EDWARD VIII: (1894-1972) King of the United Kingdom January - December 1936. Later Duke of Windsor. Early A.L.S., Edward, as Prince of Wales, four pages, 8vo, Buckingham Palace, London, 23rd August 1914, to J. Wilson Taylor. The Prince thanks his correspondent for their two kind letters and remarks 'I am most grateful to you for having cancelled the work in the 2 courts & only hope the members will not think this very presumptuous on my part, to go & disturb club arrangements like this' adding 'But you have no idea what those games of squash mean to me just now; they are even more glorious than usual, for of course I am hard at it, at Wellington Barracks all day, & this is my only recreation & sole divertisement!!' The Prince further asks to be informed if any extra expense has been incurred by the breaking of the contract, 'for I feel more than guilty for so to speak dictating to the Club Committee in this way'. Edward also thanks the members for a contribution of £1000 to his fund, commenting 'I was amused to see my reply pinned up in the hall when I dined in the club this evening!!' He concludes 'I hope to be playing at 6.30 tomorrow evening, so that if it is convenient, we might have a word together. Hansell seems to be pleased with life in the country with my 2 small brothers….' Accompanied by the original envelope hand addressed by the Prince to Taylor at The Bath Club, marked Immediate, and signed by Edward with his initial ('E') in the lower left corner. VG

J. Wilson Taylor - Chief Clerk of the Union Society and Secretary of The Bath Club, a sports themed London gentlemen's club located on Dover Street.