20 Jul 2024
On This Day
20 July 2024 Cheryl

20 July 1923: Edward, Prince of Wales, lunches with Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy & Prince Edward

After the Titanic sank in April 1912, Hardy wrote a poem for a fund set up for survivors and families of victims. The Convergence of the Twain describes the fateful meeting of the ship and the iceberg, and was published in The Fortnightly Review in June that year. [1]

On 20 July 1923, Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), lunched with esteemed novelist and poet Thomas Hardy at the author’s home, Max Gate, in Dorchester. The meeting was part of Edward’s official tour of Dorset, and it reflected his interest in literature as well as Hardy’s stature as one of England’s most celebrated writers.

By this time, Hardy was 83 years old and had long retired from novel-writing, focusing instead on poetry. The prince, who was then 29, was known for his charm and social ease, but he was also under the constraints of royal protocol. With his characteristic dry wit and quiet demeanour, Hardy was reportedly courteous but not overly impressed by royal pomp. The luncheon was an intimate affair, attended by Hardy’s wife, Florence, and a few select guests, and was a rare public event for Hardy, who had grown increasingly reclusive as he aged.

Florence Hardy later recorded details of the visit, noting that the prince engaged in polite conversation with the aging writer, showing respect for his literary achievements. It was a significant moment—symbolic of the bridge between the old literary world and the modern era into which Edward would eventually step as king, albeit briefly. Hardy’s home, filled with books and memories of his long career, provided a setting that contrasted with the formalities of royal life, making the lunch a unique and historic exchange between literature and monarchy.

Following the luncheon, Edward thanked Hardy in a letter, expressing how much he had enjoyed their conversation, and the meeting was widely publicised becoming a piece of cultural history.