The hidden prince of the Woodfords

By Katrina ffiske

ROBERT Glasbury grew up through the 1970s in Herefordshire: a normal farming family with a normal background, or so he thought.

After the death of his grandmother, Rose Powell (Davies) in 1998, he learnt that his grandfather was the late Duke of Windsor (at this time he was the Prince of Wales, in the 1930s).

“It was quite a shocking revelation, that my grandmother had had an affair with the Duke of Windsor,” Robert told me. “It’s amazing to think that my father had also kept it a secret until his mother died. It was a relief for him to tell us that he was actually the son of Edward VIII, later known as the Duke of Windsor. He wanted his story told, but only once he had passed away.”

Robert now lives in the Woodford Valley, with his wife Suzan, and has recently published The Hidden Prince (The Non-Royal Royal)

“There was a lot of local chit-chat in the area, and he was keen to record the historic events for his children, grandchildren, and future generations to give everyone the facts.

“The book is based on the memoirs of his father, Roy Albert, and grandmother Rose. It also includes evidence from letters and the diaries of Jean Hughes, who was a fellow seamstress at the Palace.

“My grandmother was an excellent seamstress,” Robert told me. “She lost her first husband in a drowning accident and as it was very hard to get another job if you were a widow, she returned to her maiden name, Davies.

“The family lived on a farm in Herefordshire; King George V used to shoot in the local area and was a familiar figure, so it seemed a natural step for Rose to ask the Palace for a job as a seamstress. Taking her first train trip to London, she had an interview at the palace, met the staff and spent an afternoon doing samples of her embroidery. She was offered a short-term position. Leaving her son, Jim, in Herefordshire with her parents, Rose left to work with a small team on Queen Mary’s dresses.”

Arriving at Buckingham Palace, Rose was told there was a problem with the servant’s sleeping quarters so they had to sleep at York House, St James’ Palace, the residence of Edward, the Prince of Wales.

“Rose was a beautiful, confident, young woman,” Robert said. “She found a good friend in Jean Hughes who she worked closely with, telling her all of her adventures, which Jean recorded in a detailed diary. Not one to obey rules, Rose would wander around York House and sneak around the corridors and by chance met the Duke of Windsor one night. Obviously intrigued by this pretty bumptious girl, she was invited back to his room.”

Jean’s diaries describe a girl who fell madly in love with the Prince. Rose would sneak to his room almost every night and on her return would chat about the intimate details of that evening with Jean. The affair lasted a short time within which Rose fell pregnant. Many girls might have disappeared and kept the pregnancy a secret. “Rose approached the Prince and asked him what he was going to do about it. At the time she believed that he was madly in love with her, so it was hard when she was ignored.

“Rose had to leave her position and return home, but before leaving she had approached Major Hardinge, private secretary to the Prince, who agreed that Rose would be helped.”

With the return home came money from the Palace; there is no evidence of Rose having to sign a contract with the Royal Household to keep quiet, but this fund encouraged local farmer Arthur to marry Rose and take on her first son, Jim, and Roy Albert. It is a fascinating read hearing how Arthur battled with the Palace for extra funds to pay for the child and upkeep.

The Duke of Windsor’s son, Roy Albert, continued to be quietly acknowledged with finances and gifts. “My father told me how four times a year, a tall, slender man in a dark suit, and bowler hat would visit the house,” Robert said.

“He would pull up in a big fancy car, park it on the road and with his head held high, walk towards the house in a military fashion. The man handed Rose an envelope and said he would see her again in four months’ time. When my poor father asked what was in the envelope he was slapped sharply across the face. ‘Just remember the only thing you will ever be is Arthur’s son,’ she said.”

Sadly, Rose and Arthur’s marriage was a loveless one. It is as if Rose had met her one and only true love, a Prince, and happiness could not be found after him. “She became quite a hard, strong-willed person, it must have been very difficult for her to live with her secret. My poor father was brought up to feel shame and he never understood why. Rose had four more children and my father was always the odd one out. It seemed so unfair, it was because of him the family received money which enabled Arthur and Rose to buy the farm with a large house.”

“The Royal family were always very kind to Rose and Roy Albert,” Suzan told me. “We believed that it was Queen Mary who sent the money and gifts. Rose even sent a picture of Roy Albert’s wedding (in 1956) to the Duke of Windsor. Edward replied in a letter, saying how nice it was to see the picture of Roy Albert and his young bride, and after the wedding the funds did come to an end for Rose.”

In a photograph of the wedding, Rose is seen wearing the fur coat that Edward gave her during the weeks of the affair.

We will never know the complete truth of what happened, but the book reveals many more intriguing facts: including details of a visit to Roy Albert’s farm in the 1960s from Lord Mountbatten; how the family received a title from the King; and how Roy Albert managed to speak to his father over the telephone.

There is even a photograph of a letter from King George V recognising the Duke of Windsor’s “mischief” with Rose.

Suzan and Robert showed me an extraordinary heartwarming photo album put together by Roy Albert. Beside family photographs of himself and his family are photographs of the Duke of Windsor on his own, with family or with Wallis Simpson. It is unclear where these photographs came from.

The Hidden Prince (The Non-Royal Royal) by Robert Glasbury is available from chalkstreambooks.com, on Amazon, Waterstones, and the local library.