Description:

King Edward VIII of England
[Marlborough House, London, England], June 24, 1910
Future Edward VIII ALS: "I will seal this with a seal which belonged to dear Grandpapa," The Late Edward VII
ALS

A 2pp autograph letter signed by Edward Albert (1894-1974), future King Edward VIII and then the Prince of Wales, as "Edward" on the second page. June 24, 1910. [Marlborough House, London, England.] Inscribed on laid watermarked bifold mourning stationery with "Marlborough House / Pall Mall. S.W." embossed letterhead. Docketed by the letter receipient at upper left. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds and a few extra wrinkles. The third page and the outer leaf are blank. Else near fine. 4.375" x 7." Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope with matching mourning border also engrossed in Edward's hand, with his initial as "E" located at bottom left. In addition to the postmark, a hand-stamped Edward VII royal cachet in purple ink as "AEVII" can be found at lower left. A striking black wax seal depicting the Prince of Wales badge is found verso. Letter-opened at top, 4.875" x 3.75." Provenance: Ex-Kingston Galleries, 1966.

King Edward VII, Edward Albert's paternal grandfather, had died about six weeks earlier, on May 6, 1910. Edward VII's eldest living son and heir George V became king, passing on the title of Prince of Wales to his eldest son, Edward Albert. Along with the title went the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales: a design of three ostrich plumes encircled by a gold coronet, with the German motto "Ich dien" or "I serve." The 15-year-old Edward Albert became the new Prince of Wales upon his grandfather's death.

Edward Albert wrote this letter to Sir Stanley Clarke (died 1911), a longtime devoted servant of the late Edward VII. Clarke had served as Equerry to Edward VII in 1878 and later as Private Secretary to his wife, Alexandra of Denmark, Princess of Wales. Clarke fulfilled the duties of Clerk Marshal and Chief Equerry to Edward VII from 1904-1910. In the letter, Edward Albert also mentions their mutual friend Henry Peter Hansell (1863-1935); Hansell had served as his and his brothers' royal tutor.

The Prince of Wales explicitly states in the letter that he "will seal this with a seal which belonged to dear Grandpapa." This almost certainly refers to the Prince of Wales badge seal on the envelope back, whose impression was probably made by a signet ring. It is possible that the cushion form signet ring seal seen here came from a ring known to have been commissioned by Edward VII from Hancocks & Sons, the bespoke London jeweler established in 1849.

The Prince of Wales wrote in full, with original usage:

"June 24th, 1910.

Dear Sir Stanley Calvert Clarke,

Mr. Hansell showed me your very kind letter to him. Thank you very much indeed for your good wishes. I will seal this with a seal which belonged to dear Grandpapa. It was given to me by Papa.

Believe me

yours sincerely

Edward."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 4.375" x 7"
  • Medium: ALS

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