KING EDWARD VIII - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 10/30/1925 - HFSID 29484

KING EDWARD VIII
Handwritten letter the monarch has signed as Prince of Wales (1925), thanking the recipient for a gift of cigars. Very Rare!
Autograph Letter Signed: "Edward P" as Prince of Wales, 2 pages, 5x8. St. James' Palace, London, Thursday (October 29, 1925). Original envelope addressed by Edward. Three half pence stamp picturing his father, King George V affixed. Postmarked: 30 Oct 25. Lightly creased and soiled. Torn open at top with paper loss. To Harry Preston, Royal York Hotel, Brighton. The future King thanks Preston "for the 2 fine boxes of cigars" and invites him to visit, telling him "I'm away hunting a good deal but you'll often find me sitting right here too". Show-through of ink on both sides. Mounting remnant at upper right margin of signature page. Creased. Pinhead-sized red dot on blank area of signature page. King Edward VIII (1894-1972, reigned 1936) the eldest son of King George V and Queen Mary, was created Prince of Wales in 1911. During WWI, he served as a staff officer in France, Egypt and Italy. In 1919, the Prince of Wales visited Canada and the U.S. When King George V died in January 1936, Edward became England's first bachelor King in 176 years. There were official protests opposing his proposal to marry and elevate as Queen Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American divorcée. Met by unyielding opposition to this marriage by his ministers, he chose to abdicate in December 1836, delivering a memorable radio address. Created Duke of Windsor by his brother and successor, King George VI, he married Wallis the following June. Suspected of German sympathies, Edward was relegated to a secondary post (Governor General of the Bahamas) during World War II, and lived abroad - mostly in France - with Mrs. Simpson (now a Duchess), for the rest of his life, not formally invited to a ceremony back to England until 1967 (for a ceremony honoring his mother). Two items.