Wandering around Château de Candé, Edward & Wallis Simpson wedding venue Mont Indre-et-Loire France
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- We visited Château de Candé in September 2022 and it is quite simply one of the most interesting and memorable places that we have ever wandered around. It was the wedding venue of Wallis Simpson & Former British King Edward VIII but it is far, far more. It is a remarkable chateau and a must see if you are in the region.
In 1508, the Mayor of Tours, François Briçonnet, had a Renaissance-style country lodge built here for himself. Despite being enlarged in the 19th century by Cuban aristocrat Santiago Drake del Castillo, the château could easily have remained one of the many hidden from public view. But on June 3 1937, the estate made headlines as the location for the marriage of former British King Edward VIII and his American fiancée Wallis Simpson. Wallis died 30 years ago last year in Paris at the age of 90 - the conclusion to a love affair that rocked the British monarchy.
In 1927, the Candé estate was bought by multimillionaire Charles Bedaux, a naturalised American who had been born and raised in France. Bedaux moved to America at the age of 20 to seek his fortune, an ambition he achieved with great success by devising a new approach to industrial productivity. Bedaux and his American wife, Fern, set about modernising Château de Candé and installing state-of-the-art facilities to bring the property up to US standards. The turrets and gables of its exterior may be classic Renaissance, but step through the front door and you’re instantly transported back to the 1930s.
Bedaux upgraded the electrical system, installed central heating with radiators in every room, and improved the water supply. Each of the eight bedrooms was provided with its own bathroom, lavishly decorated with glass mosaics and equipped with heated towel rails. Telephones were installed all over the house, most of them concealed behind wood panelling, except for the one on Charles Bedaux’s desk which was in constant use. He also employed a full-time telephonist who worked at an in-house switchboard linked to the main network in Tours.
But Château de Candé could still have remained out of the public eye if it hadn’t been for Wallis Simpson. Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in June 1895, she was on her second marriage when she met the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VIII in January 1936 upon the death of his father, George V. Edward was captivated, but marriage with an American divorcee was out of the question for the British monarch. So he chose to abdicate rather than live without his beloved Wallis. Edward was never crowned and lived the rest of his life as Duke of Windsor. The couple couldn’t risk being together until her divorce was finalised. In December 1936, Wallis took refuge with American friends, the Rogers, on the Côte d’Azur. But when journalists discovered her whereabouts, her host asked a friend, Fern Bedaux, if she could accommodate the bride-to-be. So on 10 March 1937, Wallis arrived at Château de Candé to stay with a couple she had never met. Edward joined her on April 30, at which point Charles and Fern Bedaux left them alone and rented a suite at the Ritz Hotel.
Thanks to Charles Bedaux’s revolutionary new switchboard, the couple were able to keep in touch with friends and family across the world, but the marriage ceremony was a small affair. The civil ceremony was conducted in the Library by the Mayor of Monts. Charles and Fern Bedaux loved music and centrepiece of the library is an organ made by the renowned Skinner Organ Company from Boston, Massachusetts. Rising through three floors of the château, it can be played by an organist or be used with perforated rolls of paper to play automatically. In a corner by the fireplace, the couple have etched their signatures into the wood panelling, a permanent reminder of the historic event.
The civil ceremony was followed by a religious service conducted by an English priest next door in the smaller music room, a simple altar erected where a grand piano now stands. There are reminders of the ceremony all over the house with archive photos by society photographer Cecil Beaton, as well as newspaper cuttings and other mementoes. Wallis wore a close-fitting high-waisted silk dress in ‘Wallis Blue’ by Mainbocher to marry her Duke and a replica stands on a mannequin by the fireplace beside pictures taken on the day. Upstairs, you can see original items from Wallis’s wardrobe
After the ceremony, the couple sat down with Charles and Fern Bedaux and a dozen guests in the dining room with its leather wall-covering and original Renaissance ceiling. Photos were beamed across the world of the newly-weds posed inside the castle, on the stone steps to the front door, and seated on a park bench. But it was all over in hours. The couple left that evening on honeymoon, never to return to the picturesque castle where they had been joined as man and wife
Music: Harry Hayes
Music: www.purple-pla...
Pete, what a treat you have shared. Wonderful glimpses of authentic period art deco bathrooms. Although, the chateau most likely was opulently furnished during the Bedaux residency, it still retains enough essence of that time to lend a sense of the flavor of the 1930s. It is rather fascinating that such tragic outcomes of a number of lives that had gathered for that infamous marriage ceremony unfolded. Thank you for posting this most interesting of tours for history buffs!
Many thanks for your lovely and thoughtful comments, the chateau certainly left a deep impression on us.
That was beautifully filmed and edited. It was a joy to watch. Cheers😁👍🏻
Thank you very much! A fascinating place to visit.
Incredible, a fascinating place with a fascinating history, it was lovely to see inside. Villa Windsor the home they shared in France was also a beautiful looking place. Thanks so much for sharing 😊
Thanks for your lovely comment. We would love to visit Villa Windsor one day.
Thank you for this wondrous tour of a magical place. I've long been fascinated by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Too bad they weren't there to greet you, but looks like you only just missed them.
Glad you enjoyed it! A fascinating chateau and you're right it is just like they've just left.
Loved this everything's beautiful so happy it's being taken care of.
Thank you, it's a wonderful experience visiting the chateau.
C est plutôt morbide car vraiment très sombre , non ? De très beaux meubles , certes !
Il a un air de tristesse et d'obscurité en particulier avec son histoire, mais il est également remarquable par l'innovation et l'opulance dont il fait preuve. Parfois, tout l’argent et la position du monde n’apportent pas le bonheur.
Wallis, Wallace is a last name, like George Wallace.
Thank you for your comment and correction, glad you enjoyed the video. Wallace is the male equivalent of Wallis, as per Wallace & Gromit 😄Oh the dangers of cutting and pasting from the internet.