Programming note: This episode is a bit more explicit than most, including strong language and descriptions of sex. If you listen with wee ones, use your judgment.
The early '30s were a roaring time for Edwina's various romances, though two in particular would have far-reaching implications for her lovers. The first, with American actor Paul Robeson, caused scandal in the London tabloids because Robeson was Black. The Royal Family considered the situation dire enough that they demanded that Louis and Edwina sue the tabloid that wrote it about for libel, and saw to it that the court would handle the case... carefully. An early morning hearing, of which no notice was given to anyone but the Mountbattens, resulted in a quick ruling in Edwina's favor, though the couple notably did not ask for damages. Paul Robeson himself was apparently quite wounded by the whole incident, having been close to Edwina and left to deal with the fallout on his own.
The second notable affair was with Leslie "Hutch" Hutchinson, a Grenada-born musician whom Edwina had met in New York City. She encouraged him to bring his talents to England, where he became a bona fide star of the 1920s and '30s, entertaining royals and society patrons, and his work gained national prominence with frequent airings on the BBC. During his dalliance with Edwina, there are rumors that the two became "stuck" in flagrante delicto, requiring transportation by ambulance in the pose that was causing them troubles.
Louis was outraged especially by Edwina's affair with Hutch, and as the scandal grew, Hutch found that his royal and society patrons had abandoned him. In spite of his celebrity, the Mountbattens appear to have had a role in his near erasure from history. It's all reminiscent of Fitzgerald's line in Gatsby: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
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63. Meet the Bonapartes: Napoleon and Marie Louise of Austria
62. Meet The Bonapartes | Napoleon and Josephine
61. Leopold II of Belgium, the Congo Free State, and Villa Leopolda
60. King Umberto II and Queen Marie-Jose of Italy and the Fall of the House of Savoy
59. Queen Ranavalona I, The Mad Queen of Madagascar
58. Elizabeth and Leicester, Part Two
57. Elizabeth and Leicester, Part One
56. The William Shakespeare Mystery (Trashy Divorces Crossover)
55. The Tortured Tudor Poet: The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn
54. Elisabeth of Wied, First Queen of Romania, and Literature's Carmen Sylva
53. King Pedro I of Portugal and Inês de Castro
52. Caroline of Brunswick, featuring Sam from I'm Horrified!
51. Two King Frederiks of Denmark (Frederik VII and Frederik X)
50. Louis and Edwina Mountbatten | Dickie Solo
49. Louis and Edwina Mountbatten | Comrades in Arms
47. Louis and Edwina Mountbatten | Unconventional Marriage
46. Louis and Edwina Mountbatten | Let the Affairs Begin!
45. Louis and Edwina Mountbatten | The Wedding and The Honeymoon... Is Over
44. Louis and Edwina Mountbatten | Origin Stories and Engagement
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