A Tale of Three Edwards

Despite what the oft-used idiom would have us believe, being a "prince" is frequently not a pampered experience, especially if your name happens to be Edward and you hale from what William Blake called the "green and pleasant land." Three Princes of England, who would briefly hold the title of King, and each styled as Edward, found the path to the throne fraught with danger, and in the case of Edward VIII, impossible to endure without the support of the woman he loved.

Edward V

Following his father's death in 1483, Edward V was next in line to the crown of England at the ripe age of twelve. The houses of Lancaster and York were in the midst of the Wars of the Roses, and it was indeed a perilous time for a young boy to try to ascend to the throne. Along with his younger brother, aged nine, Edward was captured and held within the Tower of London by their uncle Richard; all for their protection of course (wink, wink). After much political machination, Richard, whom Shakespeare would have us believe was so deformed and devoid of humanity that dogs would bark at him openly, declared himself King of England and became Richard III. What became of Edward V and his brother? Mystery and silence are the only answer. However, in 1674 two small skeletons were discovered hidden within the Tower of London and declared to be the remains of Edward V and his young brother Richard (not to be confused with their nefarious uncle) and buried in Westminster Abbey. Today there exists a Richard III Society in England which advocates that late king was greatly maligned by Shakespeare and history, and was innocent of all charges of murdering his nephews. While historians debate the accuracy of that accusation, it can be said that when his body was discovered under a car parking lot in 2012, Richard III did suffer from severe Scoliosis, and was quite deformed. Is this a straw which indicates where other winds may blow?

Edward VII

The man who would become King Edward VII was destined to languish as The Prince of Wales for almost sixty years. Bertie, as he was known, was the eldest son of Queen Victoria of England. Despite what was considered to be an exemplary education, Bertie was not known as a scholar. An early affair with an actress while he was in university caused such a scandal that his father, Prince Albert, visited to scold Bertie, and died soon thereafter of Typhoid. Queen Victoria blamed Bertie for the additional stress, worsening health, and ultimately the death of her beloved husband. Only in middle age did Bertie flower, becoming the leader of English country house society. So fond was he of the company of ladies that he would later be known as "Edward the Caresser." Even after marriage gossip linked Bertie with several famous women of the day, from the actress Lillie Langtry to Lady Randolph Churchill, the mother of Winston Churchill. Such was his devotion to his mistresses, that at his 1901 coronation, Edward VII (formerly known as Bertie) had a dedicated pew set aside for them to observe the proceedings. Though his reign only lasted for nine years, so gregarious a king was he, after the stuffy gloom of his mother, that an entire epoch of history is named for him: The Edwardian Age.

Edward VIII

Another party boy Prince of Wales was David Windsor, later King Edward VIII. His choice in clothing was shocking to his staid parents, King George V and Queen Mary, who speculated that he must be expecting a flood of the Thames River given the height of his trousers. Equally alarming was his ability to mingle among the common folk of England, which along with his attractive appearance and friendly nature, won him much acclaim at home and abroad. A popular song of 1927 was "I've Danced With a Man, Who's Danced With a Girl, Who's Danced With The Prince of Wales" reflecting the fame of the young Prince. In 1931 Fortuna spun her wheel either in favor of David, or against him, depending on your perspective, for in that year he met his future wife, the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. A very public affair ensued, and King George V privately expressed his opinion that perhaps it would be best if David broke his neck while riding horseback rather than ascend to the throne. The Church of England opposed the marriage, after her second divorce became legal, and the couple were hounded by the press. By 1936 David was King Edward VIII and he concluded that the only way to ensure his marriage to Wallis was to renounce his throne and abdicate. Some view this as abandoning his duty to crown and country, while others say that his abdication was the ultimate sacrifice at the altar of love. Their marriage lasted until his death in 1972, and they are buried together at Frogmore House in England.

The pressures of being a prince must be as heavy as the crown that rests upon their heads. The threat of love denied, ascension delayed, and murder have plagued more than one Prince of Wales named Edward, and even a couple of English Kings named Charles.

Read more by William Shelton