Edward VIII - The King Who Threw Away His Crown | Free Documentary History

born to be king loved by his people admired around the world edward viii shook the world's oldest monarchy to its very foundations and all for love edward's passion for a married woman had forced him to choose between personal happiness and duty to his country his choice would estrange him from his family and send him into exile for the rest of his life i think he was ahead of his time i think he had lots of pep and i think he was very much ahead of his time i think he wanted to establish things that were a little not ready for them really perhaps not ready for it though this is the remarkable story of the king who threw away his crown by the closing years of the 19th century great britain had become the most powerful nation in the world [Music] and the symbol of its greatness being victoria was celebrating the diamond jubilee of her reign a 63 years on the throne came to an end in 1901 and young edward's grandfather was crowned king edward vii the king had come to the throne in stout old age but he remained young at heart the victorian age of well-dressed sobriety was swept away and the pursuit of pleasure became the new fashion [Music] edward grew up with his family on the king's country estate sandringham his parents prince george and princess mary had been married in the last decade of the victorian age and had remained true to its values tradition duty and loyalty their marriage was an arranged one which to their joy had blossomed into real love like queen victoria she produced royal children in regular succession after edward there was bertie henry mary george and the baby john edward and his siblings were loved and spoiled by their grandfather the king who was always happiest at sandringham hosting shooting parties and spending time with friends and family the king prolonged the fun by setting the clocks forward half an hour to make the most of the daylight he called it sandringham time [Music] at the age of 12 edward left the comforts of home and family for the naval school at osborne on the isle of wight and in 1909 he graduated to the royal naval college of dartmouth he was aware that he was following a long royal tradition his father now the heir to the throne and his grandfather the king had both served at sea away from home the diminutive prince struggled with his exams and was mocked for his royal blood but one respect from fellow cadets for refusing offers of privilege in 1910 the grandfather he adored died after just nine years on the throne the popular king known as the uncle of europe was honored by a host of foreign kings princes and potentates from every corner of the empire among them marched the tiny prince edward who was beginning to realize the full meaning of his grandfather's passing one day he would become king but now it was edward's father who was crowned king george v and with mary his queen the couple quickly embraced their royal duties [Music] true to ancient tradition they set the stage for a remarkable ceremony at carnarvon castle where their eldest son now heir to the throne was invested prince of wales it was july the 13th 1911 and the castle walls was stacked with ten thousand people as the young prince stepped out in the costume he privately called this preposterous rig he feared that his fellow naval cadets would mock him for the satin stockings that embraced the royal legs [Music] in a shaded marquee edward was crowned by his father with a coronet studded with pearls roars of acclamation greeted the prince as he was ushered to the three points of the ancient castle the masked crowd saw it as a triumph of royal pageantry for the prince it was a trial of nerve that left him feeling unsettled [Music] edward's role in the royal hierarchy had changed he was now expected to carry out duties befitting the heir to the throne at his first solo royal engagement he looked sick with fright as he delivered a public speech the prince had hoped for a career at sea surrounded by his dartmouth friends but his father insisted that edward needed a much broader education than the navy offered he was sent to oxford university however with his limited education and no interest in academia he soon found himself out of his depth still the handsome young prince found pleasure in extracurricular activities like punting pretty girls up the river it was here that edward would have his first encounter with the gentle sex he left oxford in june 1914 without a degree [Music] that summer the world of royal kings was turned upside down after a decade of peace britain compelled by its treaties with other european states declared war on germany [Music] thousands of young men rushed to enlist their hearts full of passion for the glory of war a war they all thought would be over by christmas edward had taken a commission in the grenadier guards and was eager to see action but just a week before his battalion sailed his father the king told him he was not sailing with it two months later he was finally allowed to join british troops in france but was not allowed to see action as george's heir his responsibility was to stay alive however his visits to the front lines did wonders for morale the prince's relaxed manner was welcomed in the trenches but for edward there wasn't enough he wanted to win his spurs as a warrior prince not a prince charming he envied his younger brother bertie who was serving on the cruiser cumberland and saw spectacular action in the battle of joplin on the 31st of may 1916 the two fleets met in the historic battle of japan here the british battleships are firing salvos the young duke went through this battle in the a turret of the collingwood within the armor-plated depths of such a turret as this the young duke and some 40 companions operated the complicated mechanism of modern fire control bertier commanded his gun crew with distinction and was mentioned in dispatches queen mary wrote letters to both sons praising bertie and consoling edward who confined to a safe job behind lines was feeling increasingly disillusioned but edward would be exposed to the horrors of the great war the terrible slaughter he saw firsthand on an early morning visit to the battlefields of the somme affected him deeply sixty thousand british soldiers slain in one day the war had alarming repercussions for the king too in london german-owned shops were attacked and anti-german feeling was running high george realized that the royal family's name of sax cobra goater with its clearly german origin would have to go the house of windsor was born in the dying days of 1918 germany finally surrendered crowds surged through the streets of london towards the welcoming gates of buckingham palace the end of the war that had scarred so many lives brought a rapturous outpouring of joy [Music] as peace was restored edward's struggle to find a suitable role continued and he began to fill impatient hours with playboy pleasures one of these was a married socialite called freda dudley she became his mistress palace was beginning to worry about his erratic lifestyle and disapproved of edward's familiar manner with the public believing that it was damaging the royal image their solution was to send the prince abroad as a roving ambassador with the aim of strengthening imperial ties excited by his new appointment edward set off on his first world tour in august of 1919. he conquered canada on his very first day in the capital city ottawa he was overwhelmed by the adoration every man and woman wanted to catch a glimpse of the handsome prince the prince was greeted with the warmest enthusiasm it's recorded that with forty thousand people looking on he sprinted after a wounded soldier's cap that a high wind had blown off brought it back and placed it on the man's head the warmth of his reception temporarily robbed him of the use of his right hand but that didn't prevent him greeting these veterans with his left [Music] at every stop on his tour he was hailed as the perfect model of a modern prince and that rare thing a royal ambassador with a common touch he was delighted to find indian chiefs waiting for him at the rocky mountains they crowned him chief morning star next stop new york [Music] it was love at first sight edward welcomed the relaxed attitude new york has had for his royal status between royal commitments he explored the city's bars and nightclubs and everywhere he went he was treated like a film star [Music] the royal tour reached far away new zealand where amari tribe entertained him in australia he was saluted by a huge replica of his own prince of wales emblem on the way home he stopped off at the pacific island of hawaii and having been presented with his own board edward became the first royal to surf [Music] his exploits created a tabloid splash back home the monarchy were riding the wave of his popularity he'd become the people's prince back in britain his royal duties took him all over the country he was moved as he met veterans of the great war clearly interested and concerned for their welfare but he was unexcited by much of the familiar routine and was easily distracted he would escape to the thrill of the chase and the point to point where he rode at daring speed but a heavy fall at one event left him with a damaged right arm he made light of it and insisted on turning up for the war veterans parade which he never missed wearing his arm in a sling the king instantly banned him from racing horses as heir to the throne it was edward's duty to find a wife and settle down but it was his younger brother bertie who married first his wedding in 1923 to the scottish beauty elizabeth beau's lion lifted the hearts of a nation still recovering from a bitterly remembered wall edward was delighted for his brother and approved of his bride now almost 30 edward was still pursuing his affair with the married frieda dudley on royal duty abroad he would write to her expressing his sadness of being a part he would often find constellation in the arms of other women in 1924 edward returned to new york he was met by a horde of journalists all wearing boaters in honour of the prince who had made the headwear fashionable on his last visit here under siege from cameras and questions he was rescued by a female guide in manhattan the prince was given a ticker tape parade he was thrilled to find that his favorite hideaway now had even more to offer the sensation seeking it was the time of prohibition and in new york alone there were over 30 000 speakeasy clubs for anyone looking for a good time this was the place to be the joint was jumping duke ellington led his famous jazz band at the cotton club in harlem and those bold new women called flappers danced the night away the party-loving prince was in his element but he was beginning to neglect his royal appointments and though the public still adored him his staff were becoming worried by his reckless behavior in april 1926 edward became an uncle bertie and elizabeth had a daughter christened elizabeth after her mother the king was wondering why edward couldn't be more like bertie but edward's thrill-seeking spirit would prove useful to the emerging air industry he was a skilled pilot and when the dox the world's largest seaplane came to britain edward provided publicity glamour by flying it himself for half an hour in 1928 edward's father the king contracted a life-threatening lung infection edward received the news while on a trade mission to sierra leone he was reluctant to leave as he was enjoying a romantic affair with the colonial officer's wife when he did return he found that his father had recovered queen mary had nursed him back to health at the british industry fair the following year the king was still convalescing as he took his father's place by queen mary's side edward was becoming increasingly aware of his future role meanwhile across the atlantic the wealth and excess of the roaring twenties had proved unsustainable as the stock market crashed and threw america into an economic depression the effects were soon felt in britain industrial strife unemployment and poverty sapped the nation's spirit edward traveled to south wales to show his support for out-of-work minors but he was beginning to appear out of touch speaking to one labourer he asked if his children had a nanny brother bertie meanwhile was enchanted by family life bertie and elizabeth now had two daughters princess margaret rose had arrived in 1930 the young princesses became popular favorites even their bachelor uncle was charmed [Music] just as bertie became a father for the second time edward took up with another married woman thelma furness at a house party in january 1931 thelma introduced edward to her friend wallis simpson an american divorcee in january 1932 wallace and her second husband ernest were invited to spend a weekend at the prince of wales country house fort belvedere thelma acted as host and wallace's candid charm made a lasting impression on edward but for now she was only an interesting possibility [Music] edward's royal duties diverted him to buenos aires argentina this time accompanied by his younger brother george a prince whose pursuit of pleasure was another concern for the palace the pair were there as joint ambassadors for british commerce but were mostly remembered for their endorsement of argentinian nightlife the terrible twins as the tabloids were calling them were sent on another trade mission to sweden although this trip was more sedate than their recent visit to south america the media was soon filled with speculation about the prince's relationship with their guide sweden's princess ingrid and now watch the prince of wales there i wonder what he's telling his brother i think it must have been that he was to go back with the princess george would settle down but not with ingrid in 1934 he married princess marina of greece edward was best man the king would have been pleased that one of his wayward sons was falling in line edward meanwhile was spending more and more time with wallis simpson he was fascinated by her casually direct manner she was witty and confident and deferred to no one not even a future king observers noted that he had become enthralled edward's pursuit of yet another married woman infuriated king george after 25 years of rule leading what he thought was a straight and proper course he felt let down by his eldest son [Music] the silver jubilee celebration of george's reign was a welcome distraction from his private worlds he and mary were profoundly touched by the reception they received words cannot express my thoughts and feelings i can only say to you my very dear people that the queen and i thank you from the depths of our hearts for all the loyalty and may i say the love with which this day and always you have surrounded us edward was obliged to play a minor role in the festivity i want to say a word about king george's jubilee trust there is not an appeal for charity but a tribute to the king this jubilee trust will be able to extend the work of the existing voluntary youth organizations of this country with the approval of the king and queen i have established this trust the jubilee cemented the king's popularity but looking beyond his own reign he was worrying about the future edward added to the king's anxiety as he took his twice married companion on a very public ski trip to austria only weeks after edward's display in the austrian alps the king's health was failing him again this is london following bulletin was issued at 9 25 the king's life is moving peacefully towards its clothes king george v drew his last breath on january the 21st 1936 he died at sandringham the country home he'd loved so much the following day edward was proclaimed king edward albert christian george andrew patrick david is now by the death of our late sovereign of happy memory become our only lawful edward viii the crown with all its weight of responsibility was now edwards to bear on a cold sunny january day the body of his late majesty king george v starts on its last journey from sandringham behind the carpin walks his majesty to the king their royal highness is the duke of york duke of gloucester the duke of kent and lord howard in the first carriage is the sorrowing figure of her majesty the queen the prime minister stanley baldwin offered his support to the new king we can best honor the noble memory of king george by gathering around and sustaining the young king whom for so long we have delighted to know as the prince of wales the cameras followed edward wherever he went and so did the crowds he got a handsome figure presiding over his first trooping the color ceremony the people's prince had become the people's king but would the king ever find his queen everybody was asking the question arriving in miami british playwright george bernard shaw was asked by a journalist what he made of it about king edward sir now do you feel do you think that he'll take a wife now that he's ascended alone now how on the face of the earth do i know he's got on to middle life without being married why shouldn't he go on the rest of it without being married there are heirs to the throne all around him he can't get married now without cutting out his niece he's very popular back home king edward presided over an ancient royal tradition for only the second time in 250 years a king of england is to distribute arms to the poor with his own hands seventy aged people will each receive the silver moon defense and a gift of about five pounds actually only forty two people should have benefited this year one for every year of the king's age but his majesty is commanded that the gifts shall be made as if his father was still alive so 38 extra people will be grateful for his majesty's generosity but in truth edward had little interest in the affairs of state he was becoming increasingly obsessed with wallis ignoring royal etiquette as he invited her to accompany him to the races edward was setting new rules for royal behavior in the summer of 1936 he took wallace on a mediterranean holiday rumors that the king was conducting an affair with the married american was soon spreading from mayfair salons to country mansions the monarchy had become the subject of gossip and speculation prime minister baldwin and british press barons had conspired to keep the king's affair out of the newspapers but the american press had a field day today the american press is filled with rumors of royal romance of the possibility of king edward marrying mrs wallace simpson the former baltimore bell yesterday as a girl she lived in maryland in this quiet and humble baltimore home tomorrow she may dwell in buckingham palace king edward and mrs simpson have been pictured together on many occasions and in this topsy-turvy world it may be time for an american woman to marry a british king when wallace filed for a divorce in october 1936 the prospect of an american queen seemed like a real possibility and just a month later the king sent for prime minister baldwin and expressed his desire to marry mrs simpson baldwin advised the king to reconsider reminding him that the church of england could not sanction the marriage of a divorced woman that same evening edward consulted his mother queen mary she had no sympathy for his predicament and implored him to put public duty before private happiness as prime minister baldwin insisted that marriage would be impossible the king requested that the empire be consulted on the issue edward was proposing a morganatic marriage an arrangement whereby should he wed wallace she would not become his queen all five dominions rejected the proposal edward traveled to wales where the plight of the poor moved him to declare that something must be done the public due to the press blackout was still unaware of wallace and edward's intentions then on december the second the british press finally broke their silence and the whole country discovered that their king wanted to marry a twice divorced american edward was convinced the british public would support him and he asked the government to hold a referendum in which the people would decide baldwin refused his request over the next few days the tension was cranked up as the nation split into two camps those who wanted the king to marry his sweetheart and those against our church must oppose the remarriage of divorced persons we hope that his majesty will be willing to make a great personal sacrifice for the sake of the people he has been called to lead now that wallace's relationship with the king was public knowledge she fled to the south of france to escape the relentless press attention but journalists hunted her down from her french hideaway wallace released a statement indicating her willingness to step aside allowing edward to fulfill his role as king back in london anxious crowds gathered outside the palace edward had to make his choice the throne or wallis on december 11 1936 came the broadcast that would stun the world you all know the reasons which have have impelled me to renounce the throne but i want you to understand that in making up my mind i did not forget the country [Music] or the emperor but you must believe me when i tell you that i have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as i would wish to do without the help and support of the woman i love and now we all have a new king i wish him and you his people happiness and prosperity with all my heart god bless you all god save the king [Music] edward's reign had lasted just ten and a half months the former king became the duke of windsor he bid farewell to his family and left britain for austria unable to join wallace in france until lawyers have completed the final details of her divorce bertie was now king recognizing the need for stability and continuity he took his father's name becoming king george vi as the younger brother bertie was completely unprepared for his new role but despite the shock of his new status and however painful bertie was prepared to do his duty his wife elizabeth was furious with edward but knew she had to be strong for bertie edward's mother queen mary was distraught shocked by her eldest son's actions she told him not to attend the unveiling of a memorial for his father the whole family felt betrayed on may the 12th 1937 the date that had been set aside for edward's coronation bertie was crowned king and elizabeth his queen once again our royal family stands on the world's most famous balcony and we join with the empire in crying god save our king and queen edward now reunited with wallis in france listen to the coronation service on the radio wallace's divorce had been finalized and the couple were planning their wedding on june 3rd the world's press gathered outside the chateau de conde in the south of france on edward and wallace's special day the wedding rivaled bertie's coronation as the media event of the year and dozens of journalists had set up outside the old renaissance castle because wallace was divorced the church of england had not sanctified the marriage but a renegade vicar robert jardine had agreed to wed the couple he explained why i think it's a scandalous state of affairs and he was king of england and head of the church to be denied the privileges of the church when he wished them the ceremony was simple with few witnesses only 16 friends attended no one from the royal family came not even edward's mother their wedding day was marred for edward by the news that the palace had denied wallace the title of her royal highness but on this day his resentment would be put on hold as the new duke and duchess of windsor set off into an uncertain future a local villager toasted their union after honeymooning in austria the windsors visited nazi germany against the advice of the british government they met with adolf hitler and edward expressed his admiration for the way the fuhrer had turned germany's fortunes around he was unaware that his visit would be used as nazi propaganda he wasn't alone neville chamberlain britain's prime minister was also fooled i had another talk with the german chancellor hitler and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine many people and edward among them believed that peace would prevail and in the summer of 1939 he and wallace continued to follow their now familiar trail to the luxury resorts on the french riviera in case of war the duke has lately mentioned that he still holds high rank in britain's fighting forces he too is ready to play his part but tonight the riviera is out for fun the music continued but beneath the gaiety was an ominous sense of impending war on september the 1st 1939 hitler's armies invaded poland and britain and her allies had no choice but to declare war with germany again hitler has committed a crime not only against poland but against the whole human race so britain prepares to fight and never in our history have we been so united in a knowledge that our cause is just edward joined the british expeditionary force as a major general but he was no more than a liaison officer he wished to visit british troops to help boost morale as he had done in the first world war but again was not allowed close to the action british efforts to turn the german tide in france came to grief allied troops fell back to the beaches of dunkirk where three hundred thousand men were rescued from the german advance here in one staggering shot the allied armies come out from the shore that one amazing picture symbolizes the miracle of deliverance we got our armies away the battle of france had been a crushing defeat for the allies and edward was told he could no longer remain in europe there were rumors that the german high command had plans to restore him to the british throne as a puppet monarch on july the 4th 1940 edward was appointed governor of the bahamas [Music] despite her smile for the cameras wallace was not happy with the posting it was a place of high humidity and low expectations [Music] edward too seemed less than enchanted as he answered a question about his future to the question do you think it in keeping with the purposes of your appointment to be referred to as goodwill ambassador to the western hemisphere his royal highness replies while great britain has implied me in this role in the past i very much doubt that the british government has it in mind at the present that my official activities should extend beyond the confines of the bahama islands back in britain death was falling from the skies night after night german planes rained bombs and destruction on london and yet when morning came there was the king and queen comforting the bereaved and the homeless when the palace was bombed bertie and elizabeth raised morale by refusing to leave london across the atlantic edward and wallace had been given permission to sail for miami florida wallace it seemed had an infected molar and needed american dentistry the duchess and i are naturally very glad to set foot in america again although it is pretty tough on her to have to undergo a dental operation first time she returns to her native land after so many years however we hope that she will get well quickly and that we shall be able to enjoy a few days rest and quiet to see something of miami and florida before we go back to the bahamas it was a welcome break from small island politics with the added pleasure of american fascination with british royalty the windsors had loved this dose of american sophistication but were blissfully unaware that president roosevelt had ordered the fbi to spy on them during their stay in miami edward's brief flirtation with hitler had left him a marked man back in the bahamas edward used his status as a royal legend to attract some of the world's greatest golf stars to the island he set up a celebrity golf tournament for charity the windsors were praised for their efforts to combat poverty but edward was growing increasingly frustrated [Music] news reached him that the war leader winston churchill was traveling to the u.s to rally american support in the war edward and wallis turned up in washington and pleaded with the prime minister to give them another posting churchill told him to do their duty and stay put [Music] churchill had persuaded america to join the allied war effort in europe and following the landing of allied troops on the beaches of normandy german forces began to retreat on may the 2nd 1945 berlin fell and six days later hitler's armies surrendered hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight tonight we may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing today is victory in europe day [Applause] edward and wallace could return to europe but were still not welcome in britain their ship anchored for a while off the east coast of england and edward caught a glimpse of his former kingdom [Music] when they reached france they discovered that they'd not been forgotten as journalists and fans of the royal couple greeted them the romantic french admired a man who'd given up everything for love windsors would need to adjust to post-war life edward's tour of duty in the bahamas might have felt trivial but now for the first time in his life he was without an official role two thoughts preyed on his mind to find himself a job and to secure his wife's recognition by the royal family shortly after edward left wallace in france and flew to london to visit his mother queen mary he hadn't seen her for almost a decade mary had never come to terms with her son's abdication no single event in the whole of her life had caused her so much distress queen mary was delighted to see her runaway son but she refused to acknowledge wallis any hope the time had healed the wounds was crushed in 1947 edward's hopes were crushed again when he and wallace did not receive an invitation to his niece princess elizabeth's wedding elizabeth was heir to the throne and the royal household made it clear that the sacred ceremony of her marriage was no place for an ex-king with a twice-divorced wife [Music] as the 1950s dawned the windsors realized they would never return to settle in britain france had become their home they traveled widely in europe and continued to draw crowds and cameras but the crowds were smaller now on february the 6th 1952 tragic news hit britain the 56 year old king george vi had died in his sleep at sandringham [Music] edward returned to britain to mourn his brother his grief was real but his heart was in turmoil he and bertie had been close for much of their lives but the shock of abdication and the rouse over wallace's status had left bitterness on both sides full of regret he marched behind bertie's coffin with his only surviving brother henry george's widow now elizabeth the queen mother could not forget the burden edward had inflicted on the family a year later edward heard that his mother was dying queen mary had been a towering figure in his life he'd adored her and fought her as mother and queen but the animosity that began once he chose wallace had embittered their relationship her death was mourned by thousands who loved her for her noble sense of duty and dedication edward was deeply upset but angry that even on her deathbed she had not accepted his wife her principle had been stronger than his will three months later on june the second the 26 year old elizabeth was crowned queen elizabeth ii [Music] the windsors watched the ceremony on television from their home in paris edward anticipating that he would not be invited announced that he would not be attending he claimed that no ex-king should turn up at another monarch's coronation the new queen had been prepared for this day since childhood as with her father her life had changed forever the day of edward's abdication elizabeth ii's accession to the throne marked the beginning of a new era for edward and wallace her coronation offered fresh hope elizabeth came from a new generation of royals one that might be more sympathetic to the former king's choices [Music] the bitterness of those who'd felt betrayed by a flawed king seemed to have diminished with the passing years for a new generation edward and wallace's story was a heartwarming act of high romance for edward the last decade had brought new troubles as he suffered a series of health problems wallis who had been accused of ensnaring the popular monarch was now admired for making her uncrowned king happy through extraordinary and challenging times they'd remain strong for each other [Music] the new guard at the palace had also softened its stance and in june 1967 queen elizabeth ii invited both edward and wallis to london to celebrate the 100th birthday of edward's late mother queen mary this this uh i was explaining either perfectly private visitor to london not just i've been here very often not not for two years now as a matter of fact the um queen invite has invited us to attend the uh unveiling of a plaque in memory of majestic queen mary on the wall of marble house where she lived for so many years and i think i'm further added that i think it's only natural as her eldest son that we should be invited to this purely private and family ceremony uh in tribute to my mother [Music] for the windsors it was an emotional return to the country they had been exiled from honoring the woman who had never accepted their union the sun shone and the ice melted as first the queen and then the queen mother made public gestures of warmth to the couple that had changed the course of all their lives edward's love and wallace's discretion she'd never publicly criticized the royals for excluding her had won the day after 30 years the rift had finally begun to heal [Music] in january 1970 the windsors were interviewed together for the last time you have any regrets when you look back on your life oh about certain things yes i wish it could have been different but i mean i'm extremely happy and actually you've had some hard times but who hasn't so they'll just have to learn to live with that we've been very happy [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary - History

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Rating: 4.7579427 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full Documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), History, History Documentaries, Free Documentary History, Edward VIII, Wallis Simpson, King of England, United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II, Abdication, The Crown, The Crown Netflix, British Royal Family, Royal Family, George VI, Windsor, House Windsor, Windsor Castle, Royal House of Windsor, British Monarchy, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, The King's Speech, Duke of Windsor

Id: CD8dwSRQIT0

Length: 52min 7sec (3127 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 31 2021