The Woman Before Wallis: Prince Edward, the Parisian Courtesan, and the Perfect Murder

During the 1920s, well-known Parisian courtesan Marguerite Alibert was accused of murdering her husband, an Egyptian prince, at the Savoy Hotel in London. British lawyer Rose first wrote about the Show Trial, as it was later called, in his 1991 book Scandal at the Savoy: The Infamous 1920s Murder Case. Though a significant amount of testimony was presented, Alibert was not convicted. Among her many "acquaintances" was Prince Edward, heir to the British throne—they had exchanged letters during their brief fling while he was residing in Paris. After their affair, he destroyed all correspondence with her. The early adventures of the young prince are described using original source materials, newly uncovered by the author, while he traversed Europe during World War I and afterwards. Readers are left wondering what may have happened to the letters the Prince wrote to Marguerite. Did they factor in the decision to acquit her of murder? How did the Egyptian prince's family react? What happened to Marguerite after the trial?