Royal Marriage Proposals (Part 1)

With all the recent talk about Prince Edward's engagement to his longtime girlfriend, Sophie Rhys-Jones, this seems like a good time to look back at other 20th century royal marriage proposals.

The future King George VI took Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon for a walk on the afternoon of December 2, 1921. They stopped to admire some horses in a field, and Bertie (as the future king was called) asked Elizabeth to marry him. He told his brother later, "Waiting for her answer was worse than [the battle of] Jutland, waiting for the German shells to arrive." Elizabeth gently turned him down.

On December 26, the prince proposed again. Elizabeth laughed and said, "You spoil me. You must know I love proposals. But I'm afraid not, Bertie. It just wouldn't do."

Undeterred, Bertie proposed to Elizabeth twice more in 1922 -- and twice more she refused him. Dejected, the prince wrote in his diary, "I am beginning to believe that Elizabeth will never say `yes.'"

On the morning of January 13, 1923, Bertie took Elizabeth for another walk. They were petting some ponies when Bertie proposed again. And again Elizabeth laughed, but this time her answer was different. "If you're going to keep this up forever, I might as well say 'yes' now. And so I do."

They were married on April 26 of that year. In 1936, upon the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, Bertie became king. He died in 1952, but his wife is still alive today. She is known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Edward VIII had given up the throne because of his determination to marry an American divorcee named Wallis Simpson. Their affair began around 1933, but it was not until 1936 that Edward let Wallis know he intended to marry her.

Instead of proposing to her directly, he asked her to attend a formal dinner, explaining that he wanted her there because, "Sooner or later, my future prime minister must meet my future wife." When Wallis -- who was still married to her second husband, Ernest Simpson -- replied that it was impossible for them to marry, Edward smiled and promised, "I will manage it somehow."

And he did, although it meant giving up his throne. On June 3, 1937, the newly divorced Mrs. Simpson married the former king of England. They were thereafter known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Part Two of this article will appear next week! For more information about the Windsors, visit these websites:

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