AUTOGRAPHS of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor obtained by a woman who spotted the couple while holidaying in Italy are going to auction in Lichfield.
Hilda Hutt from Aston, Birmingham, encountered Edward and Wallis Simpson in Portofino in July 1951.
A fervent royalist, she would never have approached serving monarchy. But given Edward’s rejection of the throne – and the couple’s post-abdication reputation for self-serving, entitled behaviour – Hilda must have thought them fair game.
The plucky Brummie even wangled photos of the pair signing her postcard – and these are included with the autographs when they go under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 22nd June.
Recovered following a house clearance in Sutton Coldfield, the collection also features a photocard of the Duke and Duchess taken by an Italian press photographer on what is believed to be the same day.
The autographs of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor 
A photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor 
A postcard depicting Rapallo 
Notes on the back of a photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor signing autographs 
A photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor signing autographs 
Notes on the back of a photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor signing autographs 
A photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor signing autographs
The scandalous affair between King Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite, caused a constitutional crisis leading to Edward’s abdication in December 1936 less than a year after becoming king.
After abdicating, the former monarch was made Duke of Windsor and married Wallis six months later.
In the 1950s and 1960s, they lived a high society life between Europe and America – although they never shook off suspicion of being Nazi sympathisers, having infamously visited Hitler in Germany in 1937.
This, together with a lingering sense of betrayal amongst everyday British citizens for their abdication of duty, made their celebrity lifestyle and expectation of luxury hard to swallow.
The story behind Hilda’s encounter with the couple plays into this narrative.
Seller Ann Morris, 55,inherited the collection from her mother Josephine Morris – Hilda’s goddaughter.
She said:
"Hilda and her friend Ethel encountered the couple while on holiday. From what I remember, she said the Duke and Duchess seemed less than pleased at being asked to sign autographs and tried to brush them off, saying they didn’t have a pen.
"They possibly didn’t want to mix with people who they might have perceived to be common. But Hilda was a force of nature. She produced her pen and gave the couple no further excuse.
"She was that sort of woman. She was prepared for anything and would not have been put off by any haughty behaviour.
"It is notable that Hilda wouldn’t have accosted just anyone for an autograph. She was a very upstanding lady and I honestly don’t think she would have approached any other member of the Royal Family – they were on a pedestal and she wouldn’t have thought herself worthy.
"But given that Edward had abdicated, rejected his monarchy so controversially, I think for her that would have made them fair game.
"They were a much talked-about couple and maybe, when Hilda saw them coming ashore, she thought that guy owes us [the British people] something.
"She always held the rest of the Royal Family in very high regard."
Hilda lived her whole life in Aston and worked as a secretary for Norton Motorcycles when the firm was based in the area.
She never married and lived with her older sister Doris in their family home until moving to a care home in the 1990s following Doris' death.
Hilda died in February 1998 aged 91.
The Windsors’ autographs and photos subsequently came to Ann’s mum Josephine, who was also 91 when she passed away in February 2025.
The signatures are on the back of a postcard depicting Rapallo, a coastal town on the Italian Riviera some 8km from Portofino. Two photographs also mark the occasion.
A fourth item, the Italian press photocard, shows the couple wearing the same outfits as in Hilda’s photographs.
Ann said:
"Hilda was a very 'prim and proper' lady with an incredible eye for detail. However, she also had a wicked sense of humour, which seemed quite at odds with her outward appearance.
"Her tongue would have been firmly in her cheek when she wrote 'hobnobbing with the Duke and Duchess' on the back of one of the photos.
"It is a fascinating little collection and we are not parting with it lightly. But they have just been stored under my mum’s wardrobe in a safe box since Hilda died.
"We would like them to go to someone who will appreciate them for their historical context and ensure they are well-kept."
Rob French, valuer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, said:
"These items provide an interesting glimpse into the lives of two of the most notorious people from the 20th century.
"We have guided the collection at £200 to £300, but they could make far more on the day at auction.
"We are anticipating much enthusiasm from collectors for the Windsor autographs and photos.
"Not only is the story behind the encounter intriguing, the pictures of the couple signing provide superb provenance."
The catalogue for the auction will go online a week before the sale at www.richardwinterton.co.uk/auctions/auction-calendar.
