Secret intelligence files on Edward VIII and his wife have revealed that the former Prince's lover cheated on him with a car salesman. The documents, which have just been released after 70 years under lock-and-key, say that Wallis Simpson lavished gifts on Guy Trundle and concealed their relationship from both Edward and her husband.
At the time she had become deeply involved with Edward, but was still married to her husband Ernest Aldrich Simpson.
The extent of the files suggests the American divorcee, whose affair with Edward cost him his throne, was the subject of a large surveillance operation. Her then-husband was also being watched.
In 1935 a senior Special Branch officer wrote: "Contact with the Simpsons is being maintained but the identity of Mrs Simpson's secret lover has not yet been established… Mrs Simpson is apprehensive of losing the affection of the Prince Of Wales which she is anxious to avoid for financial reasons." The same officer later reported to his superiors, saying: "The identity of Mrs Simpson's secret lover has now been definitely ascertained. He is Guy Marcus Trundle, now living at 18 Bruton Street in Mayfair…"
"Trundle is described as a very charming adventurer, very good looking, well-bred and an excellent dancer… Secret meetings are made by appointment when intimate relations take place."
The documents also reveal that the then Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin prevented Edward from appealing to his subjects in a broadcast. The heir to the throne had apparently hoped he could win the nation's approval to marry Mrs Simpson and retain the throne. Winston Churchill himself is thought to have engineered plans for the appeal.
It is also made clear that the Queen Mother played a pivotal role in forcing the couple's exile and it's thought her recent death may have played a role in the timing of the information's release.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
