http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/books/article/sex-murder-conspiracy-shed-new-light-on-edward-viii/
LONDON, April 5 — King Edward VIII may be best known for giving up the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, but it was not the first time his love affairs posed a threat to the British monarchy.
A new book by British barrister and former judge Andrew Rose unearths a little-known affair with a French courtesan 20 years before Edward’s abdication, which ended in a rigged trial at the behest of the British establishment trying to protect a future king’s reputation.
“The Prince, The Princess, and The Perfect Murder” details how the then-Prince of Wales’s first great love, French courtesan Maggie Meller, blackmailed him to avoid the gallows after murdering her playboy Egyptian prince husband.
Meller was acquitted in a high profile trial at London’s Old Bailey in 1923 despite the evidence stacked against her.
Rose said the acquittal was a shock but his research has now revealed an extraordinary story involving the murder trial, a secret cache of vanished letters and a cover-up to save the reputation of the future king.
Six years before her trial, Meller had an affair with the British prince. She used evidence from that relationship to force the royal household to lean on the establishment in an effort to get her off the hook and cover up the scandal, Rose told Reuters.
“This affair had been carefully airbrushed from history so the connection between the murder and the Prince of Wales was never drawn,” Rose told Reuters.
“The royal household took steps to make sure that the prince’s name did not come out in the trial to protect the reputation of the future king. It is amazing that she got away with it.”
Rose’s book, published by Coronet this week forms the basis of a TV documentary, “Edward VIII’s Murderous Mistress”, on Britain’s Channel 4 later this month
LONDON, April 5 — King Edward VIII may be best known for giving up the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, but it was not the first time his love affairs posed a threat to the British monarchy.
A new book by British barrister and former judge Andrew Rose unearths a little-known affair with a French courtesan 20 years before Edward’s abdication, which ended in a rigged trial at the behest of the British establishment trying to protect a future king’s reputation.
“The Prince, The Princess, and The Perfect Murder” details how the then-Prince of Wales’s first great love, French courtesan Maggie Meller, blackmailed him to avoid the gallows after murdering her playboy Egyptian prince husband.
Meller was acquitted in a high profile trial at London’s Old Bailey in 1923 despite the evidence stacked against her.
Rose said the acquittal was a shock but his research has now revealed an extraordinary story involving the murder trial, a secret cache of vanished letters and a cover-up to save the reputation of the future king.
Six years before her trial, Meller had an affair with the British prince. She used evidence from that relationship to force the royal household to lean on the establishment in an effort to get her off the hook and cover up the scandal, Rose told Reuters.
“This affair had been carefully airbrushed from history so the connection between the murder and the Prince of Wales was never drawn,” Rose told Reuters.
“The royal household took steps to make sure that the prince’s name did not come out in the trial to protect the reputation of the future king. It is amazing that she got away with it.”
Rose’s book, published by Coronet this week forms the basis of a TV documentary, “Edward VIII’s Murderous Mistress”, on Britain’s Channel 4 later this month
