I had always assumed the abdication crisis of 1936 was first set in motion when the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, met Wallis Simpson in 1931, but it seems David Windsor might have been finding the prospect of leading the British Empire too daunting a task as far back as 1924, if this gossipy bit from the November 6, 1924 Charlottetown Guardian is any indication.
Silly Rumor About Prince of Wales
LONDON, Nov. 6.- The Prince of Wales may possibly renounce his right to the throne of England. This rumor kept the Prince eager company during his trip from America on the liner Olympic last week and greeted him as it was whispered through the crowds when he arrived at Southampton, home again after his vacation.
This rumor set the whole boat buzzing before the voyage was half way done. The Prince himself scoffed at it. But one of his aides went to the trouble of issuing official denial.
Perhaps the circulation of the rumor was one reason for the extraordinary censorship on the Olympic. As soon as it was discovered that there were several newspapermen on board, orders were issued that every message must be ok’d both by the purser and Captain Lascelles, the Prince’s secretary. Very few messages passed this board of censorship, and any that did were limited to twenty words. During the voyage the prince danced chiefly with Mrs. H. P. Peabody of New York, and Miss Esme Magann, of Toronto, whom he met in Canada and who made the trip with her mother, Mrs. Plunkett Magann.
And who could blame him for wanting out? He’d had a lovely visit to North America, being feted and paraded everywhere he went. He visited his Alberta ranch to play cowboy for a bit, and generally seemed to have a “Wales” of a time golfing and dancing and looking dapper and rich. Why spoil all that fun with the boring ceremonial grind of being a constitutional monarch?
