King George II & Queen Elizabeth (nee Romania)

[grandduchessella]

Here's some info from Marlene from the 1st page of this thread!

Am filing some clips, and came across the Washington Post article that I mentioned before

"Romance Rocks another throne"   11-3-1946. 
At the time,  Joyce Brittain-Jones was waiting for Foreign Office approval to go to Greece, and she had the support of the king's sister, Katherine "who had told the foreign office in no uncertain terms that she wishes Mrs. Brittain-Jones to come to Athens as soon as possible and live at the palace as her lady in waiting."

She was educated in France, and in 1924 married Capt. John Brittain-JOnes, an army officer, and was the ADC to the viceroy of India = and she met George II when he visited India in 1935.  She divorced her husband and moved to Greece.   She lived in a summer palace on Mt, Parnis until the king went into exile, and she joined him at Claridges - she also accompanied him on a visit to the USA in 1943.
"during his wartime exile in London, the KIng and Mrs. Brittain Jones were freely received in high British society. She is an intimate friend of George's cousin, the Duchess of Kent."

[grandduchessella]

Thanks for the information. I can see why Edward VIII went to holiday with Wallis to Greece. George II must be very sympathetic to his fellow king's situation.

I wonder why no photo or story on Joyce Britten-Jones ?

Maybe because she was so very discreet? Chances are there's very little in the way of correspondence, there's some to be found in newspapers/magazines and a few photos. Maybe an article but a whole book?

And Marlene has done a nice write-up on her blog

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2008/08/joyce-brittain-jones-kings-companion.html

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. She was accepted in the family. I wonder when she died or was she with him till the end...?

[grandduchessella]

Regarding a visit to Cairo:

The first noted arrival was that of Joyce Britten-Jones, King George of Greece's long time mistress, on her way to join him in Greece. Anthony Eden sent a message to Lampson, asking him to look after her and to treat her visit to Cairo as "very hush-hush". Artemis Cooper recounted how the "secret" landing actually took place: "As it happened [Mrs Britten-Jones] arrived in a blaze of glory. Peter Coates, representing General Wavel, had been sent to Heliopolis airport to meet General de Gaulle. All the Free French dignitaries of Cairo had gathered on the runway: the door of the plane opened, the band struck up the Marseillaise --and out stepped Mrs. Britten-Jones. She had shared the General's flight on the last lap of her long journey from London to Cairo and he had courteously let her preceed him out of the plane."

Soon after, wrote Cooper, the first royal party coming by sea travelled to Cairo. "It consisted of the ex-Regent of Yugoslavia, Prince Paul, with his wife Princess Olga and their three children. King Peter of Yugoslavia, King Paul's nephew, passed through Alexandria on his way to Palestine a week later. George of Greece who had escaped from Athens was evacuated in mid-May from Crete to Cairo with his private entourage which included Prime Minister Emmanuel Tsouderos, various members of the royal family, the king's younger brother Crown Prince Paul and his wife Princess Frederica, their two children, the king's sister Princess Katherine and Mrs. Britten-Jones, described this time as 'lady-in-waiting to Princess Frederica'." In early June, after the departure of Princess Katherine, King George and Mrs Britten-Jones moved into the Mena House. A shocked Lampson consigned his opinion on the move in his diary: "I must say, I thought this slightly infradig on his part. In the days of Charles II there was no doubt a recognised protocol for royal mistresses, but nowadays I have a strong feeling that kings should keep this side more submerged."

[grandduchessella]

Yes. She was accepted in the family. I wonder when she died or was she with him till the end...?

Marlene's article references that.

[grandduchessella]

From a French site, so translation might be a little rough:

Joyce Britten-Jones has been one of the few real concubines of history that has been remembered with admiration, because she was never involved in entredichos or intrigues palatial and good account behaved admirably in times of crisis. The husband of the Britten-Jones was an alcoholic captain of the Black Watch, a body of the Highlanders, who was help of field of the viceroy of India when King George visited that country after be reinstated on the throne of Greece in 1935 by General Kondylis. Georgios divorced Princess Elizabeth on July 6. In such circumstances George II and Mrs Britten-Jones met and began his adulterous relationship.

Britten-Jones British influence on the King of Greece made Prime Minister Eden required an airfare to Greece from London via, in the month of March. However the effort made by members of security could not prevent filter the news of his journey. The aircraft was General Charles De Gaulle, who demanded that first descended ship Madam Britten-Jones for him do so immediately after accompanied by La Marseillaise chords. Finally, in early April, Joyce Britten-Jones came to Athens, shortly after Germany began the invasion of Greece.

[Eric_Lowe]

Wow ! I guess the Greek Royal Family's acceptance of Mrs. Britton-Jones is the envy of the Duke of Windsor. But really George II never really had to choose between his mistress and the throne...

[mjl1786]

While we're on the subject of Wallis and Ms. Brittain-Jones...

John Van Der Kiste in his book "Kings of the Hellenes", he mentions that when Edward VIII visited the Greek islands with Wallis in tow, she had "innocently" asked why George II did not simply marry his mistress. One of the guests replied, rather tactlessly, that it would be impossible for the King of the Hellenes to marry a commoner who was already married.

The 1970s miniseries "Edward and Mrs. Simpson" also portrays this scene, and the actress portraying Wallis has a rather grim look on her face after the guest explains the impossibility of George II being able to marry his mistress.

Interesting parallels between George II's personal life and Edward VIII's.

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. Actually Edward VIII was in a better moral standpoint than George II (or Prince Charles or Karol II), he was single and available for marriage.

[grandduchessella]

So was George II by the time they took up. And Edward VIII messed around with plenty of married women--no high morality there! Marlene's article gives the impression that she divorced her husband because she and the King fell in love--they carried on their romance after both were free. In fact, she was the one to charge her husband with adultery.

To quote from Marlene:

" Joyce Brittain-Jones was very different from Elena Lupescu or Wallis Simpson. She provided the king "the quiet domesticity that was denied him in his loveless first marriage," according to a 1946 profile of Mrs. Brittain-Jones. that was published in the Washington Post. During their 12 years together, the couple were "not frequenters of the pleasure spots by the international glamour set.""

[mjl1786]

To quote from Marlene:

" Joyce Brittain-Jones was very different from Elena Lupescu or Wallis Simpson. She provided the king "the quiet domesticity that was denied him in his loveless first marriage," according to a 1946 profile of Mrs. Brittain-Jones. that was published in the Washington Post. During their 12 years together, the couple were "not frequenters of the pleasure spots by the international glamour set.""

Exactly. With Wallis Simpson and Magda Lupescu there was definitely the sense that they were after the position, the titles, the royal lifestyle (especially with Lupescu...), while with Brittain-Jones, it seems she genuinely was in love with the king and wasn't looking to be made his consort.

[Eric_Lowe]

I guess she got kudos because she was never married to the man unlike the other two. Also you must realise it was Edward VIII who pursued Wallis, and not the other way around. Wallis was ready to throw in the towel and go back to her travels (Balitimore, China, England), but David wanted her.

[ashdean]

I guess she got kudos because she was never married to the man unlike the other two. Also you must realise it was Edward VIII who pursued Wallis, and not the other way around. Wallis was ready to throw in the towel and go back to her travels (Balitimore, China, England), but David wanted her.

Baloney!
Wallis had no intention of dumping him....it was all drama!

[Eric_Lowe]

Well...the facts said otherwise. It was he who chased after her and not she towards him (at the end of the abdication drama). Realistically, an abdicated king and marriage is not Wallis style anyway. She had to keep him amused because he did this for her, she could never live this down.

[Carolath Habsburg]

Elisabeth with other women and sister Marie