King Edward VIII is best known for romantically giving up his throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorceé. But long before then he was making waves as an unconventional royal. Here are some facts about Edward you probably never knew...
Author Ted Powell writes for Female First
1. Edward was a real Prince Charming, and danced with his very own Cinderella
In the 1920s Prince Edward was the world’s most eligible bachelor, and every girl dreamed of dancing with him at a glittering ball. The dream became reality one night in 1920 for a young American shop assistant, Carolyn Granberry. She met Edward at a reception in Panama when he was on his way through the Canal to a royal tour in Australia. Ignoring the society matrons who expected him to dance with their daughters, the Prince danced with Carolyn all night, and invited her to lunch the following day. “I am sorry he’s a Prince”, she said, as she waved him off tearfully from the quayside at the end of their brief romance.
2. Edward was Britain’s first recorded surfer dude
After passing through the Panama Canal, Edward’s battleship made a refuelling stop in Hawaii. There Edward tried his hand at surfing, instructed by the Olympic champion swimmer, Duke Kahanmoku. As the surf rolled in to Waikiki Beach at Honolulu, Edward managed to stand up briefly on his surfboard. He enjoyed the experience so much that he ordered the ship to stop in Hawaii on the way home, so he could have another go!
3. Edward had an affair with a Hollywood movie star
In 1924, when he was vacationing on Long Island near New York, Edward enjoyed a whirlwind romance with a beautiful Hollywood star, Pinna Nesbit Cruger. While on holiday he spent his days playing polo and his nights dancing till dawn with Pinna at the lavish parties laid on for him by New York’s wealthy elite. When he left he gave her a diamond-encrusted gold Cartier cigarette case as a memento, inscribed ‘Pinna 1924 love – EP’.
4. Edward VIII was the only King to have a sculpture made from butter
At the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924, the star attraction in the Canadian pavilion was a life-size statue of Edward sculpted entirely out of butter. Edward had bought a cattle ranch in western Canada a few years before, and the 2.5 ton butter tableau depicted Edward at his ranch with his favourite pony.
5. Edward once played the drums with Duke Ellington’s jazz band
Edward was a huge fan of American jazz, and fancied himself as a bit of a drummer. In 1933, when Ellington was playing at a private party, Edward sat on the floor next to the drummer, Sonny Greer, and struck up a conversation. Sonny let the Prince play the drums, and they spent the evening bantering and jamming together!
6. Edward brought the Fair Isle sweater to the USA
In the 1920s Edward was a leading fashion icon in Britain and the USA. The styles he wore immediately became that season’s ‘must-have’. One of his most popular styles was the highly patterned Fair Isle sweater, which Edward favoured for playing golf. It immediately caught on in the States as a fashion item for both men and women, and has proved one of his most lasting legacies!
7. Edward threatened to commit suicide if Wallis left him
Wallis Simpson is normally seen as a manipulative schemer, eager to become Edward’s Queen. In fact she tried hard to escape from him as the Abdication Crisis loomed. She wrote him a letter saying they would only ‘create disaster together’, and begged him to release her. He replied by threatening suicide if she left him, leaving her no option but to resume their relationship.
Ted Powell is a historian and author. His new book King Edward VIII: An American Life, published by Oxford University Press is out now priced at £25 and available in hardback and ebook.