European Royalty – Page 3 – Old Magazine Articles

They Were Their Own Favorite Stars…(Photoplay Magazine, 1937)

An interesting little excerpt from a much longer article revealed that the Windsors preferred gazing at their own newsreel footage for thirty minutes each night rather than gawk at the current movie offerings of the day:

From their 16mm films of themselves, extra prints were made and rushed to England, where the Duke and Duchess of Kent and other friends and admirers of the exiled ex-king devoured them from time to time.

If you would like to read the longer article, click here.

That Unique Windsor Style
(Literary Digest, 1935)

During the years the Duke of Windsor has been slandered up hill and down dale by all sorts of cliques and all manner of men; he has been called a cad, a shirker, a traitor, a Nazi, a snob a half-wit. Yet all his detractors can agree on one well-deserved sobriquet: dandy. No matter how you slice it, the man was well-turned out; and while he was busy tending to those matters that would render him deserving of such insults, he always did it as a fop, a beau, a buck or a swell. For as deep as his flaws may have been, he well understood tailoring and fabrics, stripes and plaids, cuffs and collars. His fashion admirers are born anew with each generation and he, more than any other man in the past century, created the definition of the well-dressed man. The following article pertains to his youthful air and fashion innovations.

Click here to see the Summer suits
other men wore during the Summer of 1932.

What Might Have Been?
(Coronet Magazine, 1953)

The Duke of Windsor is now 59. He has arrived at that age when a man begins to weigh his life and all that he has done with it…What can he remember? That having come to the throne the most beloved of all princes, the darling of a nation that would have followed him through hell-fire; he threw away the tiresome restraints of kingship, to gain what?

Was The Windsor Marriage Legal?
(Confidential Magazine, 1954)

Edward literally thumbed his royal nose at the Royal Marriage Act, ignored a legal waiting period and was wed by an unfrocked minister.

Mention is also made of the two known adulterous liaisons that took place during Mrs Simpson’s second marriage.

‘The Windsors in Wonderland”
(Coronet Magazine, 1953)

Iles Brody, author of Gone with the Windsors, was no fan of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, but before he began to outline all their various faults in the attached essay, he first wanted to make one aspect of their history quite clear:

The true story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor cannot be told without clarifying one point right at the beginning: there was only one man who forced Edward VIII off the throne: himself.
Yet millions have been led to believe that Prime Minister and Primate got together with the peers and, with the help of the British press, compelled the King to abandon his hereditary trust.

The Abdication
(Literary Digest, 1936)

This is a very juicy, action-packed article written in the immediate aftermath of the abdication of Edward VIII.
The journalist detailed how the whole affair evolved at 10 Downing Street and in the parliament; the reaction across the empire. The writer also endeavored to introduce the readers to the two unknown heirs: George VI (1895 – 1952) and Elizabeth II (b. 1926).

Thus the ruler of the world’s greatest empire joined the shabby band of ex-kings – the wood-chopper of Doorn, Germany’s forgotten All Highest; Alfonso of Spain, who roams the Continent looking for pleasure; Ferdinand of Bulgaria, an old man doddering over his stamps; Prajadhipok of Siam, Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Abdel Medjik of Turkey, and Amaah of Afghanistan.

At the end of the day, history will remember him simply as one of the most henpecked husband.

Edward VIII: the Soldier King
(Literary Digest, 1936)

Ten days after a would-be assassin had leveled a gun at him in London, King Edward VIII was scheduled to return to the Western Front, where, as a gangling boyish staff captain, he narrowly missed death from a shell that wrecked his car and killed his chauffeur.

Few in Britain knew, at the time, of his repeated pleas to be allowed to forget his rank, lead the men over the top and, if fate so willed it, die for king and country.

The Russian Nobility Struggled in Exile
(Vogue Magazine, 1922)

Luciene Murat (1876 – 1951?), a distinguished member of the French nobility wrote this Vogue article shortly after her return from Turkey in 1922. It is the sort of column that could only have been written by an over-indulged member of the post-war European high-society types, which makes it all the more enjoyable to read. Her reminiscences of her visit to the city of Pera are especially interesting for the observations made regarding the recently displaced White Russians of her acquaintance who reluctantly resided there in some discomfort.

Princess Elizabeth Comes of Age
(Click Magazine, 1944)

The attached article was about the Spring of 1944 and why it was such an exciting season for Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of England (b. 1926): the twenty-first of April marked her eighteenth birthday and her country was entering the last year of their bloodiest war, while the princess herself held two positions that she took quite seriously: Patrol Leader of the Buckingham Palace Girlguides, as well as Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadier Guards. There were also times when she was required to join her father when he was in conference with his ministers.

Also addressed in these pages was the royal concern as to who was suitable to be her mate; a list of names was provided.

The Coronation of George VI
(Stage Magazine, 1937)

An article by Rebecca West (1892 – 1983) in which she listed an enormous number of reasons as to why May 12, 1937 (the coronation date for George VI) will not be a good day to be in London. From time to time throughout the article she throws-in some bon mots:

This is a crucifixion as well as a coronation. The best kings we have ever had have been Queens, and every year Kingship becomes less and less suitable for a man. A constitutional monarch has constantly to behave as if he were a mindless puppet in circumstances which would prove fatal to everybody, including himself, if he really were a mindless puppet.

The King’s Speech

The Death of Edward VII and the Accession George V
(Review of Reviews, 1910)

This two and a quarter page article discusses the probable effect [that] the change of sovereigns will have upon the present so-called constitutional crises. The writer also concentrates on the subject of Edward VII as diplomat, his thoughts on the entente, his popularity and his unique relationship with the French. The character of the incoming George V is examined as it relates to the constitutional controversy of 1910.

The Policies of King Edward VII
(Review of Reviews, 1910)

This is a brief English translation of an article that appeared in Deutsch Review by Lord Esher entitled, King Edward VII and Germany. Published during the last year of Edward’s reign, it is plea to prolong that long Indian summer before the war and a declaration of his affection for Germany, the German people and his lasting support for all disarmament treaties.

The Czar Abdicates
(The Atlanta Georgian, 1917)

Attached is a news report from a 1917 issue of THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN announcing:

Czar Nicholas decided to abdicate the Russian throne only after he had been held up by soldiers and the necessity for such action impressed upon him, according to a dispatch printed in DIE FRANKFURTER ZEITUNG…

Also included in the report were the text of a speech delivered by the Czar which called for national unity.

Princess Margaret and Captain Townsend
(Coronet Magazine, 1958)

This snippet is about a major crisis (and a colossal media event) that took place in the life of Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret Rose (1930 – 2002) – when she was told in 1955 that the man she loved, Captain Peter Townsend, was not suitable for marriage.

The Royal Guards of Buckingham Palace
(People Today, 1953)

Coronation Gowns
(People Today, 1953)

A smattering of 1953 gowns designed by the most active European fashion designers at the time.

Her Favorite Movies
(Photoplay Magazine, 1937)

The cinematic tastes of ER II are, like the sovereign herself, deep and complicated. A vast number of geeks employed by this website were sent forth far across the deep green sea in order to find out what her favorite movies are, and we were not at all surprised to learn that she favors the James Bond films. Contrast those movies with the earliest of her film choices and you will be able to trace her development through the years – another article on this page makes clear that she enjoyed the Shirley Temple series – but hold the phone: the attached article from THAT SAME YEAR indicates that she enjoyed A DIFFERENT MOVIE AS WELL!

‘Cupid to Seal the Balkan Peace”
(Vanity Fair, 1913)

By the time this item appeared in print, the Balkan War (1912-1913), was over however some of the swells of Europe put their crowned heads together and collectively came up with the best Medeival plan they could think of in order to insure the promise of peace. The plan was to have:

• the Czar’s daughter, Grand Duchess Olga (1895 – 1918), would wed Serbia’s Crown Prince Alexander

• the Czar’s second daughter, Grand Duchess Tatiana (1897 – 1918), was promised to Rumania’s Crown Prince Charles (1893 – 1959)

• All concerned agreed that Rumania’s Pricess Elizabeth (1894 – 1956) and Crown Prince George of Greece (1890 – 1947) would make a simply splendid couple (they divorced in 1935).