21 June 2023
Cathy Marsden
Lyon & Turnbull were delighted to offer a unique archive for sale in June 2023, relating to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Edward and Wallis Simpson. In the same year as the coronation of his great-nephew, King Charles III, this collection, and the stories accompanying it, offered an insight into the life of the King who was never crowned, and the love of his life.
Comprising letters, gift tags, photographs, gifts and other interesting items of ephemera, the collection was amassed by Chief inspector, later Superintendent, David Storrier, close protection officer to the Duke. Storrier’s 18 years alongside the Duke and Duchess saw the abdication crisis, visits and tours throughout Europe, settled life in France and, significantly, the couple’s meeting with Adolf Hitler. In Storrier’s diaries, retained by his family, he refuted claims that the Duke was a Nazi sympathiser – writing: “The duke said he found them distasteful people and said ‘Winston is right. He [Hitler] is not to be trusted.’”
Storrier was clearly trusted by both the Duke and Duchess, and the Royal family. His role was at once to protect the couple and to report back on their activities to Sir Philip Game, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. The collection for sale includes one letter from Wallis Simpson to David Storrier: "It has made such a difference having you come here and I want to thank you for all you have done for us both” while another from the Duke implores Storrier to follow up on a bizarre threat received by the Duchess.
Aside from letters, the Duke and Duchess showed their appreciation to Storrier through gifts. These often comprised fine items for personal grooming, however one particularly impressive present was the Duke’s own Viennese cigarette case with the monogram ‘WE’, topped with a crown, for Wallis and Edward. Car pennants and a slice of the nine-foot wedding cake from the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Kent also form part of this varied collection.
Storrier was a highly decorated servant of The Crown. In pride of place, he held the Royal Victorian Medal, presented as a gift from the sovereign in recognition of personal service to the monarch. Alongside his MBE and Masonic regalia (Storrier was initiated into the Masonic Lodge along with Edward as Prince of Wales), Storrier was also gifted insignia by police forces in Italy and Austria, whilst on tour with Edward and Wallis. Lots 144 to 154 in the sale are testimony to the high levels of trust and affection in which Storrier was held by both Edward and Wallis and, across the Channel, the King George VI and Queen Consort Elizabeth.
