Princes at War by Deborah Cadbury

Author:Deborah Cadbury
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Published: 2015-01-09T17:22:53+00:00

The week Coventry was bombed, telegrams were flying across the Atlantic about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. There was an emergency concerning the duchess’s teeth. Wallis needed medical treatment in America that was not available in the Bahamas, prompting much official concern. There were fears the ex-king might exploit the intense press interest surrounding his first visit to America with Wallis. The last thing the British wanted was for the duke to have an opportunity to air his pacifist views at a time when America was not yet in the war and help was desperately needed. None the less, not liking to thwart a medical emergency, the Colonial Office did grant the Windsors a week’s leave to go to Miami.

Alarm bells soon began to ring. The Windsors planned to cruise to Miami on Wenner-Gren’s magnificent yacht, the Southern Cross—a fact that was not lost on the media. The Colonial Office sent a cypher telegram on 11 December 1940 warning the duke of unfavourable publicity with his name linked to Wenner-Gren, ‘who is referred to as “Goering’s Pal”’.51 None the less, it was Wenner-Gren’s luxurious white yacht that eased smoothly into Miami harbour, the Windsors on board, waving to the crowds below and flagrantly ignoring Colonial Office sensitivities. The duke and duchess proved to be a magnet for publicity, and in a matter of days concerns about Wenner-Gren’s presence in Miami reached ‘C’, the head of MI6, himself.

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