Tuesday Documentary | The Uncrowned King

Two days after the death of the Duke of Windsor, Ludovic Kennedy asks what kind of monarch Edward VIII might have made if he had remained on the throne. Kennedy introduces an interview with the duke himself, filmed in 1969, in which the latter talks about his dislike for the formalities of his status, expresses strong opinions on the establishment and recalls many of the prime ministers he met while he was heir apparent and, subsequently, King. In the studio, Kennedy discusses the duke's abdication and its effect upon the monarchy with historian AJP Taylor, Windsor family friend Lady Bridget Monckton, former Member of Parliament Lord Robert Boothby and journalist Colin Coote. The last word, thanks to the 1969 interview, is granted to the duke's wife, Wallis, Duchess of Windsor.

The interview with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor was also recorded for radio and had been broadcast two years earlier. That recording, 'HRH Edward, Duke of Windsor', is available in this collection.