Card of the Day: H.R.H. The Prince of Wales

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.
--King Edward VIII

Blah, blah, blah, David. You forgot Britain! You left Britain. And, you broke your poor mama’s heart. How’s that for introducing some Sicilian guilt into the whole abdication kerfuffle? Well, let’s not go on about it. You all know how I feel about King Edward VIII.

Speaking of the one-time Prince of Wales’ mother, Queen Mary, prior to the abdication crisis, she was quite fond of her eldest son and always marveled at his good looks. She didn’t quite understand him all the time. In fact, she had a rather difficult time talking to him. And vice versa. As King Edward VIII, “David” was quite smugly pleased with himself because he thought his mother didn’t know anything about Wallis Simpson because she didn’t mention it. She knew. Of course she knew. She had many, many long meetings with the Prime Minister about it. She just didn’t know how to bring up the subject and hoped that her boy would come to his senses. He didn’t.

Even after the abdication, when Queen Mary’s opinion of her son had cooled considerably, she did often comment on his good looks and marveled that he didn’t appear to age naturally. Was it some sort of Dorian Grey thing? No. He had inherited his grandmother’s genes. Queen Alexandra didn’t age physically either until just before her death.

So, here we have a picture of a baby-faced Prince of Wales who was about twenty-three or twenty-four when this photo was taken. This image was featured in the series of Silver Jubilee cards produced in 1935 by Godfrey and Phillips.

Let’s take a look at this old clip wherein the Duke is recalling his fateful meeting of Wallis Simpson. Looks like his age finally caught up with him. Good.