Thursday, January 21, 2016

New king can't wed commoner

Embed from Getty Images 
 January 21, 1936

Now that the Prince of Wales has ascended to the British throne, the "last hope" that he will marry a commoner "disappeared today for literally thousands of women around the world," reports the Associated Press.

Since visiting the United States and Canada in 1919, the new king has received "torrents of letters" for "Circe-styled proposals."

King Edward VIII, now 41. is "far removed from such romantic offerings."  By the law that governs royal marriages, the king may only marry a "royal princess."

[The Sovereign was not legally bound to marry a royal princess.  The Royal Marriages Act stated nothing of the sort.]

The five princesses who appear to be the only ones "eligible to sit with Edward on the British throne" are Princesses Irene and Catherine of Greece,  Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, Princess Eugenie of Greece, and Grand Duchess Kira of Russia.  

[The AP's writer misses another point:  Princess Juliana was the heir to the Dutch throne, and unlikely to marry a foreign sovereign.]

Most of the new king's friendships were with women "whose social ratings were high," but were not members of European royal houses.

Among the king's "notable favorites as dancing partners" have been Viscountess Ednam, who was killed with five others in an air crash at Croyden; Mrs. Dudley Ward; and more recently "the dark-eyed" Mrs. Ernest Simpson, the former Miss Wallis Warfield of Baltimore, Maryland.

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