Got to hand it to the king

Two things people know about King Edward VIII of Britain – assuming they know anything – is he had to abdicate his throne to marry an American divorcee and that he was subsequently suspected of having pro-German sympathies during World War II.

Few, though, are aware that he toured South Africa as the Prince of Wales in 1925, in an attempt to heal emotional wounds generated by the second Anglo-Boer war a generation earlier, as well as the Boer Rebellion of 1914-15. Or that he was an avid golfer.

I discovered both when my lady Rose-Mariè and I checked into the lovely Royal St Andrews Hotel in Port Alfred a few weeks ago.

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The prince who played through pain

Taking a stroll through the place – it was built in 1924 by a former sergeant- major in Scotland’s Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders – we came across a photograph of the prince. He was dressed in the uniform of a colonel of the Grenadier Guards.

Next to it was a framed recollection “The Prince of Wales slept here” that bears quoting in part: “His visit was scheduled as a restful interlude during a hectic British Empire tour – so hectic that when he arrived in Port Alfred his right hand was bandaged after so much cordial hand-shaking.

“This, however, didn’t affect his golf. He played nine holes before the start of Saturday’s ceremonial programme and a full course of 18 holes twice over the same afternoon!

“He then spent all day Sunday on the golf course, with some final rounds on Monday morning ‘driving straight and powerfully. There lay the strength of his play… his putting was regarded as less expert.’”

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