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

[Margot]

Cheers Ella...I will have a rootle!

Apropos of my offended sensibilities pertaining to Eric's evident contempt for Newbies I would like to suggest that if the powers that be do not wish to ban him because of his outright contempt for Newbies, then maybe he should be given his very own thread. Something along the lines of 'The Lowe Down' perhaps...that way he will not have to associate with 'riff raff' like me and countless other Newbies!

 Better still he could be 'confined' to his very own thread and posters could visit him at leisure! Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated and I am sure Eric would love to have his very own thread too!

[grandduchessella]

Any actions such as these would have to be undertaken by the FA. No mods have the power to ban anyone--otherwise we'd probably be drunk on power!  So any issue that any poster has with another member, that cannot be resolved, needs to be taken to him.

I would just recommend to all posters that we remember that the FA doesn't lay down a lot of rules for governing the site but chief amongst them is to respect others and to try and conduct our disagreements in a civil manner. No one ever wants to see anyone banned--that's always the FA's last choice.

[Vecchiolarry]

Hello,

Eric, you may be surprised to learn that "Margot" is not quite the "Newbie" that you perceive her to be.
And also, that she knows quite a lot about the various royals around the world.

Further, you contemptably surmise by your tone that 'Newbies' know nothing or next to nothing...
I was once a 'Newbie' here, and I can tell you I know quite a good deal about royals - and first hand too about some of them.
I do not know everything;  but what I do know, I do know and what I don't know, I ask politely and hope to be informed.

Most everyone on here is informed about something and intelligent and polite enough to share it.  And, this is an information board and a polite society.
personally, I have learned a great deal over the months from "Margot" about a variety of different subjects;  and she is quite knowledgeable...

If you were a gentleman, then you would apologize to "Margot" and all 'Newbies' for such a salacious remark presuming her and their "stupidity"...

Larry

[Vecchiolarry]

Hello Again,

Also & furthermore, I have met Robert Hall and can tell you that he know what "tradition" is and means.
And, he knows far more about royalty than I will ever know and what he says & writes are pretty much a 'given' as to fact.

I wouldn't want to be sparing with him, if I were you, Eric...

Larry

[Vecchiolarry]

And, Hello Yet Again,

As far as I'm concerned "The Windsors" (Duke & Duchess of) were just a bad comedy act..
The clown makeup and costumes were classy but the act was 'crap fest' and atrocious...

The only class act in the whole "fam damnly" is The Queen and for the most part, The Queen Mother...

Larry

[Robert_Hall]

Eric, I am adding to the chorus here. I am offended as well. I went to British schools,  had British as as well as French teachers and have  spent the past 30+ years going back and forth from the US and  the UK And you seem to consider me a tourist? I  heave interest i in  2 properties in England. . I dare say you are  prejudiced and disrespectful of other posters.  You owe all of of us an apology, to say the least. And, your inane postings, as has been noted, are indeed annoying. You might try looking at yourself.
 However, back to the Windsors-  I have never been all that interested in them, but have read all these books  AND know [or knew] people who  were also personally involved, one way or the other with them. My view is based on  that reading and the experience of others, some of whom you might be surprised at.
 I still maintain   Edward was NOT exiled,  but simply asked to stay away, is that so hard to understand?

[Kalafrana]

I am not offended on my own behalf, but on Margot's behalf. Margot is currently a 'newbie' for purely technical reasons, and even if that were not the case, her contributions are always interesting and based on knowledge. In any event, most people who join the forum do so because of a serious interest in the subject and many years of reading about royalty.

As to 'class acts', can I add Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester to the list. There was a dignified, hard-working lady who was still doing the odd royal duty when nearly 100 (receiving senior officers from her regiments), and never caused a moment's controversy. Her surviving son and daughter-in-law are working away quietly too, and her grandchildren seem to be sensible young people who get on with their lives out of the public eye.

Ann

[grandduchessella]

I never found 'newbies' to be any more or less intelligent contributors than any other postings simply due to their status. After all, a royal author such as Charlotte Zeepvat, should she join the Forum, would automatically be a 'newbie' simply because she's new, yet I don't think her contributions would be discounted. Similarly, posters can be around forever and amass quite an elevated status and yet not contribute anything meaningful--and this isn't aimed at any poster in particular. We were ALL 'newbies' once. And I used to look back at some of my own early posts and just feel like 'yikes!'.  

[Rani]

   

[Rani]

[Robert_Hall]

Thank you Larry.  I agree,  they were sort of a "clown act"  But, considering they had nothing to do, I suppose it was understandable, in a way. Instead of  working for nonprofits,, they spent their time shopping, nightclubs, socialising and traveling- first class. I did like Wallis' style, she knew how to work herself into something  she would not  likely be perceived as, but Edaward/David, what a useless waste of time, IMO. He never expressed any desire to return to live in England,  he took everything he wanted with him!  That was why the Paris house had so many of his things-  AND the Nazis protected it while looting almost everyone else.
 Now, Wallis' jewels....I think  Princess Michael  has a couple of things of hers. I do not really know if she actually inheretied  them of bought them in the auction. I have that catalogue,  but  there is no list  of who got what. Elizabeth Taylor   has or had the famous leopard, if I am not mistaken, but she has been selling off her collection to benefit her AIDS Foundation. So who knows where that is ? I think most probably ended up in Middle Eastern  royal [or otherwise] families. But those jewels are  a bit vulgar indeed  for the Queen.
 Al Fayed owns the Paris house, last I heard, but no one lives there except caretakers. As for their other assets, I do not think they had that much left.  Everything was sold, one way or the other, wasn't it? They really have not much of a physical legacy, IMO.

[Eric_Lowe]

In dealing with the legacy. One must not forget the things & papers that the Duchess gave back or those taken by Mountbatten back to England. They are now locked up in the archievs in Windor Castle.

[Margot]

Gosh Robert what a pertinent and rather haunting point you have made about Wallis and David's lack of a tangible legacy!

I also think that Wallis' jewels were a tad vulgar and some were downright hideous IMHO as well, I particularly loathed those bibs she had a thing about in the 50s! They were like breast plates! But it does seems incredibly hollow that ones jewels are about all that is left as a legacy!

I also find it really interesting that over the last twenty years there seems to have been a perceptible shift in opinions toward Wallis! I guess this may be due to the resources that have begun to trickle out so to speak! In the old days Wallis seems to have been vilified in a Disney-esque fashion as a cross between Cruela de Vil, Maleficent (The evil fairy in Sleeping Beauty) Medusa (The Rescuers) and the Queen (Snow White).....amazing how many female baddies there are in Disney films! Anyway as to Wallis....she was popularly portrayed as a cut and dry gold digging, serial adulteress femme fatale but it is David who is now more commonly thought of as the real villain of the piece so to speak!

I think personally Wallis seems to have been very sensible! Her position must have been a daunting one! But it seems to me that David caused endless problems with his grumbling and whining about money! He never seems to have made any sort of an effort to do anything useful with himself! I always wondered why David didn't get involved in international charity work of some kind! He always professed to care about the working classes and yet he never seems to have considered joining or encouraging charitable causes! With his name he could have done some good....but it appears he was just too selfish and too self absorbed and preferred to spend the money he did have (when he wasn't moaning about being so poor and worrying about keeping the wolf from the door) on jewels for Wallis, traveling first class to and from America where they stayed at the expense of friends or at very expensive hotels and keeping himself occupied with his golf swing by day and at night clubs by night!

The Windsors lead the most mind numbingly dull and vacuous lives! It is a shame that he never made an effort to do something worthy! I tend to think that Wallis could do little because of her black name so to speak, but David could and should have done something to at least try and rehabilitate his name and restore some degree of honour to his tarnished reputation! What makes it even more galling to me is is that he does not even appear to have considered trying and all one ever seems to here about is how aggrieved and wronged he felt! Goodness me....the more I hear about David's weak will and his moaning self pity the more I feel relieved that he did abdicate as IMHO he would have probably proved a dreadful monarch anyway!

[Eric_Lowe]

Indeed Edward VIII was a total loser and we should be glad that vulgar Wallis took him away ! The Queen Mother believe in that too. She & her husband were fated to be King & Queen. They were just Britian need at that point.

[Margot]

I would like to suggest the you take the time to reads Posts # 864,866,867,868,869,870,871,872,873 Eric!

As you have just posted another comment I think it really does reveal just how much contempt you have for not only myself but also for others here!!

I really do look forward to your response but then again, maybe you will just ignore this post and not feel obliged to stoop so low as to deign to reply! Thus revealing yet another example of your contempt towards others!

As for David's position! I remember hearing somewhere that he used to grumble that he was side lined and not given a job to do! Which makes me wonder whether charitable causes were perhaps frightened off the idea of inviting him to join them? Just a musing!