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Image: Royal Cypher of King Edward VIII and King Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom

�鶹Ů�� Libraries and the Department of History in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letter have received a signed, limited edition of “A King’s Story,” the autobiography of King Edward VIII, from Susan Watts, noted philanthropist and member of the St George’s Society of Palm Beach.

The rare copy – donated in honor of her late husband and rare book collector, Bruce Watts – is bound in full red Moroccan leather with gilt titles and displays three significant coats of arms: Prince of Wales, King of England and Duke of Windsor. The Florida Atlantic Libraries’ copy is No. 72 out of a limited 385 signed copies, making it an important addition to the library’s Marvin & Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection.

"The ancestry of my late husband, Bruce Randall Watts, traced back to both Scotland and England, and he loved reading the history of those countries,” said Watts. “I know Bruce would be pleased that this volume from his rare books collection will be part of the distinguished Florida Atlantic Libraries. ��My thanks to Susan Oyer and St. George's Society of Palm Beach for helping facilitate this gift."

This compelling memoir offers an intimate account of King Edward VIII, one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. The autobiography provides a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the British monarchy and his brief reign, with particular focus on his abrupt abdication in 1936 to marry the American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. The memoir also delves into Edward VIII’s contentious relationships and political views, and is one of the first modern royal autobiographies to offer insights into his decisions that changed the course of British history.

Watts, a graduate of Roger Williams University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, is a former consultant, where she worked with major companies like Compac Computer and Lotus Development Corporation. After a decade-long consulting practice, she and her husband moved to New York in 1993, where she held executive roles at the French-American Foundation and later the Children’s Aid Society and the Children’s Defense Fund.

“The donation of ‘A King’s Story’ highlights the continuing importance of rare books and memoirs in preserving history,” said Linda Golian-Lui, Ed.D., Ed.S., dean of �鶹Ů��’s S.E. Wimberly Library.�� “Florida Atlantic Libraries is honored to be the steward of such a remarkable work, which offers students, researchers and the public access to the complexities of 20^th century British history, royal life and the political landscape of Edward VIII’s time.”

For more information, email lysca@fau.edu.