On August 9, 1936, Šibenik briefly became the center of European history. As citizens greeted the English king, behind the drawn curtains of a railway car hid the woman who would soon shake the British monarchy.
Many travelers arrived in Šibenik by train, but few arrivals drew as much attention as that of King Edward VIII of England. On this day, August 9, 1936, after a long journey through Slovenia, Zagreb, Knin, and Perković, he arrived at the Šibenik waterfront on a special royal train. Although he traveled incognito and without any desire for grand ceremonies, news of his arrival quickly spread through the city.
Early in the morning, a crowd of citizens gathered at the new pier. The approach to the luxury yacht "Nahlin," which was waiting along the renovated waterfront, was secured by police and military. Warships were also anchored in the harbor, including the destroyer "Dubrovnik" and English ships accompanying the royal yacht.
Representatives of military and civilian authorities arrived at the pier, including the British consul in Split, Šibenik's mayor Marko Bačinić, and his deputy Ante Tambača. Around them waited about twenty-five journalists and sixteen photojournalists who had come from various parts of Europe, hoping to photograph the English king and learn more about his unusual journey.
At 8:35 a.m., a reconnaissance train arrived at the station first, and ten minutes later, the royal train slowly entered the pier. King Edward VIII stepped out of the carriage around 8:50 a.m., greeted by applause and cheers from the crowd. He shook hands with officials and then immediately boarded the "Nahlin," where he was welcomed by the yacht's commander.
As he boarded, the large royal flag was raised on the mast, and a telegram was sent to London confirming that the king had arrived in Šibenik in good health and excellent spirits. After a brief conversation, he went to his carriage to change clothes, then returned to greet the citizens of Šibenik once more.
However, the journalists' greatest interest was not solely the king. Behind the drawn curtains of one carriage was Wallis Simpson, the American woman for whom Edward would shake the British monarchy just a few months later. While cameras and eyes were focused on the king, she quietly moved from the train to the yacht, away from the public eye.
What the citizens of Šibenik saw that morning as a simple royal passage would later prove to be the beginning of one of the most famous love and political stories of the 20th century.
The yacht "Nahlin" slowly left the port of Šibenik at 11:12 a.m. Edward VIII stood at the stern, watching the city and waving to the crowd gathered on the shore. The English king spent only a few hours in Šibenik, but that visit remained memorable and was talked about for a long time.
For him and his entourage, Šibenik was merely a starting point for a cruise along the Adriatic, while for the locals, it was a rare moment of contact with great European history. A few months later, Edward chose Wallis over the throne, and the brief stay in Šibenik gained a significance that no one could have expected on that sunny August morning.
