The Prince’s Fruity friend
QUESTION
‘Fruity’ Metcalfe was said to be a good friend and constant companion of HRH Prince of Wales/Edward VIII. What’s his story? eDWARD Dudley Metcalfe, MVO, MC, known as ‘Fruity’, first met edward VIII when, as Prince of Wales, he was undertaking an official tour of India in 1922.
Fruity — a nickname from his university days — was a cavalry officer with the Indian State Forces of Indore and was appointed the Prince’s aide-de-camp in India.
Their mutual love of horses developed into a lasting friendship. A cheerful, tall, good-looking Irishman, Fruity provided much needed relief and relaxation for the Prince after the strain of being ‘on duty’ so often during his extensive tour.
Fruity came to england on a year’s leave with the Prince of Wales. In August 1922, he was gazetted major and awarded the MVO (Royal Victorian Order) and in September made an extra equerry to the Prince, becoming an integral part of the Prince’s life and circle. But the Royal Family didn’t approve of their friendship.
A letter written by the Prince while he was at Balmoral shows his deep affection for Fruity: ‘I loathed having to come north on Tuesday and leave you behind ... I’m missing you a whole lot, I most certainly am ... carry on being what you have always been to me and are now, my greatest man friend.’
In July 1925, after a long courtship, Fruity married Alexandra ‘Baba’ Curzon, youngest daughter of George, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, former Viceroy of India. She was an integral part of the Prince’s circle of friends and their engagement had sent shock waves through society.
He was considerably older than Baba and had no pedigree. Nevertheless, due to Fruity’s charm and closeness to the Prince of Wales, the Metcalfes remained at the centre of the glittering social scene.
After his succession to the throne and subsequent abdication, the newly created Duke of Windsor asked Fruity to be best man at his marriage to Wallis Simpson.
With his wife Baba, he was among the handful of friends at the Duke’s wedding in the Chateau Cande in France. Up to and during the early part of World War II, Fruity spent much time with the Windsors in France, working for months without pay, supporting the couple as much as he could to make their lives easier.
But by May 19, 1940, German troops were approaching Paris and towards the end of that month, when Fruity made his customary early morning telephone call to the Windsors’ home for his orders, he was told His Royal Highness had left for Biarritz at six that morning.
Fruity was abandoned. The Duke of Windsor had failed to mention what would happen to him.
Fruity struggled back to england, arriving on June 5, and on August 10 was commissioned as a pilot officer in the RAF Administration and Special Duties Branch. Promoted to Flying Officer in 1941, he was posted to Cairo.
After the war, in autumn 1946, Fruity was informed that the Duke wanted to see him. It was the first contact between them for six years and they met in Marlborough House, where the Duke was staying while visiting his mother, Queen Mary.
As far as Fruity was concerned, after that meeting, all was forgiven and forgotten and the pair resumed their close friendship. Fruity and Baba divorced in 1955, after 33 years of marriage and three children.
Two years later he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died on November 19, 1957. The Duke of Windsor returned to england for Fruity’s funeral.
Anne York, New Milton, Hants.
QUESTION
What is the furthest distance headed goal
ever scored? THIS record belongs to Norwegian player Jone Samuelsen who scored for Odd against Tromso on September 25, 2011, in the Norwegian Tippeligaen (first division).
In a last desperate attempt to equalise, the Tromso keeper had joined in the attack during a corner but the ball was thumped up field by an Odd player, then headed hard back into Odd’s half by a Tromso defender.
Samuelsen, who was standing a couple of yards into his own half and not far from the defender, hit a return defensive header — but with the goalie well out of his box it flew straight into the net.
Measured by local police after the game, it was said to be 57.3 metres and was measured accurately to 58.13 metres a few days later.
It was thought for a time that the record had been beaten just a month later.
On October 30, 2011, Ryujiro Ueda, a Japanese player who plays for Fagiano Okayama in League 2, scored the only goal for his team against Yokohama FC with a header from his own half.
The Yokohama keeper had punted the ball out and Ueda hit a speculative header back. The poor keeper completely misread the bounce of the ball and embarrassed himself further by chasing the ball in vain as it headed towards the net and attempted to claw it away from the goal mouth.
He then screamed in frustration — no doubt realising he was destined for YouTube immortality.
The distance of 58.6 metres was thought to be a world record, but later measurements showed that the ball was headed in from 57.8 metres out.
Peter Kinlow, Liverpool.
QUESTION
Has anyone ever been killed by a falling piano? FURTHeR to earlier answers, the famous old joke goes: What happens when a piano falls down a mine shaft? A Flat minor.
r. S. Miles, Bedworth, Warwickshire.