02/12/2024
Edward Vs George: The Windsors at War
A new two part series from DoubleBand Films starts Saturday 7th December 9.15PM Channel 4
This is the epic story of two brothers at war⊠with each other - the exiled Edward VIII and his younger brother George VI. A bitter family feud driven by ambition, health, wealth and their wives.
Episode 1 - Saturday 7th December 9.15PM
Episode 2 - Saturday 14th December 8.30PM
Now, first-hand accounts from people close to the story, along with new evidence from historians reveal how the battle of the Windsor brothers continues to shape the British monarchy today.
Step inside Villa Windsor, the lavish Paris residence of Edward and Wallis for a rare and intimate glimpse into their life in exile. For the first time on British television, 103-year-old Georg Stefan Troller recounts his explosive 1966 interview with the Duke of Windsor. Never-before-seen archives, including Helen Hardingeâs diaries, Walter Moncktonâs unpublished memoir, and unseen wedding photos, offer viewers a unique window into this historic chapter.
Author Alex Larman delves into a private collection of rare photographs which includes never-before-seen images of the Duke and Duchess of Windsorâs wedding in France in 1937. The photographs reveal Edwardâs close association with their wedding host Charles Bedaux, a French-American businessman and known N**i sympathizer. Later in 1937, and against the wishes of Buckingham Palace, Edward and Wallis would make an ill-advised visit to N**i Germany and a fateful meeting with Adolf Hi**er.
A source of ongoing conflict between the brothers was the HRH title denied to Wallis. Richard RenĂ© Silvin, a friend of the Duchess, reveals that staff at Villa Windsor referred to Wallis as âHer Royal Highnessâ. An unsent 1949 letter from George VI reveals a heated argument in Buckingham Palace and rebukes Edwardâs claim to George that his âlife was not worth living.â
The Windsors continue to defy royal tradition as Edward unleashes his explosive memoir, A Kingâs Story, in 1951. Newly uncovered footage shows Edward promoting his memoir on US television in a rarely seen interview.
The unconventional relationship between Edward and Wallis is revealed by Nicky Haslam and Georg Stefan Troller, who respectively encountered the couple first-hand and raise questions about sexuality, gender and the dynamics of their partnership.
On January 31, 1952, King George VI makes his final public appearance, bidding farewell to Princess Elizabeth at London Airport. Just days later, he dies of coronary thrombosis, leaving the nation in mourning. The Duke of Windsor returns home alone for the funeral as his wife was not invited to accompany him.
Elizabeth IIâs Coronation in 1953 is a dazzling celebration of renewal and hope as the young queen ascends the throne. Through one of her maids of honour, Lady Glenconner, we gain a first-hand glimpse into the splendour of the day - though not everyone is present to share in the joy. Edward, the former king and estranged uncle to the new monarch, watches from afar, relegated to viewing the coronation on French television.
Only in 1970 does a young Prince Charles clandestinely visit the aging Duke of Windsor in Paris, to herald a thawing of relations. Two years later Edward dies, and after years of exile, rejoins the firm, back in the royal burial ground at Windsor.
