Fort Belvedere: King Edward VIII’s Beloved Home

Fort Belvedere. Image from Pinterest

In 1929, an old, rundown country house on Windsor Great Park in Surrey, caught the liking of twenty-five-year-old Edward, Prince of Wales. Before the heir to the throne moved in, the house was already vacant and  needed major repairwork to transform it into a home fit for a future king. 

Originally constructed as a folly between 1750 and 1755 by Henry Flitcroft for Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the house was significantly enlarged by Sir Jeffrey Wyatville in 1828. It was used as a tea house by Queen Victoria and was opened to the public in the 1860s. It also served as a grace and favour residence for courtiers. 

When the Prince of Wales approached his father, King George V, and after telling him that he intend to use Fort Belvedere as a country retreat, the surprised sovereign asked his son: "What could you possibly want that queer old place for? Those damn weekends I suppose". He then smiled and gave his permission.

What followed was a series of repairs and renovations, improving the property to suit his taste. Edward later wrote that he "created a home at the fort just as my father and grandfather had created one at Sandringham ... here I spent some of the happiest days of my life." When the total bill was computed, the cost of the renovations  and redecoration, including plumbing works, reached £21,000 (£1.47 million in 2019 figures). 

Fort Belvedere in the 1900s. Image from Wikimedia Commons

The project included replacing an old lily pond with a swimming pool, the construction of the tennis court and stables, and installation of every possible fixture and amenity that a modern home should have: showers, cupboards, central heating for winter and even a steam room. With him to renovate the house was his mistress, the former Winifred May Birkin, who changed her name to Freda Dudley Ward after her first marriage. However, it would be the American divorcee Wallis Simpson who would reign as Fort Belvedere’s first lady, albeit that would be a short-lived stint. It was here where they developed their relationship and in 1935, two rooms were combined for the use of Wallis. The rest of the house was furnished with royal interior decorations and the construction and design was handled by many individuals.

It became apparent that Fort Belvedere would serve as his de facto primary residence in Britain, although his official residence was supposed to be York House at St. James's Palace. His country retreat would soon become used extensively for entertaining, usually with his current mistress of the time playing as host. It was at the Fort where his relationship with Wallis Simpson blossomed. 

 In 1936, with Edward now king and their relationship already established  although unacceptable, Wallis stayed permanently at the Fort  after receiving threats against her security. She finally left Fort Belvedere on December 3, 1936, a week before Edward VIII signed the instrument of abdication. The new king, George VI, created him duke of Windsor. 

Despite leaving Great Britain, Edward continued to finance the maintenance of the Fort. It was his desire to continue to stay there but unfortunately he was informed that he lost the rights to reside at the Fort when he abdicated.  It eventually served as the office of the Commissioners of Crown Lands during World War II. In 1953, the property was leased by Sir Gerald Lascelles, the younger son of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, before he sold the lease to the son of the Emir of Dubai in 1976. Since the early 1980s, the lease on Fort Belvedere was acquired by Canadian billionaire Galen Weston and his wife, who extensively improved the Fort to include building a polo stud and doubling the size of the lake in the grounds.