His mother, Queen Victoria, had banned the smoking of cigars in her presence, and, by extension, anywhere in high society. Her son, the Prince of Wales, broke this ban. On the day he assumed the throne as Edward VII, he uttered these words in court “Gentlemen, you may smoke.” His royal preference was the double Corona, and his personal band (long sought by collectors) is decorated with three white plumes.
Photo and text borrowed from Zino Davidoff’s “The Connoisseur’s Book of the Cigar” McGraw-Hill 1968
It was his glen check inverness cape that first caught my eye. Then the four button window-pane jacket with watch chain looped over the top button. And lastly, Edward’s famous Homberg hat, and this one appears made from the shorn hair of his beard.