British Royals A dark connection The dark connection between Hitler and the British royal family in the Thirties begun in 1935 when the Fuhrer used Karl Eduard, the Duke of SaxeCoburg-Gotha as an informal ambassador of goodwill to the royal family Eduard seemed to have succeeded in persuading Edward that Hitler was the only defence against communism The connection grew stronger when Edward decided to visit Germany in 1937 A clandestine meeting between Edward and committed Nazis Rudolf Hess and Martin Bormann took place in Edward’s hotel in Paris before the visit An impression of the meeting written by Hess informed Hitler that, ‘the Duke was proud of his German blood’ and there was ‘no need to lose a single German life in invading Britain The Duke and his clever wife will deliver the goods.’ Hess fully expected Edward to regain power in Britain and persuade the populace to seek peace The visit to Germany then went ahead, Hitler was charming and Edward enjoyed his tour As the war progressed, a secret memorandum to American president Roosevelt from J Edgar Hoover claimed, ‘that the Duke of Windsor entered into an agreement If Germany was victorious [Herman Goering] would install the Duke of Windsor as King of England.’ While it seems unlikely Edward did agree to this, he must have maintained links with the Nazis for this type of rumour to circulate Timeline men his own age under the guise of these tours her own mind and refused to stand on ceremony and drop the cold protocol normally required of He quickly became infatuated by her, it was said official visits by observers that he lost ‘all sense of reason’ when After the armistice it was as if this new-found he was around her He lavished her with jewellery, freedom had disappeared with the rifles and gold or whatever she wanted, it seemed as if bayonets He commented in 1919, ‘ I mixed with Edward had finally found someone to give his life men… I found my manhood.’ His father was quick meaning There was however a complication as to clip his new found self-confidence far as Edward’s position as the Prince of sternly informing him, ‘don’t think Wales was concerned; Wallis was a you act like other people.’ He married woman When she became Edward gained longed for the freedom given Edward’s mistress she promised his pilot’s licence to him during the war and to give up her second husband found his new life of state for him but this wouldn’t soothe and founded the openings and formal banquets the sensibilities of his family 32 Royal squadron, smothering He drifted To compound the issue she used for royal through his university career wasn’t from a royal household, flights to official failing to make an impact she was an American socialite academically and then went on from Baltimore When it became engagements an extended tour of the empire obvious to Edward’s father in While this should have offered 1934 that this wasn’t another casual him the adventure he yearned for, he relationship he was furious; he angrily told quickly saw that he was just as much a prisoner him to get rid of her abroad as he was at home Every step he took was On 20 January 1936, George V died and the closely monitored, and he became frustrated and question of Wallis’s status was immediately depressed His frustration made him angry and brought into question Would she become queen? he began to display the bigotry and dismissive The short answer was absolutely not – she was nature inherited by many English aristocracy of the twice divorced and unpopular with the British time He was appalled by the Australian aborigines establishment Absurd rumours circulated about describing them as, ‘the most revolting form of the spell she had placed Edward under, her devious living creatures I’ve ever seen.’ He also began to manipulation, her dark hold over the new king The hate communism with unrelenting zeal issue was becoming even more serious, especially It was during this unhappy time that in 1931 considering that the country was edging ever he met the woman that would change his life closer to another world war The nation needed forever – Wallis Simpson Edward had already had leadership, not uncertainty, but Edward did not a number of affairs but they were fleeting In Wallis see the two issues as related He wanted to marry he found something that he hadn’t seen in other Wallis, and everything else was of secondary women, a strong independent character that knew importance Besides, Adolf Hitler would defeat the Defining moment Defining moment Tour of the empire August 1919 Royal family meet Wallis November 1934 After the war, Edward spends the next five years touring the empire and representing his father abroad He does a number of public relation events including presenting the Prince of Wales cup to the Canadian hockey league and visiting the politically sensitive city of Quebec where he receives a warm welcome His charm and good looks serve him well and he becomes a popular figure Not all of his visits went so smoothly however; in a high-profile visit to Australia he wrote of the Aborigines, ‘they are the most revolting form of living creatures I’ve ever seen’ Edward’s less than discreet affair with Wallis Simpson comes to a head in 1934 when Edward invites Simpson to an evening party at Buckingham Palace Edward’s father had originally struck her name out of the list of invitations but Edward invited her, regardless When George finds out, he becomes outraged and shouts his disapproval Simpson is subsequently frozen out of all royal family functions This puts enormous strain on the relationship between Edward and his father, lending more fuel to the suspicion that Edward will abdicate when George dies 1894 O A prince is born Edward Windsor is born at White Lodge, Richmond Park London to George and Mary, the Duke and Duchess of York He is given the title His Highness Prince Edward of York 23 June 1894 164 O The Prince at Dartmouth On the wishes of his family, Edward joins the navy as an officer cadet at Dartmouth Navy College He spends two years there before becoming a Midshipman September 1909 O Prince of Wales and heir apparent On the death of Edward VII, Edward’s father becomes the King of Britain and her empire Edward is immediately invested as the Prince of Wales and is now next in line to the throne 23 June 1910 vk.com/englishlibrary O War At the outbreak of World War I, Edward joins the Grenadier guards and asks to serve at the front This request is refused by the Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener 28 July 1914 vk.com/bastau O Time magazine story Time magazine publishes a story in which Edward is reported to have said that he would abdicate the throne This is officially denied, but the story serves as an insight into his thoughts 29 April 1929