that should inspire you to incorporate into your outfits." (Gentleman's Gazette)
Trend-setting dress sense.
"Edward's rank, travels, good looks, and unmarried status gained him much attention, with him becoming the 1920s version of a latter-day movie star. At the height of his popularity he became the most photographed celebrity of his time, and his dress sense was a trend setter for men's fashion with many men copying his styles. . . ." (The Life and Times of the English Princes of Wales: 122)
Edward VIII's love life.
"His amorous life got under way in 1916 when two equerries hauled him off to Amiens in France, where they left him in the tender embraces of a prostitute called Paulette. In Paris the next year he spent three days in bed with a woman called Maggy. Back home in England there followed, in quick succession, liaisons with glamorous aristocrats, most of them daughters of dukes. They included Viscountess Coke, 12 years his senior, Lady Sybil Cadogan, Lady Cynthia Hamilton, Lady Diana Manners, Lady Rachel Cavendish and Lady Rosemary Leveson-Gower." (Daily Mail)
"Edward VIII is said to have been quite promiscuous during his youth, and had many affairs with married women, but most of the reports of this are hearsay and very difficult to verify. He had 3 official mistresses, which puts him quite low on this list. Edward met Winifred Dudley Ward, a wealthy socialite, in 1918 at a dinner party, and for the next sixteen years Freda was Edward’s mistress. There is speculation that her son Timothy Ward Seely is actually Edward's illegitimate son, although this remains unproven. When Edward met Viscountess Thelma Furness in in 1929, he was smitten. Like Freda she was an attractive and wealthy socialite, and along with Freda she was Edward's mistress for the next 5 years. Then, in 1934 both Freda and Thelma found themselves very suddenly replaced by an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. Edward had meet Wallis at a party thrown by Thelma, and by 1934 she was firmly in control. In 1936, Edward was King and Wallis had divorced her second husband, however they couldn’t marry due to constitutional laws governing royal marriages. Edward was determined, though, and less than a year after becoming king he abdicated and left to live in exile so he could marry Wallis. For what its worth, they lived out the rest of their lives happily ever after." (Top 10 Philandering English Monarchs)
Royal sartorial sense.
"The late Duke of Windsor was known for many things, including the abdication of throne and a country for the woman he loved, the twice divorced American Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson. His sartorial sense, however, lives on in photographs taken of him from the time he was a teenager through to the end of his life. Short and not particularly handsome, he nevertheless was a popular subject of the paparazzi of the day and at one point the most photographed person in the world. The man knew how to dress and dress well. Interestingly, the Duke of Windsor not only the namesake for the famous Windsor knot, but lessons can be learned from his sartorial instincts. Today, I would like to point out five aspects in dress that should inspire you to incorporate into your outfits." (Gentleman's Gazette)
Trend-setting dress sense.
"Edward's rank, travels, good looks, and unmarried status gained him much attention, with him becoming the 1920s version of a latter-day movie star. At the height of his popularity he became the most photographed celebrity of his time, and his dress sense was a trend setter for men's fashion with many men copying his styles. . . ." (The Life and Times of the English Princes of Wales: 122)
Edward VIII's love life.
"His amorous life got under way in 1916 when two equerries hauled him off to Amiens in France, where they left him in the tender embraces of a prostitute called Paulette. In Paris the next year he spent three days in bed with a woman called Maggy. Back home in England there followed, in quick succession, liaisons with glamorous aristocrats, most of them daughters of dukes. They included Viscountess Coke, 12 years his senior, Lady Sybil Cadogan, Lady Cynthia Hamilton, Lady Diana Manners, Lady Rachel Cavendish and Lady Rosemary Leveson-Gower." (Daily Mail)
"Edward VIII is said to have been quite promiscuous during his youth, and had many affairs with married women, but most of the reports of this are hearsay and very difficult to verify. He had 3 official mistresses, which puts him quite low on this list. Edward met Winifred Dudley Ward, a wealthy socialite, in 1918 at a dinner party, and for the next sixteen years Freda was Edward’s mistress. There is speculation that her son Timothy Ward Seely is actually Edward's illegitimate son, although this remains unproven. When Edward met Viscountess Thelma Furness in in 1929, he was smitten. Like Freda she was an attractive and wealthy socialite, and along with Freda she was Edward's mistress for the next 5 years. Then, in 1934 both Freda and Thelma found themselves very suddenly replaced by an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. Edward had meet Wallis at a party thrown by Thelma, and by 1934 she was firmly in control. In 1936, Edward was King and Wallis had divorced her second husband, however they couldn’t marry due to constitutional laws governing royal marriages. Edward was determined, though, and less than a year after becoming king he abdicated and left to live in exile so he could marry Wallis. For what its worth, they lived out the rest of their lives happily ever after." (Top 10 Philandering English Monarchs)
Edward VIII's lovers were:
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| Sibyl, Lady Stanley |
Sibyl Cadogan (1893-1969)
Lover in 1916-1917.
Daughter of Henry Arthur Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea & Hon, Mildred Sturt.
Wife of Edward Montagu Cavendish Stanley, Lord Stanley.
". . . His first attempt, however, at a serious affair was with the Hon Sybil Cadogan, the daughter of Viscount Chelsea, whom he saw 'most days and nights' in 1916, but it ended abruptly when he began to discuss matrimony. Sybil, or Portia as she was known to her friends, was a close friend of Princess Mary, Edward's sister and later married Lord Derby an old friend of the Prince's from his days at Oxford University. During the period of the Prince's interest in her she was an extra Maid of Honour to Queen Mary, thus close to hand. Despite the abrupt termination of their relationship, the Prince remained friends for a short time afterwards and there are several references to Sybil and her husband in Edward's letters to his mistress Freda Dudley-Ward. . . . " (Royal Sex)
"Back home in England there followed, in quick succession, liaisons with glamorous aristocrats, most of them daughters of dukes. They included . . . Lady Sybil Cadogan. . . . ." (Daily Mail)
"Simultaneously, he romanced his sister's best friend, Lady Sybil 'Portia' Cadogan, and was thought by many to be heading for the altar. In June 1917, when Portia sent a telegram to her parents and told them 'Engaged to Edward. . ."
"Lady Coke had a rival for Edward's affections in the Hon. Sybil Cadogan, known as Portia to her family and friends. Portia, granddaughter of the fifth Earl Cadogan, was large and ungainly, but she certainly attracted Edward, and it is even possible that the couple discussed marriage. Whether she despaired of Edward ever proposing, or simply tired of her royal suitor, is not clear, but the romance was definitely over by 17 June, when she announced her engagement to an old Oxford friend of the Prince's, Edward, Lord Stanley, son of the seventeenth Earl of Derby. . . ." (Stately Passions)
Rosemary Leveson-Gower (1893-1930)
Lover in 1917.
Countess of Dudley
Daughter of: Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland & Millicent St. Clair-Erskine.
Wife of: William Ward, Viscount Ednam, 3rd Earl of Dudley (1894-?) mar 1919.
"The next affair was with Lady Rosemary Leveson-Gower, a noted society beauty who was described by the Illustrated London News as 'generous, cheery and kind, ready for any excitement, especially outdoor expeditions. After a whirlwind wartime courtship, the Prince asked her to marry him, but both his parents were against the match, Queen Mary explaining that there was 'bad blood -- a touch of madness -- in one line of the Leveson-Gower family. The Prince, who felt 'bitter and furious' towards his parents, was incensed that they were preventing him from following his heart. As Lady Rosemary's friend Lady Paget said: 'I don't think he ever forgave his father. I also felt from that time on, he had made up his mind that he would never make what might be called a suitable marriage to please his family.' Even after Rosemary married William Ward, later the 3rd Earl of Dudley, in March 1919, the Prince continued to stay close, privately visiting his one-time paramour at her home, Himley Hall." (Daily Mail)
Back home in England there followed, in quick succession, liaisons with glamorous aristocrats, most of them daughters of dukes. They included...Lady Rosemary Leveson-Gower" (Daily Mail)
"Rosemary Leveson-Gower was the neice (sic) of Daisy, Countess of Warwick, mistress of Edward VII, the Prince's grandfather. The Prince was captivated by her and later told Freda Dudley-Ward that 'she was the only girl I felt I ever could marry'. The King was not keen on his heir apparent marrying into such a family and there the matter died. . . Lady Rosemary also had her share of tragedy when her seven year old son was killed in a motoring accident in the same year whilst she was killed in a place crash the following year!" (Royal Sex)
" . . . There was another brief fling that winter with Lady Rosemary Leveson-Gower, the daughter of the fourth Duke of Sutherland, but when Edward met Freda Dudley Ward his affections for every other woman in his life so far, including Viscountess Coke, faded into insignificance." (Stately Passions: n.p.)
First Encounter: "It was during the summer of 1917 when Edward, the Prince of Wales, then aged 23, met and fell in love with Rosemary when she was working as a Red Cross nurse in France." [Salt]
Lover in 1917.
Countess of Dudley
Daughter of: Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland & Millicent St. Clair-Erskine.
Wife of: William Ward, Viscount Ednam, 3rd Earl of Dudley (1894-?) mar 1919.
"The next affair was with Lady Rosemary Leveson-Gower, a noted society beauty who was described by the Illustrated London News as 'generous, cheery and kind, ready for any excitement, especially outdoor expeditions. After a whirlwind wartime courtship, the Prince asked her to marry him, but both his parents were against the match, Queen Mary explaining that there was 'bad blood -- a touch of madness -- in one line of the Leveson-Gower family. The Prince, who felt 'bitter and furious' towards his parents, was incensed that they were preventing him from following his heart. As Lady Rosemary's friend Lady Paget said: 'I don't think he ever forgave his father. I also felt from that time on, he had made up his mind that he would never make what might be called a suitable marriage to please his family.' Even after Rosemary married William Ward, later the 3rd Earl of Dudley, in March 1919, the Prince continued to stay close, privately visiting his one-time paramour at her home, Himley Hall." (Daily Mail)
Back home in England there followed, in quick succession, liaisons with glamorous aristocrats, most of them daughters of dukes. They included...Lady Rosemary Leveson-Gower" (Daily Mail)
"Rosemary Leveson-Gower was the neice (sic) of Daisy, Countess of Warwick, mistress of Edward VII, the Prince's grandfather. The Prince was captivated by her and later told Freda Dudley-Ward that 'she was the only girl I felt I ever could marry'. The King was not keen on his heir apparent marrying into such a family and there the matter died. . . Lady Rosemary also had her share of tragedy when her seven year old son was killed in a motoring accident in the same year whilst she was killed in a place crash the following year!" (Royal Sex)
" . . . There was another brief fling that winter with Lady Rosemary Leveson-Gower, the daughter of the fourth Duke of Sutherland, but when Edward met Freda Dudley Ward his affections for every other woman in his life so far, including Viscountess Coke, faded into insignificance." (Stately Passions: n.p.)
First Encounter: "It was during the summer of 1917 when Edward, the Prince of Wales, then aged 23, met and fell in love with Rosemary when she was working as a Red Cross nurse in France." [Salt]
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| Winifred Dudley Ward @Wikimedia |
Winifred Dudley Ward (1894-1983)
Lover in 1918-1934.
Textile heiress
Daughter of: Charles Wilfrid Birkin & Claire Lloyd Howe.
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William Dudley-Ward, husband of Freda chose to ignore the relationship despite it being common knowledge |
Wife of:
2. Pedro Jose Isidro Manuel, Marques de Casa Maury (c1895-1968), Spanish-Cuban racing driver; RAF wing commander, mar 1937, div 1954
3. Ricardo Mones
"Mrs Dudley Ward was his first mistress. Their liaison began in 1918 after a chance meeting at a party in an air raid in London and lasted five years. Then 23, the socialite was a married mother-of-two whose husband, Liberal MP William Dudley Ward, apparently turned a blind eye to the affair. By 1919, the prince wrote he was 'fearfully madly' in love, and appears to have introduced her to members of the Royal Family, including his brother Bertie, the future King George VI. Their affair was well-known to aristocrats and politicians." *Daily Mail)
She was much more than his lover, becoming his close confidante.
" . . . In many ways his next lover and long-time mistress Freda Dudley Ward -- the half-American wife of an MP who was vice chamberlain of the Royal Household -- was, marital status apart, an eminently suitable choice. His family and friends pragmatically acknowledged that Freda -- the daughter of a Nottingham lace manufacturer -- whom Edward met by chance during an air raid at the end of the war, was a 'good thing' in his life. She was much more than his lover, becoming his close confidante. When Winston Churchill, who treated the Prince like a surrogate son, travelled to Nottingham with the couple, Edward's adoration was transparent." (Daily Mail)
Freda's personal & family background.
"Freda Dudley Ward was the daughter of Colonel Charles Birkin, of Nottinghamshire, a lace manufacturer, and Claire Howe from New York. In 1913 she married the Right Honourable William Dudley Ward, a Liberal Member of Parliament and Vice Chamberlain of the Royal Household, who spent far more time in the House of Commons than he did with his young wife and daughter. . . ." (Carlton: 153)
"Freda Dudley Ward was the pretty and petite twenty-eight-year old daughter of a prosperous Nottingham businessman and his American wife. She had been married for the previous five years to a Liberal M.P., William Dudley Ward, sixteen years her senior, with whom she had two daughters, Penelope and Angela. . . ." (That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor: 76)
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| Millicent Milroy |
Millicent Milroy (1890-1985)
Lover in 1919.
Canadian school teacher.
Daughter of: James & Helen Milroy
"Touring Canada in 1919, Edward VIII who was Prince of Wales at the time, got bored while on a tour near Galt, Ontario, wandered away on his own and met Millicent Milroy in her garden. From there, there is evidence Milroy, who was as school teacher in Rockwood, Ontario, and the man who was briefly King of England before abdicating the throne, had a romantic relationship that spanned several years. In fat, the story became public when Edward died in 1972. Milroy had her tombstone engraved, claiming to be his wife. The tombstone still exists." (Ingersoll Times)
"Edward VIII was apparently quite an irresponsible playboy. After World War I, he came to enjoy Canada and spent a great deal of time there. On one of his visits, in 1919, he stayed at the Iroquois Hotel in Galt (which burned down in 1974) and met Millicent through her father, James Milroy. It was the start of a love affair that would last for years. Edward purchased as farm outside Calgary, and lived there for several years. Millicent joined him there, where she claimed they were secretly married and had two children, Edward and Andrew. At some point, Mill moved back to Rockwood, and Edward was back to England. . . Upon his death, Milli had the tombstone at Mount View Cemetery engraved to read: 'Millicent Milroy A.M.M.M. St. P, Daughter of James and Helen Milroy, 1890-1985, Wife of Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor'" (Queen Milli of Galt)
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| Mildred Harris |
Mildred Harris.
Lover in 1920.
American film actress
"17 year-old Harris met 29 year old Chaplin in 1918, dated, and came to believe she was pregnant by him. They married on October 23, 1918. The couple quarreled about her contract with Louis B. Mayer and her career (Chaplin may have felt threatened by a working wife). Chaplin felt she was not his intellectual equal, and, when their child died in July 1919 after three days of life, they separated. Harris tried to keep appearances up, believing a happy marriage was possible, but in 1920 she filed for divorce based on mental cruelty. Chaplin accused her of infidelity, but wouldn't name her lover publicly. Harris denied rumors Chaplin had been physically violent, and divorce was granted in November, 1920 with Harris receiving $100,000 in settlement. Following the divorce, Harris had a brief relationship with the Prince of Wales, (later King Edward VIII and, after his abdication, Duke of Windsor). In 1930, she introduced Edward to Wallis Simpson (Duchess of Windsor)." (Your Piece of History)
"Following the divorce, Harris had a highly publicized relationship of less than a year's duration with the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII)." (Bellazon)
Mollee Little.
Australian socialite
Lover in 1920.
"On 18 June the Prince of Wales attended a public reception in Sydney's Town Hall. People queued all night in what the Sydney Morning Herald called 'the longest queue ever seen in Australia'. There, over a period of three hours over 50,000 people piled past the Prince who had to smile and shake hands with as many of them as possible which he found exhausting. Edward had been asked by his friends Lord Loughborough and his Australian wife to look out for a young lady, called Mollee Little, who would be at the Town Hall reception. He managed to find Mollee and attempted to talk to her amid the crush that surrounded him, the Prince was jostled and accidentally stepped on one of Mollee's silk-toed shoes. He blushed and apologised. . . The Prince was entranced by the dimples in Mollee's cheeks and her beautiful deep blue eyes. He was pleased to learn that Mollee was invited to a dinner given to him to be held at Government House the following evening. Previously, the Prince of Wales had shown little interest in single girls, it was married women who were sexually experienced who he hoped might be able to cure his sexual problems. However, he was fascinated by Mollee. He had been told by Lady Shiela Loughborough that her brother, Roy Chisholm, was in love with Mollee but she was impervious to his protestations of love which lent a certain spice to their flirtation." (Royal Mistresses of the House of Hanover-Windsor)
"The article offers information on the whiff of sex scandal around Edward, Prince of Wales. The scandal behind him emerged after his Australian visit in 1920. The scandal include an illegitimate son and an Aboriginal branch of the royal family. During his 1920 Australian tour, Edward is alleged to have left a beautiful young socialite named Mollee Little pregnant. Mollee later married a pastoralist named Roy Chisholm." (A Right Royal Bastard)
Lover in 1920.
American film actress
"17 year-old Harris met 29 year old Chaplin in 1918, dated, and came to believe she was pregnant by him. They married on October 23, 1918. The couple quarreled about her contract with Louis B. Mayer and her career (Chaplin may have felt threatened by a working wife). Chaplin felt she was not his intellectual equal, and, when their child died in July 1919 after three days of life, they separated. Harris tried to keep appearances up, believing a happy marriage was possible, but in 1920 she filed for divorce based on mental cruelty. Chaplin accused her of infidelity, but wouldn't name her lover publicly. Harris denied rumors Chaplin had been physically violent, and divorce was granted in November, 1920 with Harris receiving $100,000 in settlement. Following the divorce, Harris had a brief relationship with the Prince of Wales, (later King Edward VIII and, after his abdication, Duke of Windsor). In 1930, she introduced Edward to Wallis Simpson (Duchess of Windsor)." (Your Piece of History)
"Following the divorce, Harris had a highly publicized relationship of less than a year's duration with the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII)." (Bellazon)
Mollee Little.
Australian socialite
Lover in 1920.
"On 18 June the Prince of Wales attended a public reception in Sydney's Town Hall. People queued all night in what the Sydney Morning Herald called 'the longest queue ever seen in Australia'. There, over a period of three hours over 50,000 people piled past the Prince who had to smile and shake hands with as many of them as possible which he found exhausting. Edward had been asked by his friends Lord Loughborough and his Australian wife to look out for a young lady, called Mollee Little, who would be at the Town Hall reception. He managed to find Mollee and attempted to talk to her amid the crush that surrounded him, the Prince was jostled and accidentally stepped on one of Mollee's silk-toed shoes. He blushed and apologised. . . The Prince was entranced by the dimples in Mollee's cheeks and her beautiful deep blue eyes. He was pleased to learn that Mollee was invited to a dinner given to him to be held at Government House the following evening. Previously, the Prince of Wales had shown little interest in single girls, it was married women who were sexually experienced who he hoped might be able to cure his sexual problems. However, he was fascinated by Mollee. He had been told by Lady Shiela Loughborough that her brother, Roy Chisholm, was in love with Mollee but she was impervious to his protestations of love which lent a certain spice to their flirtation." (Royal Mistresses of the House of Hanover-Windsor)
"The article offers information on the whiff of sex scandal around Edward, Prince of Wales. The scandal behind him emerged after his Australian visit in 1920. The scandal include an illegitimate son and an Aboriginal branch of the royal family. During his 1920 Australian tour, Edward is alleged to have left a beautiful young socialite named Mollee Little pregnant. Mollee later married a pastoralist named Roy Chisholm." (A Right Royal Bastard)
Bridget Colebrooke (1892-1975)
Lover in 1921.
Lover in 1921.
Daughter of: Edward Arthur Colebrooke, 1st Baron Colebrooke & Alexandra Harriet Paget.
Wife of: Lord Victor William Paget (1889-1952), son of Lord Alexander Victor Paget & Hon. Hester Alice Stapleton-Cotton, mar 1922.
"Edward VIII (Prince of Wales) had an affair with Bridget before she was married." (anatpro)
"Hon. Bridget Colebrooke (1892-1975), younger daughter of 1st Lord Colebrooke, Permanent Lord-in-Waiting to King George V. Married 1922, as his second wife, Lord Victor Paget, divorced 1932. She had been a mistress of the Duke of Windsor, when he was Prince of Wales. She disapproved deeply of Mrs. Simpson for addressing the Prince as 'David'. She said: 'In my day one either called him Sir or Darling.' (The Quest for Queen Mary)
"Hon. Bridget Colebrooke (1892-1975), younger daughter of 1st Lord Colebrooke, Permanent Lord-in-Waiting to King George V. Married 1922, as his second wife, Lord Victor Paget, divorced 1932. She had been a mistress of the Duke of Windsor, when he was Prince of Wales. She disapproved deeply of Mrs. Simpson for addressing the Prince as 'David'. She said: 'In my day one either called him Sir or Darling.' (The Quest for Queen Mary)
Audrey James (1902-1968)
Lover in 1923.
Daughter of: Mrs. Willie James of West Dean Park
Wife of:
1. Captain Dudley Coats
2. Marshall Field of Chicago
3. Hon. Peter Pleydel.
" . . . Although at the beginning the relationship was 'all consuming' and he dearly wanted a child by her,it had run into trouble by 1923 when he had a brief affair with Mrs. Audrey Coats, a far cry from the time when he declared that 'I swear I'll never marry any other woman but you'. Initially she was pursued by Lord Mountbatten who was besotted with her. The Prince became involved when 'Dickie' asked him if he should marry her but she turned him down and married instead a wealthy cotton magnate. Mrs. Coats, with whom the Prince had a brief affair in 1923, was the daughter of Evie James, alleged bastard daughter of Edward VII by Lady Forbes, and thereby quite possibly the Prince's first cousin. 'As the prettiest debutante of her season with 4,000 pounds a year and a fast reputation, she had earlier been courted by an enraptured Lord Louis Mountbatten and before her marriage in 1922 'had played havoc with a wide swathe of London Society'. But the affair did not last and before long the Prince had returned to Freda and it would be another six years before he became involved with another woman." (Royal Sex)
"Daughter of a famous hostess and intimate of Edward VII, Audrey James (d.1968) had a brief affair with the Prince of Wales. Her husband included Marshall Field III of Chicago, and Peter Pleydell-Bouverie. Evelyn Waugh described her as 'strained, nervous, cross-patch of a woman. . . ." (OAS Against the Reich: 212)
" . . . Although at the beginning the relationship was 'all consuming' and he dearly wanted a child by her,it had run into trouble by 1923 when he had a brief affair with Mrs. Audrey Coats, a far cry from the time when he declared that 'I swear I'll never marry any other woman but you'. Initially she was pursued by Lord Mountbatten who was besotted with her. The Prince became involved when 'Dickie' asked him if he should marry her but she turned him down and married instead a wealthy cotton magnate. Mrs. Coats, with whom the Prince had a brief affair in 1923, was the daughter of Evie James, alleged bastard daughter of Edward VII by Lady Forbes, and thereby quite possibly the Prince's first cousin. 'As the prettiest debutante of her season with 4,000 pounds a year and a fast reputation, she had earlier been courted by an enraptured Lord Louis Mountbatten and before her marriage in 1922 'had played havoc with a wide swathe of London Society'. But the affair did not last and before long the Prince had returned to Freda and it would be another six years before he became involved with another woman." (Royal Sex)
"Daughter of a famous hostess and intimate of Edward VII, Audrey James (d.1968) had a brief affair with the Prince of Wales. Her husband included Marshall Field III of Chicago, and Peter Pleydell-Bouverie. Evelyn Waugh described her as 'strained, nervous, cross-patch of a woman. . . ." (OAS Against the Reich: 212)
" . . . Audrey James was beloved of the Prince of Wales before he met Mrs. Simpson and fell on evil times. . . ." (Under the Mountain)
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Beryl Markham @Pinterest |
Beryl Markham (1902-1986).
Lover in 1928?
British aviatrix, adventurer, racehorse trainer & author.
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
"As an adult, Beryl was almost six feet tall, blonde, blue-eyed with the figure of a super model. Although she grew up a tomboy, Beryl was also incredibly feminine. She loved perfume, ointments, and lotions. She also had regular manicures and salon appointments all throughout her life. All of her clothes were beautifully cut, trousers that emphasized the length of her legs, worn with silk shirts which became her trademark. She wore a great deal of white which emphasized her tan, and her blonde hair. She was striking more than beautiful, with a vibrant personality. When she walked into a room, heads turned. The first woman to earn a license as a horse trainer in not just in Kenya but England as well, Beryl spent most of her time around men and animals. She had few female friends, but those she did have like Karen Blixen, tended to be more maternal, treating her more like an errant daughter." (Scandalous Woman)
"The dynamic contrast of two cultures must have influenced her exceptional career. She was married three times and became royal courtesan to both the Duke of Gloucester and Edward, Prince of Wales. Her many love affairs connected her to an array of famous men, ranging from the white hunter Denys Finch Hatton to the folk singer Burl Ives." (Chicago Tribune)
" . . . Some years earlier he'd (Prince Henry) travelled to Kenya with his eldest brother, the Prince of Wales---later Edward VIII--- on a safari which morphed into a babes 'n' booze-fest that would put the present-day Harry's Vegas larks in the shade. The royal brothers shared the bed (thankfully on different evenings) of Mrs. Markham, daughter of a Happy Valley racehorse trainer and unusually a woman who'd made a name for herself as a pilot. Striking rather than beautiful, she had a voracious appetite for men." (Daily Mail)
Viscountess Furness
Lover in 1929-1934.
First encounter.
"In the summer of 1929 he met Viscountess Furness in the incongruous setting of an agricultural show in Leicestershire. She became his hostess, companion, and lover. He often stated at Burrough Court, the Furnesses' country home near Melton Mowbray. There, in 1931, he met a woman nursing a heavy cold." (Daily Mail)
" . . . Thelma had also been the acknowledged mistress of Edward, Prince of Wales, who bestowed upon her the nickname 'Toodles'. For five years the prince had enjoyed a sophisticated liaison in which matters were always satisfactorily arranged to ensure that he and Lady Furness could spend weekends together at Fort Belvedere, the prince's home in Windsor Great Park. Their personal idyll was ended when Thelma, about to depart for a holiday in America, naively suggested to Wallis Simpson, 'I'm afraid the Prince is going to be lonely. Wallis, won't you look after him?'" (Straight on Till Morning: The Life of Beryl Markham: 258)
"Next came Lady Thelma Furness, the daughter of an American diplomat. She was both married and a divorcee. At sixteen, she had eloped with a man twice her age. The marriage did not last. Once she had got rid of her first husband, she snared Viscount Furness, who was famous for his consumption of brandy and women. Lady Furness accompanied Edward on safari in Kenya in 1930. There, she said she felt 'as if we were the only two people in the world'. In her diary, she recorded: 'This was our Eden, and we were alone in it. Borne along on the mounting tide of his ardour. I felt myself inexorably swept from the accustomed moorings of caution. Every night I felt more completely possessed by our love.'" (The Mammoth Book of Sex Scandals)
Drawn together by a love of jazz.
"Although fond of the prince, Lady Freda grew increasingly weary of his behaviour and began a new affair. She was very relieved when Prince Edward also discovered a new romance in 1926. The object of his affection this time was Lady Thelma Furness, a descendant of Spanish aristocrats, daughter of a diplomat and unhappy wife of Britain's wealthiest man. Drawn together by a love of jazz, the heir to the throne and the beauty who had starred in and produced silent movies in Hollywood soon fell in love. Lady Thelma's sister, Consuelo, invited Mrs Simpson into their lunch group and Lady Thelma made the mistake of introducing the American into the inner-circle of the prince's friends. According to De Vries' book, when Lady Thelma went to New York to support her twin sister - widowed multi-millionairess Gloria Vanderbilt - in a court case, the manipulative Mrs Simpson moved in." (Courier Mail)
"Thelma was American. She had married an English aristocrat, Viscount Furness. This was the second marriage for both of them. The Viscount, who had the wonderful first name of Marmaduke, was a wealthy shipping magnate - just the same as Ernest, the husband of Wallis Simpson. The two women - both Americans in London, with husbands in the same line of business, were friends. Moving in aristocratic circles, Lady Furness became the favoured mistress of Edward, the Prince of Wales as early as 1929. Thelma was an identical twin. Her sister Gloria married the heir to the Vanderbilt millions, becoming the mother of the Gloria. These were no ordinary girls. In the early twenties, they had both had bit parts in silent movies, one of which was called The Young Diana. Edward was reportedly besotted by Thelma. They holidayed together and she was a permanent feature in his life. Thelma introduced her lover to her friend, Wallis. Now the Prince had two mistresses, unknown to Thelma. In 1934, Thelma was leaving England to go to America to see her twin sister, Gloria, and asked Wallis to 'take care of Edward' for her. But Thelma had no choice but to leave for America. She was very close to her identical twin sister, Gloria, and Gloria badly needed her support. When Thelma returned to England, it was to find that she had been dumped by Edward - Wallis was now his exclusive mistress. In anger, and in a future echo of Diana, Princess of Wales, Thelma embarked on a passionate love affair with Muslim Prince Aly Khan, who later married film star Rita Hayworth who was the first movie actress to become a princess. Khan was later to die in a Paris car accident." (Hub Pages)
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| Wallis Simpson @Biography |
Wallis Simpson (1896-1986).
Lover in 1934.
American socialite.
" . . . Edward embarked on a series of relationships, many with married women including half-British, half-American textile heiress Freda Dudley Ward, American film actress Mildred Harris, and Lady Furness (born Thelma Morgan), an American woman of part-Chilean ancestry, who introduced Edward to fellow American Wallis Simpson (previously Wallis Spencer; born Bessie Wallis Warfield). Mrs. Simpson had divorced her first husband in 1927 and had subsequently married Ernest Simpson, a half-British, hald-American businessman. It is generally accepted that Mrs. Simpson and the Prince of Wales became lovers while his existing lady friend, Lady Furness, travelled abroad, though Edward adamantly insisted to his father, the King, that he had not been intimate with Mrs. Simpson and that it was not appropriate to describer her as his mistress." (The Life and Times of the English Princes of Wales: 122)
" . . . On January 10, 1931, Lady Furness hosted a party at her country house, Burrough Court, where, in addition to Prince Edward, Mrs. Wallis Simpson and her husband Ernest Simpson were invited. It was at this party the two first met. Though Prince Edward was soon to be infatuated with Mrs. Simpson, she didn't make a big impression on Edward at their first meeting." (Rosenberg)
Vera Seely (1903 -1970)
Lover in 1934?
Daughter of Lt-Col. Charles Wilfred Birkin, CMG and Claire Lloyd Howe
Wife of Frank James Wriothesley Seely
" . . . Vera, a notable beauty, was born in 1903 and was thus nine years younger than the Prince. Presumably she had been introduced to the Prince by her sister. Certainly she came to know him very well and was given by him a beautiful silver dressing table set and had a sketch of the Prince which hung in her bedroom. However, at the time of Tim's conception, the Prince also had Thelma Furness and Wallis Simpson in tow, having rather cruelly rid himself of Freda just beforehand. It would seem that the affair, if such it was was very short lived for there is no suggestion that any other of Tim's siblings have a Royal father. Vera died in 1970." (Royal Bastards: Illegitimate Children of the British Royal Family)
"Tim Seely, the King of England in the opening sequences of the new John Goodman spoof, King Ralph, is the subject of a wild royal rumor. Since the 1988 publication of John Parker's King of Fools, Seely, 55, has been bruited about as the illegitimate son of Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936. Tim's father of record is the late Frank Seely, a Nottingham coal-mine owner. His mother was the late Vera Lilian Seely, whose sister, Freda Dudley Ward, was one of Edward's mistresses. (Parker theorizes that Edward took up with Vera in 1934 while Wallis Simpson, his future wife, was in France.) When asked about his heritage, Seely says, 'The Duke of Windsor was friendly with my parents in the '20s and '30s, and my mother did keep a sketch of him on her dressing table.'" (People)
" . . . [I]t has been alleged that he also had a brief affair with Freda's sister, Vera, the wife of Major (Frank) James Wriothesley Seely. Major Seely was very well connected and brought him two descents from Charles II through his mistresses Barbara Villiers and Louise de Queroualle and kinship to the Duchess of Rutland, the 'Grand Amour' of Frederick, Duke of York, brother of George IV plus Lady Sarah Wilson, an alleged mistress of Edward VII; he was also a cousin of Diana, Princess of Wales. At one point before her marriage, Freda and the Prince had discussed the possibility of Vera becoming his wife but nothing came of the idea. 'You will remember our discussing her as a possible wife for me', he wrote on one occasion." (Royal Sex)
4) Caroline Berkeley.
5) Cynthia Hamilton, Countess Spencer (1897-1972)
British aristocrat
Daughter of: James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn & Lady Rosalind Bingham
Wife of: Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (1869-1953) mar 1919.
Back home in England there followed, in quick succession, liaisons with glamorous aristocrats, most of them daughters of dukes. They included...Lady Cynthia Hamilton...." (Daily Mail)
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| Diana Cooper |
6) Lady Diana Cooper (1892-1986)
British aristocrat, actress & socialite.
Wife of: Alfred Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich (1890-1954)
Back home in England there followed, in quick succession, liaisons with glamorous aristocrats, most of them daughters of dukes. They included...Lady Diana Manners. . . ." (Daily Mail)
" . . . The duchess's notion was that Diana should marry Edward, Prince of Wales, but Diana had no use for him and the prince liked hard, sophisticated, older women. Otherwise it would not have been an impossible match. . . ." (Financial Review)
Physical traits & personal qualities: " . . . She was pale, blond, oval-faced -- 'sheeplike', one of the rare dissenters called her. And she was wretchedly aware of her lack of formal education, certain she was stupid and uninteresting. What she didn't grasp was that she possessed an incandescence that animated and delighted almost every person she met. 'It was plain, Enid Magnolia wrote of her in her 1951 novel The Loved and Envied, that she was 'a person with an extra dose of life'." (Financial Review)
Lady Diana's personal & family background.
"Lady Diana Manners (her name until she married Duff), born in 1892, was the last child of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, or at least she was the duchess's last child: it was commonly assumed that her biological father was the brilliant, charming man-about-town (and serial seducer) Harry Cust, with whom Violet, the duchess, had a passionate affair. No one seemed to mind -- not the duke, who politely (and affectionately) stood by as the baby's official father, or the duchess, or Diana herself. . . Victorian dukes were almost as esteemed as royalty, and the Manners family owned something like 65,000 acres of land, abundant coal mines and Belvoir (pronounced Beaver) Castle, one of the grandest of ducal residences. . . ." (Financial Review)
7) Edward Dudley Metcalfe (1887-1957)
British army officer.
" . . . The two men first met when as Prince of Wales the Duke went on a tour of India in 1922. The Duke described him to others as 'a gay handsome Irishman.' The Duke was also very impressed with Metcalfe's knowledge of horses; insisting that Metcalfe join his personal staff. . . King George V hated him right from the start. The King had already suspected a romantic attachment between them and detested Metcalfe's emotional hold over his son and the heir to the throne and for encouraging his son's addiction to loose living and heavy drinking." (Fletcher: 25)
"Before hurriedly departing from Paris to the Riviera, the Duke had one more very painful duty to perform, that of dismissing his lover, and best man at his wedding to Wallis Simpson, friend and equerry of more than twenty years, Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe; always known as 'Fruity'... As equerry, Fruity had constantly been at the Dukes (sic) side from when he was Prince of Wales, King and now Duke of Windsor. He had been the Dukes (sic) nursemaid long before Wallis Simpson came on the scene, often helping the Duke home after he had consumed far too much to drink and putting him to bed. . . ." (The Duke of Windsor's Last Secrets: 24)
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| Frances Day |
8) Frances Day (1908-1984)
American actress & singer
Wife of Beaumont Alexander, an Australian agent and publicist in London, mar 1927, div 1938.
"Frances Victoria Schenk was born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1908, and was dancing in New York speakeasies by the age of 16. She was spotted by Australian entrepreneur Beaumont Alexander, who whisked her off to London, dyed her hair platinum blonde, and changed her name to Frances Day. With Alexander’s promotion, Day quickly became one of the most talked-about cabaret acts in the city, her stunning looks and fearlessly bawdy performances driving audiences wild. At 19, she married Alexander, who was nearly twice her age. Within three years they were separated. Day would never remarry, but would go on to notch a spectacular record of conquests, both male and female, from the future King Edward VIII and his brother Prince George to the future prime minister, Anthony Eden. Even First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt confessed in a letter to Day after meeting her that “I find I am quite unable to resist your extraordinary and tempestuous magnetism. . . In 1965, she disappeared completely from public life, changing her name to Samta Young Johnson and denying that she was the famous Frances Day of years past. The former star and sex symbol died in 1984 at the age of 75." (Mashable)
" . . . Day was flagrantly bisexual, having affairs with Tallulah Bankhead and Marlene Dietrich, and attracting the passionate admiration of Eleanor Roosevelt and George Bernard Shaw, who wrote one of his last plays for her, and was the mistress of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), his brother Prince George, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Prince Bertil of Sweden, and Britain's Foreign Secretary and future British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden." (The Elmbridge Hundred)
Frances Day's lovers were:
1. Anthony Eden, British Prime Minister
2. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
3. Prince Bertil of Sweden
4. Edward, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII)
5. George, Duke of Kent (his brother)
6. Lord Louis Mountbatten
7. Marlene Dietrich
8. Tallulah Bankhead
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| Edward VIII & Louis Mountbatten |
First Sea Lord, Chief of the Defense, Viceroy of India, Governor-General of India.
10) Lillian Bartlett.
11) Maggy.
"...In Paris the next year (1917) he spent three days in bed with a woman called Maggy." (Daily Mail)
16) Paulette
"In July 1917, thanks to the efforts of his equerries, a French prostitute called Paulette helped him overcome his fears. . . ." (Daily Mail)
"His amorous life got under way in 1916 when two equerries hauled him off to Amiens in France, where they left him in the tender embraces of a prostitute called Paulette. In Paris the next year he spent three days in bed with a woman called Maggy." (Daily Mail)
17) Rachel Cavendish (1902-1977)
Daughter of: Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire & Lady Emily Petty-FitzMaurice."His amorous life got under way in 1916 when two equerries hauled him off to Amiens in France, where they left him in the tender embraces of a prostitute called Paulette. In Paris the next year he spent three days in bed with a woman called Maggy." (Daily Mail)
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| Rachel Cavendish @The Peerage |
Wife of: James Gray Stuart, 1st Viscount Stuart of Findhorn, mar 1923.
Back home in England there followed, in quick succession, liaisons with glamorous aristocrats, most of them daughters of dukes. They included...Lady Rachel Cavendish...." (Daily Mail)
Edward VIII of Great Britain Gallery.
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Edward VIII as a child |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Edward VIII, as Prince of Wales |
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| Prince Edward, 1911 |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales in his Robes of the Order of the Garter |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales during a trip to India, c1920 |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales in a pith helmet during an Indian tour |
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| The Prince of Wales |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Young Prince Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| Portrait of Edward, the Prince of Wales by Sir William Orpen, 1927 |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales |
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| H.R.H. Edward VIII |
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| Edward,, Prince of Wales during Royal Safari to Africa in 1925 |
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| Edward VIII |
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| Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor wearing a kimono |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales in his Order of the Garter robes |
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| King Edward VIII |
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| Edward VIII |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales, c1926 |
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| King Edward VIII |
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| Edward VIII of Great Britain |
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| Edward, Prince of Wales in his Masonic gear |
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| King Edward VIII |
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| Edward VIII at the time of the abdication |
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| Wallis Warfield Simpson Duchess of Windsor |
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (1896-1986).
Wife of:
1. Earl Winfield Spencer, Jr. mar 1916, sep 1923.
2. Edward, Duke of Windsor
2. Edward, Duke of Windsor
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| Wallis Simpson & Earl Spencer, Jr. |
Her lovers were:
1) Alberto da Zara.
Italian admiral
Lover in 1924.
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Earl W. Spencer, Jr. @San Diego History |
2) Earl Winfield Spencer, Jr (1888-1950)
American pilot.
Son of: Earl Winfield Spencer & Agnes Lucy Hughes.
3) Edward, Prince of Wales.
Lover in 1934.
"...She met the world's most eligible bachelor, Edward, Prince of Wales, at a house party in Leicestershire given on January 10, 1931, by the prince's then mistress, Lady Thelma Furness...." (Carroll, 2010, n.p.)
4) Elsie de Wolfe.
5) Ernest Simpson (1897-1958)
American-British shipping executive
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| Grover Whalen with Felipe Espil signing book @ NYPL Digital Collections |
"...After her divorce (from Earl Winfield Spencer) she began an affair with a married man, the banker Ernest Simpson, marrying him in 1928. (Hartley, 2003, p. 396)
6) Felipe Espil (1887-1972)
Lover in 1922/23.
Argentine diplomat
1st Secretary, Counsellor & Charge d'Affaires; Argentine Embassy in Washington, D.C 1921-1928; Minister to The Hague, 1928; Minister to Oslo 1930 & Copenhagen
" . . . Felipe Espil was the first secretary to the Argentine Embassy, and the 'Biggest catch in Washington.' Wallis worked hard to snag Espil before his eye turned to the more attractive, but far less determined Washington socialites...." (French, p. 4)
"Don Felipe Espil, at thirty-five, was eight years older than Wallis and a man of experience of women and the world. He was slim, dark, and tall and spoke with an attractively marked South American accent. A qualified lawyer, his interests were extraordinarily wide ranging and included music, economics, bridge, baseball, gold and riding, at all of which he excelled... When he met Wallis he was first secretary at the Argentine Embassy, but no one was in any doubt of his ambition to be ambassador, a position that would require considerable funds. He indulged in a brief relationship with Wallis, which caused some scandal in Washington, presumably because she was considered unsuitable, and it may have been this affair in particular that Alice Rasin so objected to...." (Sebba, p. 1)
7) Galeazzo Ciano, Conte di Cortellazo (1903-1944)
Italian fascist activist, statesman & diplomat.
8) Gelasio Caetani
Lover in 1923.
"Wallis first met Prince Gelasio Caetani during a reception at the Italian Embassy in Washington. Caetani's wealth, connections, and high rank attracted Wallis. . . ." (French: 4)
9) Guy Marcus Trundle (1899-1958)
Lover in 1935-1936.
British motor engineer & salesman
"...(T)he Duchess had another lover while she was going out with the Prince of Wales. His name was Guy Trundle. Trundle was born in 1899 in York, the son of a Church of England priest. As a teenager toward the end of World War I, he joined the Royal Air Force, flew in Greece in 1920s and became a Wing Commander. By the early 1930s, he was a car mechanic and salesman in London and had married Melosine Cary-Bernard, daughter of a retired army officer... In secret papers released by the government on January 30, 2003 after more than 65 years, police named Trundle as the paramour of Wallis Simpson." (Batchelor, 20012, p. 83)
"Guy Trundle was a hidden figure in the famous romance between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. In 1936, Edward gave up his throne to marry Simpson, a divorcee who was considered unsuitable to become queen. Government documents released in 2003 revealed a surprising secret: while Simpson was carrying on her affair with Edward, she also was secretly seeing Trundle, a local car salesman. Special police agents following Simpson discovered her affair with Trundle, though Edward apparently was not informed of it before his abdication." (Infoplease)
10) Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt.
11) James Donahue, Jr (1915-1966)
American heir & gay socialite
Son of: James Paul Donahue & Jessie Woolworth
"At another New York party for the Windsor's arranged by Guido but hosted by the wealthy Mrs. Sailing Baruch, the Duchess met the notorious playboy Jimmy Donahue. Blonde and slender, he was twenty years her junior and and flamboyant homosexual; kindred spirits had found each other. They embarked on a four-year affair that the Duke did nothing to stop because Donahue and his rich socialist Woolworth heiress mother Jess bankrolled the Windsor's expatriate lifestyle. With the Duke's sexual interest in the Duchess now dwindling, Donahue had discovered all the right buttons to her extraordinary sexuality." (The Duke of Windsor's Last Secrets: 184)
Personal & Family Background: ". . . (H)e was the second son of Jessie Donahue, who was the daughter of Frank Woolworth, the founder of Woolworth's retail empire. Jessie was massively, unbelievably rich: she had huge houses, scores of servants, gold plate, you name it; and she flashed her money around." (Grumpy Old Boolman)
12) William Christian Bullitt (1891-1967)
American diplomat, journalist & novelist.
Son of: William Christian Bullitt, Sr. & Louisa Gross Horwitz
9) Guy Marcus Trundle (1899-1958)
Lover in 1935-1936.
British motor engineer & salesman
"...(T)he Duchess had another lover while she was going out with the Prince of Wales. His name was Guy Trundle. Trundle was born in 1899 in York, the son of a Church of England priest. As a teenager toward the end of World War I, he joined the Royal Air Force, flew in Greece in 1920s and became a Wing Commander. By the early 1930s, he was a car mechanic and salesman in London and had married Melosine Cary-Bernard, daughter of a retired army officer... In secret papers released by the government on January 30, 2003 after more than 65 years, police named Trundle as the paramour of Wallis Simpson." (Batchelor, 20012, p. 83)
"Guy Trundle was a hidden figure in the famous romance between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. In 1936, Edward gave up his throne to marry Simpson, a divorcee who was considered unsuitable to become queen. Government documents released in 2003 revealed a surprising secret: while Simpson was carrying on her affair with Edward, she also was secretly seeing Trundle, a local car salesman. Special police agents following Simpson discovered her affair with Trundle, though Edward apparently was not informed of it before his abdication." (Infoplease)
10) Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt.
11) James Donahue, Jr (1915-1966)
Lover in 1950-1954.
American heir & gay socialite
Son of: James Paul Donahue & Jessie Woolworth
"At another New York party for the Windsor's arranged by Guido but hosted by the wealthy Mrs. Sailing Baruch, the Duchess met the notorious playboy Jimmy Donahue. Blonde and slender, he was twenty years her junior and and flamboyant homosexual; kindred spirits had found each other. They embarked on a four-year affair that the Duke did nothing to stop because Donahue and his rich socialist Woolworth heiress mother Jess bankrolled the Windsor's expatriate lifestyle. With the Duke's sexual interest in the Duchess now dwindling, Donahue had discovered all the right buttons to her extraordinary sexuality." (The Duke of Windsor's Last Secrets: 184)
Personal & Family Background: ". . . (H)e was the second son of Jessie Donahue, who was the daughter of Frank Woolworth, the founder of Woolworth's retail empire. Jessie was massively, unbelievably rich: she had huge houses, scores of servants, gold plate, you name it; and she flashed her money around." (Grumpy Old Boolman)
12) William Christian Bullitt (1891-1967)
American diplomat, journalist & novelist.
Son of: William Christian Bullitt, Sr. & Louisa Gross Horwitz
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