King Edward £5 watch may sell for $23,000

King Edward 5 watch may sell for $23,000

A watch hidden inside a 5 coin, once gifted by King Edward VIII, is to auction on June 19

A watch hidden inside a 5 coin, which was gifted by King Edward VIII, is to star at a dedicated UK royal memorabilia sale on June 19.

King Edward VII Wallis Simpson watchThe king would later give a similar watch to Wallis Simpson

The watch was given by the king to his mistress Freda Dudley Ward while he served as the Prince of Wales. The pair met as they both sheltered from a Zeppelin attackduring the first world war, when they were both just 23 years old. The couple continued their affair for five years, between 1918 and 1923, despite the fact that Freda was married to William Dudley Ward, a LiberalMP with whom she had already had two children. Dudley Ward remained a close friend and confident to the king for many years after their split in 1923. It was only when the king's more famous mistress, Wallis Simpson, appeared on the scene in 1934 that relations between the couple deteriorated. The watch, which was presented to the king in 1927 at the opening of the 26th Annual Scottish Motoring Exhibition, was given to his mistress in the same year.The tiny watch is cunningly concealed in a 1902 5 coin, a trickwhich obviously impressed the future king. He later bought a similar coin watch from the renowned jewellers, Cartier, which he then gave to Simpson, the woman for whom he abdicated his throne. The Wallis Simpsonwatch sold for 27,500 at Sotheby'sin 2010.The King's abdication for Wallis Simpson has since captivated the attention of collectors across the globe, ensuring regal results for memorabiliawhen itappears at auction. A Cartier bracelet given to Simpson by Edward sold for 4.5m in 2010, a fitting testament to the most dramatic royal love story in history. Paul Fraser Collectibles is pleased to offer our customers the chance to own this handwritten and autographed letter from Wallis Simpson to Baroness Rothschild.

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