11/06/2026
Commissioned, according to the consignor, by King Edward VII for St. James’s Palace, this dinner service for twelve was assembled when he was Prince of Wales and remained in his collection until his death in 1910.
Many of the pieces bear the crests of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, offering a tangible connection to the grandeur and elegance of the British royal court.
Following the King’s death, the collection was sold to Asprey & Co. of Bond Street by the late Duke of Gloucester, who inherited St. James’s Palace. In 1968, the distinguished Savannah collector Jim Williams - whose story was immortalized in the novel 'The Garden of Good and Evil' - acquired the service, adding another fascinating chapter to its history.
Comprising 74 pieces by various makers, with an impressive 154.52 troy ounces of silver weight, this collection is as compelling for its royal associations as it is for its craftsmanship.
Published in: More Than Mercer House: Savannah’s Jim Williams & His Southern Houses by Dorothy Williams Kingery, pages 154–155.
More than silver, this is a legacy of royal entertaining, English silversmithing, and American collecting history.
