Child's sailor suit, back, worn by Edward VIII

This sailor suit was worn by Edward VIII, later The Duke of Windsor, as a child. Sailor suits were fashionable dress for children from the mid-19th century. The suits were styled on the uniforms worn by sailors serving in the Royal Navy and replicated key details such as the large navy shawl collar, navy striped trim, bell-bottom shaped trousers, and a rope lanyard for attaching a whistle. They were sometimes worn with a straw hat which at the time was part of the official uniform.

Royal children first started wearing sailor suits in 1848, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's children wore them at their seaside home, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. The royal family were keen sailors and many served in the Royal Navy. The Duke of Windsor's father, George V, and uncle were both cadets in the Royal Navy, Edward attended the Royal Navy College at Osbourne and Dartmouth.

This suit was kept by the family of Bessie Sinclair, dresser to The Duke of Windsor's grandmother, Queen Alexandra.