The King's Daughter

Chapter One: Princess Violet of York

17th of April 1934 - Buckingham Palace

Staring at the headlines that crossed the morning papers, King George V frowned unable to wrap his head around the actions of his eldest son; who seemed determined to bring shame to the family with his actions. 

Before the first world war, there had been plans for a royal match for David to his second cousin, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, sadly nothing had come of it and his sons romantic life continued to make headline news. 

In 1917, David liked to spend his time partying in Paris where he was introduced to Parisian courtesan Marguerite Alibert with whom he spent a year with before breaking things off. 

Also in 1917, there was Rosemary Leveson-Gower, the youngest daughter of the 4th Duke of Sutherland, who David had shown interest in marrying but King George and Queen Mary had disapproved of her relatives. 

From there his relationships had been varied with notable ones including Freda Dudley Ward and Lady Furness, the American wife of a British peer. 

There seemed to be no delaying his womanising and the King wished that his son would settle down, like his brother had done and take upon himself a respectable wife. 

Earlier that year, Adolf Hitler, in his ambition to link the British and German royal houses, asked Victoria Louise to arrange a marriage between the 40-year-old David and her 17-year-old daughter, Frederica of Hanover, who was at boarding school in England. 

Her parents refused, due to the age gap, and King George had to agree that it would be quite unfair to Frederica to be tied to his son especially given his current infatuation. 

Wallis Simpson was the latest mistress that David had added to the ranks, the American socialite that had been introduced to David back in January by his former lover Lady Furness. 

David had denied this to his father, despite his staff seeing them in bed together as well as "evidence of a physical sexual act".

Wallis had also ousted Furness, and David distanced himself from a former lover and confidante, the Anglo-American textile heiress Freda Dudley Ward. 

It seemed that Wallis was in charge now, she was a favourite and it was known in circles that David would not speak with those that Wallis did not approve of.

King George shook his head, he had no idea why his eldest son made things so difficult for himself compared to the other members of the family; Albert had been married for eleven years, Mary had been married for twelve, Henry looked set to be married in the coming year and George would be married in November. 

King George couldn't help but feel sad as he thought of his youngest son, John, he had passed away at thirteen and he knew that the boy would never get to truly have a life of his own. 

David was the only one of his siblings that seemed to have no interest in settling down, of starting a family of his own even as his siblings started families of their own. 

Mary had married Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood and had two sons, George and Gerald while Albert had married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. 

King George paused at that thought, knowing that by the end of the day that little bit of information would be incorrect; Elizabeth's labour had started early that morning from what he had heard and soon the couple would have a third child. 

The Duchess of York had insisted on travelling back to Scotland to her family's ancestral home to give birth to her third child, much like she had done for Margaret.