King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson (Duke and Duchess of Windsor)

[TampaBay]

 From a person with a very bad Southern USA accent:

     "mon-bow-shear or shea" 

I have heard both pronuncations form YANKS who speak fluent French.

I once made a fool of myself in Palm Beach and pronounced it:

        "main-bach-er"

    I just ordered everyone another round of Cocktails for everyone present and pretended I already had one two many myself! 

TampaBay

NOTE:  Mainbocher was an American expatriate (US Citizen) who went to France and became a Francophile.  He did not come back to the US until WWII.  He relocated his salon to New York City.  He was the most expensive designer of his time until his death.

[TampaBay]

Damn.  She may not have been the most attractive woman on the planet, but she sure knew how to dress. 

(BTW, how do you pronounce "Mainbocher?")

I actually kinda like that big amethyst and turquoise collar thingy-with a plain silver satin dress?  Yowza!

Wallis herself once said to interviewer for American Vogue magazine: "I am absolutely nothing to look at so I had no choice but to dress better than everyone else!"

TampaBay

[Guinastasia]

Thanks.  I know I asked in the other thread-perhaps I should have just kept it to the one.

I always think how much David's and Wallis's relationship mirrors that of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich's with the Countess Brassova. 

[Leuchtenberg]

From a person with a very bad Southern USA accent:

     "mon-bow-shear or shea" 

I have heard both pronuncations form YANKS who speak fluent French.

I once made a fool of myself in Palm Beach and pronounced it:

        "main-bach-er"

    I just ordered everyone another round of Cocktails for everyone present and pretended I already had one two many myself! 

TampaBay

NOTE:  Mainbocher was an American expatriate (US Citizen) who went to France and became a Francophile.  He did not come back to the US until WWII.  He relocated his salon to New York City.  He was the most expensive designer of his time until his death.

mayn-bow-shay


Although the Duchess used many designers,  Mainbocher and Dior were perhaps her favourite.

[Leuchtenberg]

Thanks.  I know I asked in the other thread-perhaps I should have just kept it to the one.

I always think how much David's and Wallis's relationship mirrors that of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich's with the Countess Brassova. 

The two relationships were very similar, with the biggest difference being that Wallis believed through marriage she would share her husband's rank.  Natalia had no such illusions.   Wallis imagined herself as Queen.  Natalia knew the title of Grand Duchess would never be her's.

[TampaBay]

Thanks.  I know I asked in the other thread-perhaps I should have just kept it to the one.

I always think how much David's and Wallis's relationship mirrors that of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich's with the Countess Brassova. 

The two relationships were very similar, with the biggest difference being that Wallis believed through marriage she would share her husband's rank.  Natalia had no such illusions.   Wallis imagined herself as Queen.  Natalia knew the title of Grand Duchess would never be her's.

England and Russia are different as Queen Camilla will prove.  Wallis was rooked.  There was no reason to deprive her of the title HRH.

TampaBay

[Guinastasia]

That and in the bio of George VI I'm reading, the family ignored that she was actually a very good influence on the Prince of Wales-she got him to stop drinking and smoking so much, and to behave with a bit more decorum. 

At least they allowed her to be buried beside him. 

[Leuchtenberg]

At least they allowed her to be buried beside him. 

And don't think that The Queen and Dickie Mountbatten didn't have their hands full with The Queen Mother over that decision. 

[Eddie_uk]

I really don't think Wallis was suitable for an "HRH", far from it in fact. The fact that she was "allegedly" carrying on with a used car salesman at the same time as seeing the Prince, is rather shocking (I remember getting practically lynched for brinigng this up last time). In my opinion I think the way Edward and Walis harped on about Wallis's HRH was almost unhealthy and there treatment of Queen Mary was to much.

I do think the Royals made the right decision in allowing them to be buried together though

[emeraldeyes1969]

I do think that the whole HRH thing got kind of outta control.  Once the decision had been made, they probably should have just gotten over it.  The way that the DofW kept bringing it up over the course of many years made him seem a little bit ridiculous IMO.  Of course it was a different era and I guess that once you had been a king, it would be kind of difficult to accept that your spouse would always be considered by others to be so below you. 
Being buried together was a good thing for sure, but could the royal family really have gotten away with not allowing it? 

It's hard to believe sometimes how much times have changed since the abdication crisis. 

[Guinastasia]

At least they allowed her to be buried beside him. 

And don't think that The Queen and Dickie Mountbatten didn't have their hands full with The Queen Mother over that decision. 

I believe Mountbatten was dead by that time-unless they made the arrangements earlier. 

[emeraldeyes1969]

I think the arrangements were finallly agreed to sometime prior to the Duke's death.

[TampaBay]

I really don't think Wallis was suitable for an "HRH", far from it in fact. The fact that she was "allegedly" carrying on with a used car salesman at the same time as seeing the Prince, is rather shocking (I remember getting practically lynched for brinigng this up last time). In my opinion I think the way Edward and Walis harped on about Wallis's HRH was almost unhealthy and there treatment of Queen Mary was to much.

I do think the Royals made the right decision in allowing them to be buried together though

 I could be wrong but I believe under British Common Law a woman automatically asuumes the rank and tiltle of the the man she marries.

There is no such thing as morganatic marriage under British Common Law.

TampaBay

[Keith]

I really don't think Wallis was suitable for an "HRH", far from it in fact. The fact that she was "allegedly" carrying on with a used car salesman at the same time as seeing the Prince, is rather shocking (I remember getting practically lynched for brinigng this up last time). In my opinion I think the way Edward and Walis harped on about Wallis's HRH was almost unhealthy and there treatment of Queen Mary was to much.

I do think the Royals made the right decision in allowing them to be buried together though

 I could be wrong but I believe under British Common Law a woman automatically asuumes the rank and tiltle of the the man she marries.

There is no such thing as morganatic marriage under British Common Law.

TampaBay

I believe you are right about that. Wasn't EVIII told when he mentioned having Wallis be called something other than Queen, that there was no such thing as a that. A King's wife is automatically a Queen, so by that reasoning an HRH's wife should automatically be an HRH. As for not being a suitable HRH, if you go by that  resoning due to allegely carrying on with the salesman, most of todays RF woulnd't be HRH.  I don't see anyone making a rush to take away their HRH.

I believe I read in Ralph Martin's bio, that one of the reasons not making Wallis HRH was with her having been married twice before, that the Royal Family didn't want a divorced HRH running around if she and the Duke divorced, as once an HRH always an HRH. If I'm remembering right and this story is true that certainly was forgotten 50-60 years later with the York/Wales divorces.

[Keith]

Does anyone know what any children they might have had would have been titled, with regard to HRH or Prince/Princess?