King Edward VIII's Last Return to Britain

Monday 14^th September 1936

The King’s stay abroad finally came to an end when he flew back to the country in his personal aircraft from Zurich, piloted by Wing-Commander “Mouse” Fielden, Captain of the King’s Flight. It had stopped at Beauvais in France to refuel on the way. From the aerodrome at Feltham he was driven to Fort Belvedere and then up to London for dinner with his mother, Queen Mary, at Buckingham Palace. He was to continue this impeccably Royal behaviour by leaving for Balmoral at the end of the week to enjoy a far more traditional holiday than gadding about the Mediterranean in a luxury yacht.

Unknown, of course, to the vast majority, Mrs. Simpson returned to the UK by train and boat. She was terrified of flying. By a quirk of fate, the next flight abroad that the King was to contemplate would have gone in the reverse direction: to Zurich from England in the same aircraft and with the same pilot, but under vastly different circumstances.