Auction items from Wallis Simpson, Princess Diana and Kate Middleton

With all the hoopla from The King's Speech, about the difficulties faced by Albert, younger son of King George V of England who became King George VI when his elder brother, Edward VIII abdicated the throne, it's no wonder an auction of items owned by Wallis Simpson will attract a large crowd. But when you also add in the names of Princess Diana and soon to be royal Kate Middleton, it's big news.


The upcoming auction at Kerry Taylor Auctions reported the upcoming auction is to be held on March 17th and include items formerly owned by Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor as well as the see through dress Kate Middleton wore that attracted Prince William.  Also included are gowns worn by Princess Diana at various times.


An interesting thing reported in a Yahoo article about the auction, is a film is in the works at the moment about Wallis Simpson called WE for Wallis and Edward directed by Madonna. There are also several movies on tap about Prince William and Kate Middleton.  

King George V and Queen Mary, parents of Edward VIII and George VI

Eldest son of King George V, David or Edward VIII who abdicated

George VI, youngest son of George V who became king when older brother abdicated and is the main character of The King's Speech, here with Queen Elizabeth who was later lovingly known as The Queen Mum, and was the mother of Queen Elizabeth II.


So...there is a bit of a royal time line. So the royal items auction should do well.


For more information on any of the items pictured here which are in stock at Time Was Antiques,  just click on the photo.

The King's Speech

I am posting this here as well as my other blog, Antiques And Teacups blog

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Well...just got back from seeing The King's Speech at a local theater and absolutely loved it! Heard before it started that Tim Cooper, the director had approached the Queen Mum, Elizabeth in the 1970s about filming the story which had appeared in a reader's theater off the West End, but she asked him not to make a movie of it whilst she was alive, as it was such a difficult and painful time for her that she didn't want to revisit extensively. Tim had to wait 28 years until she died at 101 in 2002.

The story centers around Albert,  younger son of King George V and Queen Mary who is forced into a role he hadn't been raised for because his older brother David abdicates the throne a few months after being crowned King Edward VIII to marry a twice divorced American divorcee and was a Nazi supporter.  Albert has a stammer and the story revolves around the work with a speech therapist who becomes a life long friend and is a true story. My family and my husband's as well have stories about the royal family at that time, the stammer, abdication and the absolutely brilliant job George VI and his wife Elizabeth did during the war. The general opinion was that England, and possibly the rest of the world would have had a very different fate if Edward VIII had remained king.


Another fun thing about the movie was...spot the actor. Such a lot of famous faces in the cast!
Derek Jacoby as the archbishop (Cadfael)
Jennifer Ehle as Myrtle Logue  (Elizabeth Bennet with Colin Firth in Pride & Prejudice)
Michael Gambon as King George V (Maigret)
Clair Bloom as Queen Mary
David Bamber as the theater director (cousin Rev. Mr. Collins in Pride & Prejudice with       
       Firth & Ehle)

This is a Shelley China, England teacup trio made for thew coronation in 1937 with King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mum) and the Royal Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret . To see more photos and info for the teacup trio at Time Was Antiques visit this link:
Shelley coronation trio George VI and Elizabeth


To see our items of British Royal memorabilia visit:
King George VI and Elizabeth
Abdicated King Edward VIII 


If you haven't seen the movie, we recommend it. A bit of language that I wish hadn't been there, but it has an R rating because of it. I just overlooked it because of the strength of the story after a cringe or 2.

Downton Abbey, Edwardian Age jewelry and the Boer War

Downton Abbey concludes this coming Sunday on PBS for us and it has been a treat! This is Lady Mary, one of the main characters, a young woman caught in the strictures of the Edwardian rules of polite society.  The Edwardian Age was named after Queen Victoria's son Edward VII who came to the throne of England upon her death in 1901. The reign was marked by the upheaval of changes started by the Industrial Revolution, social unrest, coming war and changing fortunes.


The Edwardian age was the last period of Belle Epoque or the Beautiful Era before modernism and the art deco influences began to dominate.  Edwardian jewelry was feminine, light and beautifully made. I wanted to show you an Edwardian faceted rainbow crystals necklace at Time Was Antiques that I absolutely love because it is so representative of the period 1900-1920 when Downton Abbey is set.

You can read more about it at this link:
Edwardian Rainbow Crystal Necklace


The Edwardian Era was ushered in by the end of the Boer War fought in South Africa, begun during the reign of Queen Victoria and concluded in 1902 around the time of the coronation of King Edward VII. The mug below is a fabulous example of portraits of King Edward and Queen Alexandra who's descendants include Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William. The back is a rare dedication to the end of the war and a commendation of the brave fights and lofty goals of the war. I really love the graphics.

I love history and these artifacts really bring it to life and evoke the ages and occasions they were made to commemorate. Downton Abbey, although fictional, has been extremely accurate throughout to details and settings and I have loved it...it's a window on a past age.
For more information and photos of the mug at Time Was Antiques use this link:
Edward VII and Boer War commemorative mug


Remember to watch on Sunday night...I can hardly wait! Have a great day.

Jeweled Stork Pin fr EdwardVIII widow auctioned - 2.7 Million! That's some bird!

Courtesy of a http://www.kovels.com/ news release, this flamboyant stork brooch of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires did rather well at a recent auction of items from the estate of the late Duchess of Windsor, Wife of abdicated King Edward VII of England. That's giving someone the bird!

Wallis Simpson was a wealthy American divorcee who captured the heart of the playboy Prince David, then Prince Of Wales and oldest son of King George V. The family was not happy with it and her, and when George V died in 1936, the playboy became King Edward VIII. But...with all the preparation begun for the coronation, Edward stunned the world by abdicating the throne to marry Wallis Simpson. His younger brother became King George VI in his place in 1937 who was a shy, stuttering family man.  It was exactly those qualities and his strong sense of duty to his new role that mad him such a popular king and comfort to his people during the dark days of World War II and unfortunately aged him to an early death.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth had 2 daughters at the time of the coronation, Elizabeth and Margaret. Elizabeth is, of course, Queen Elizabeth II and if it weren't for the abdication of her uncle.....and there would have been no Prince Charles and Princess Diana, no Prince William and Kate.....

Wallis was a GREAT lover of jewelry, and this is a stunning example...a bit much for me, but...The price of 2.7 million was positively princely!
To view the news release at Kovels.com, click HERE

To see the King Edward VIII china available at Time Was Antiques click HERE

English Royalty Thimble Year Of 3 Kings

This is the coolest British Royal memorabilia thimble that I just acquired with a collection of royalty thimbles on our last English buying trip.

Made in 1986-1987, the bone china thimble by Fisbury commemorates a special year in English royal history. Between June of 1036 and June of 1937, there were 3 men annointed king.

King George V was on the throne at the start of 1936 but died in June. On his death, his oldest son was declared Edward VIII and everyone that all was well. However, before the coronation could take place, Edward VIII abdicated the throne so that he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Hence the 3rd king, George VI, Edward's younger brother inherited the throne and was crownded in June 1937. Actually, I think he was a MUCH better king than his playboy, Nazi sympathizing brother would ever had been.

So...there's a history lesson for the day. Cool, huh!

For more innformation click this link to the item:

3 English Kings Thimble

For other great British Royal Commemorative items, visit our home page and look for the English Royal Commemoratives category with sub categories for each of the royal family starting with Queen Victoria.

Today is the 1st real spring day for a bit. It was beautiful! My DH was out trimming bushes and I took a walk to look at the budding trees and spring bulbs. On the end of our street I could see all the way across the Strait Of San Juan De Fuca to Victoris, British Columbia Canada. A great view for a lovely day. Hope yours was a nice!