86-year-old ale made for Edward VIII's abandoned coronation to be sold
A rare batch of beer brewed to mark the ill-fated coronation of King
Edward VIII is to be auctioned for charity - after being lost in storage
for decades.
The bottles of beer, originally made to celebrate
Edward's 1937 coronation, were left in the brewer's cellars after he
dramatically abdicated the throne in order to marry divorcee Wallis
Simpson.
The coronation went ahead in May that year, but it was his younger brother, George VI, who was crowned instead.
The
batch of "Coronation Ale" - brewed using barley and English hops
specifically to celebrate Edward's crowning - was therefore never used.
It was left untouched in Greene King's Suffolk cellars until 2011 when it was rediscovered in a bricked-off area during renovation work.
Now several crates of the 86-year-old beer are to be auctioned off by the pub chain ahead of King Charles's coronation on 6 May.
Money
raised from the auction will be donated to The Prince's Trust, a
charity founded in 1976 by Charles - then the Prince of Wales - to help
children from disadvantaged communities to develop essential life
skills.
Royal historian and author, Professor Kate Williams, who is working
with Greene King as part of the auction process, said: "It is absolutely
fascinating that these beers have been lying in the cellar for 86
years, having originally been brewed to celebrate the coronation of
Edward VIII.
"We know that when Edward succeeded his father as
King in January 1936, there was already doubt in his mind that he wanted
to proceed, due to his relationship with Wallis Simpson.
"At the time, members of the Royal Family weren't permitted to marry divorcees, and this clearly weighed on his mind.
"The
elaborate coronation preparations took over a year to arrange, but by
the time the event came around he had already abdicated, leaving the
ceremony, and these celebratory beers, redundant."