Queen Mary and King Edward VIII — Inside the Broken Relationship That Could Not Be Fixed
Queen Mary and King Edward VIII had a mother-son dynamic that greatly affected the future of the British monarchy. Their broken relationship laid the foundation for a controversial abdication that changed the royal line of succession — and paved the way for the late Queen Elizabeth II to accede to the throne. Here’s a look inside the broken relationship between Queen Mary and King Edward VIII that could not be fixed.
Queen Mary was a product of the royal Victorian line
In June 1894, Mary of Teck gave birth to her first son David, who would later be known as King Edward VIII. At the time, his great-grandmother Queen Victoria was the monarch, and David was third in the line of succession. He was behind Victoria’s oldest son, Edward VII, and his father, George V.
As blogger Rebecca Starr Brown explains, during this Victorian era, royals had a strict view of the monarchy’s function, their royal titles, and their royal duty that was quite separate from their personal relationships as family members. But this dynamic was taken to the next level by King George V’s wife Mary of Teck, later Queen Mary.
She was apparently uncomfortable around kids, and was once described as “viewing her offspring as though they belonged to someone else.” Mary was a “remote and distant figure to her children, and quite literally had no idea what to do with them.”
Mary rarely saw David during his infancy, leaving him to be raised by abusive nannies. She was completely devoid of natural affection for her children. And when it became clear that David would actually be king one day, Mary only saw her oldest son as the future monarch — not as her child. And she treated him that way.
The broken relationship that could not be fixed
When David became an adult, he had absolutely no interest in marrying a “suitable” woman — someone who was worthy of being the wife of a monarch. He preferred having affairs with married women, and some believe that this was the result of his broken relationship with his mother. As well as the fact that the abuse he suffered at the hands of his nannies could have been even worse than originally thought.
George and Mary so rarely saw their children that when the kids were actually in their presence, they were terrified. That’s how David’s younger brother Bertie — who would later become King George VI — developed his infamous stutter.
When he became heir to the throne, David didn’t change his wild behavior. He thought nothing of his duties as a member of the royal family and continued his affairs with married women — especially married American women. His longest affair was with an American divorcée named Freda Dudley Ward. But despite the gossip, Mary didn’t intervene because she thought these relationships were beneath her son’s position.
Queen Mary addressed her son as ‘King’ the moment her husband died
David had a very different view of the monarchy’s function compared to his mother, as well as his role in it. He didn’t believe he was special, or better than others outside of palace walls. He did, however, pursue women that were older, married, and less interested in him than he was of them. In other words, he was dating women who were like his mother.
Eventually, David would fall in love with American divorcée Wallis Simpson. And this is what would change the royal line of succession forever. Instead of marrying a “suitable” woman that he could have kids with and produce an heir, David wanted to marry Wallis.
The moment his father died and David was officially king, Mary didn’t acknowledge any feelings of grief or loss. Instead, she turned to her son and said “God save the king,” then stepped back and curtsied.
“I could not bring myself to believe that the members of my own family or indeed anyone else, should be expected to humble themselves before me in this way,” David wrote in a letter afterward.
As King Edward VIII, David was only on the throne for 11 months before he abdicated to marry Wallis. Without producing any heirs, the throne went to his brother Bertie and he became King George V. Then, 15 years later, King George died at the age of 56. Which led to his oldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, becoming queen at the age of 25.
Queen Mary died in 1953, just weeks before Elizabeth’s coronation. She only spoke to her son in person twice after his abdication in 1936. Yet, David did attend his mother’s funeral. After his abdication, David and his wife Wallis were known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
