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Duke of Windsor

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Dukedom of Windsor
Arms of the Duke of Windsor
Creation date8 March 1937
CreationFirst
Created byGeorge VI
PeeragePeerage of the United Kingdom
First holderPrince Edward
Last holderPrince Edward
Remainder tothe 1st Duke'sheirs maleof the bodylawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesNone
StatusExtinct

Duke of Windsorwas a title in thePeerage of the United Kingdom.It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarchEdward VIII,following hisabdicationon 11 December 1936. Thedukedomtakes its name fromthe townwhereWindsor Castle,a residence ofEnglish monarchssince the time ofHenry I,following theNorman Conquest,is situated.Windsorhas been the house name of theroyal familysince 1917.

History[edit]

King Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936, so that he could marry the AmericandivorcéeWallis Simpson.At the time of the abdication, there was controversy as to how the former King should be titled. The new monarch,King George VI,apparently brought up the idea of a title just after the abdication instrument was signed, and suggested using "thefamily name".[1]Neither the Instrument of Abdication signed by Edward VIII on 10 December 1936 nor its enabling legislation,His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936,indicated whether the king was renouncing the privileges ofroyal birthas well as relinquishing the throne.[2][3]On 12 December 1936, at the Accession Council of thePrivy Council of the United Kingdom,George VI announced he was to make his brother the "Duke of Windsor" with the style ofRoyal Highness.[4]That declaration is recorded in theLondon Gazette.[5]The Dukedom was formalised by Letters Patent on 8 March 1937. Edward, as aroyal duke,could neither stand for election to theHouse of Commonsnor speak on political subjects in theHouse of Lords.[6]On 3 June 1937, Edward married Simpson, who upon their marriage became the Duchess of Windsor. Following his abdication, Edward and Wallis lived in exile in Paris, France, except while he wasGovernor of the Bahamas.When Germany invaded France in May 1940, the duke and duchess moved to Spain and then Portugal until August when they set sail for the Bahamas. After the war, they became members ofcafé societyoften splitting their time between Paris and the United States, which they visited frequently. During their stays in New York, they were fond of theWaldorf Astoria Hotel.The Duke suffered from ill health in his later years and died of cancer on 28 May 1972 in Paris. As the Duke died without issue, the title became extinct upon his death.Queen Elizabeth IIbanned the title from being recreated during her reign.[7]

Duke Portrait Birth Marriage(s) Death
Edward VIII
House of Windsor
1937–1972 		Prince Edward 23 June 1894
White Lodge,Richmond
son ofKing George VandQueen Mary 		Wallis Simpson
3 June 1937
 28 May 1972
Villa Windsor,Paris
aged 77
Edward had no children and all his titles became extinct on his death.

Royal arms[edit]

As theroyal armsgo hand-in-hand with the crown, the undifferentiated royal arms passed to George VI. It was and is commonheraldicpractice for the eldest son to differentiate hisarmsin his father's lifetime, but the Duke of Windsor was left in the unusual position of the eldest son needing todifferencehis arms after his father's death. This was done by means of a label argent of three points, bearing on the middle point animperial crownproper.[8]

Family tree[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^This version is recounted in the Duke'smemoirA King's Story
  2. ^"His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936".Government of the United Kingdom.Retrieved31 March2015.
  3. ^"His Majesty's Declaration Of Abdication Bill".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).12 December 1936.Retrieved31 March2015.
  4. ^"No. 34349".The London Gazette.12 December 1936. p. 8111.
  5. ^"No. 34350".The London Gazette.15 December 1936. p. 8115.
  6. ^Clive Wigram's conversation with SirClaud Schuster,Clerk to the Crown and Permanent Secretary to theLord Chancellorquoted in Bradford, p. 201
  7. ^Mackinley, Catherine (14 September 2022)."Who was the Duke of Windsor and why did nobody inherit the title?".Berkshire Live.Retrieved11 October2022.
  8. ^Prothero, David (24 September 2002)."Flags of the Royal Family, United Kingdom".Archived fromthe originalon 31 March 2010.Retrieved2010-04-03.

Further references[edit]

Lownie, Andrew 2021.The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.Blink.

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