| Issue #50, March 23, 2007 |
Duke of Windsor
A King of England and the Time He Spent in Southampton
By T.J. Clemente
In social circles, the number one position socially is the King of England. Wealth alone does not guarantee you social position, although it helps getting there. In the Hamptons there is a mix of wealth and socialites. The families that have chosen to summer on the South Fork over the years read like Who’s Who in America’s social and economic history. It was quite a sight in Southampton years back when the private railroad car of Henry Ford was parked at Southampton train station for a whole week one summer, so that the great man could attend the wedding of his grandson, Henry Ford II, to a local Southampton girl. Movie stars like Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Ginger Rogers, mixed with the rich socialites, even marrying into the families.
One dapper socialite in 1910 was Thomas Markoe Robertson, a graduate of Choate and of Yale. He was the brother-in-law of A.J. Drexel Biddle. “Markoe” was known for his wonderful tweeds and stylish tasteful ways. In fact, he was a competent architect who donated the designs that were used to originally build Southampton Hospital. It was not unusual to see Markoe squiring about with a tweed jacket with matching double-breasted waistcoat and flannel trousers. Markoe had many friends but the ace of his deck of friends easily had to be Edward, Duke of Windsor, formally King Edward VII of England. The very same King Edward who on Dec. 10, 1936, executed an “Instrument of Abdication,” which gave the throne to his brother George, father of current Queen Elizabeth. Because of this, Edward lived abroad for the rest of his life, dying in exile in Paris in 1972 (although he is buried in Windsor Castle.) The reason behind this action was his love for an American, twice-divorced Mrs. Wallace Simpson, as he phrased it, “the woman I love.”
Edward and Wally were summer guests of Markoe at his home in the Ox Pasture section of Southampton. Herbie Edwards, now living in Virginia and married to Southampton’s Dorothy Reminski for fifty-four years, recalled the two rounds of golf in August, 1944, for which he carried the Duke of Windsor’s bags, while he played golf with Markoe at the National Links.
“He wore knickers,” said Herbie, then all of fourteen years old and chosen because his dad had crewed for Harold Vanderbilt in the America’s cup series aboard “Rainbow.” The caddy master knew Herbie would behave properly. Herbie said, “He shot in the eighties, teeing off at about 2:30. The halfway house was closed due to the war, so they played 18 holes without refreshments. He had a warm smile and was friendly.’’ But as was the custom, Herbie stood back and only suggested clubs when asked.
He was actually assigned to caddy for the Duke a second time when Gary Cooper’s father-in-law, Wall Street scion Paul Shields, a neighbor of Markoe, joined Markoe and The Duke of Windsor. Herbie laughed as he recalled, “The Duke asked Mr. Robertson how much he should pay me and Mr. Robertson said two dollars, so he gave me two dollars. He walked up to the locker room to change and that was the last I ever saw him. I do have a photo of me holding his golf bag. He was thin, in good shape, about six feet tall.”
Back in that era, during the war, what is now know as the Publick House in Southampton, was the establishment of Herb McCarthy at Bowden Square. Imagine the buzz in the room when Markoe walked in with his wife and Edward and Wally, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. There had to be stares at the man who gave up the throne, being King of England, to marry the woman he loved, sitting right there eating dinner and laughing with old friends. In fact, there is a photo of all four posing at the entrance of what is now The Publick House.
It may be noted that Edward never in fact had a coronation because it was decided the Mrs. Wallace Simpson matter had to be dealt with first. He also spent time on Long Island in Locust Valley enjoying the links at Piping Rock.
So today the tradition of the summer season fusing the social scene between both socialites and the new champions of wealth, still playing on the same posh playgrounds and living in the same posh homes, continues. The ghosts of Marjorie Merriweather Post, Doris Duke, Paul Shields, Gary Cooper, Ginger Rogers, Clark Gable, Barbara Hutton, Howard Hughes and Henry Ford II must still drop by for a peek.
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