Did the Queen Read Charles' Letters to the Duke of Windsor About Camilla?

(Image credit: Hulton Archive)

published 19 November 2019

Spoilers for season 3 of The Crown. In The Crown season 3, Edward VIII—the King of England for a few months before he renounced his title to marry Wallis Simpson—enjoys a close relationship with his grand-nephew Prince Charles. The two, according to the show, enjoy a correspondence that include writing letters back and forth regularly. But Edward shares these letters with Queen Elizabeth when they meet just before he dies, and they cause the Queen to worry about her son and his relationship with Camilla Shand, later Camilla Parker Bowles.

According to The Crown, Charles' letters cause the Queen to passively accept royal influence in the couple's relationship—Lord Mountbatten and the Queen Mother go on to "orchestrate" Camilla's marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles and an overseas posting for Charles. So did this happen? Did the Queen read Charles' private letters to Edward, and did it impact her feelings and actions about Charles' relationship?

Charles and the Duke of Windsor were close.

Charles and Edward apparently did have a close relationship, and Charles felt that Edward's situation was "tragic," according to Howard Hodgson’s Charles: The Man Who Will be King. This may have been, in part, because Charles saw his family disapprove of Camilla, and perhaps feared he might suffer the same fate.

According to an excerpt from Charles' diary, Charles did ask Edward personal questions. "I asked him frankly if he would like to return to England for the last years of his life...and he hesitated to ask Wallis if he should give me ‘the works.’ It sounded as though he would have liked to return, but he felt as though no one would recognize him."

And the Queen visited Edward before his death.

Elizabeth and Edward reconciled as much as could be expected, given the circumstances, at the very end of his life. She visited him a mere 10 days before he passed away but was apparently "annoyed" by Wallis Simpson. It's less clear what was said behind closed doors between Elizabeth and her uncle, but sources suggest that it was positive, not stressful.

Cobalt blue, Clothing, Blue, Fashion, Street fashion, Dress, Collar, Sleeve, Neck, Electric blue, — Queen Elizabeth visiting Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII at the end of his life.

But it doesn't look like she read Charles' letters.

According to royal historian Hugo Vicker, that's just a dramatic addition, because those letters don't actually exist. It's less clear whether Charles never wrote to Edward, or just that he never shared details about his private life, but either way, there were no private correspondence for Elizabeth to go over and worry about. And it seems that the "conspiracy" to break up Camilla and Charles is overblown, too.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.