Sydney Johnson (/1923 – 17 January 1990) was a Bahamian-born personal attendant who notably served as the

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...

and

footman A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage. Etymology Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...

to Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, and his wife,

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer and then Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986) was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII). Their intentio ...

, for more than thirty years. He later worked for the Egyptian businessman

Mohamed Al-Fayed Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed (; 27 January 192930 August 2023) was an Egyptian businessman whose residence and primary business interests were in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s. His business interests included ownership of the Hôtel R ...

Life

Johnson was born on the island of

Andros Andros (, ) is the northernmost island of the Greece, Greek Cyclades archipelago, about southeast of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . It is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and ...

in the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

; his birth year is variously reported as 1921 or 1923. At approximately age 16, Johnson was working as a beach attendant when he met the Duke of Windsor while the duke was serving as

governor of the Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The lo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and began working as a footman for the duke and duchess. Following the war, he moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

with the duke and duchess and was promoted to valet, and served them for over thirty years. While acting as personal valet to the duke, he would also wear a uniform and serve as a footman at formal dinners hosted by the duke and duchess. He married a French woman in 1960, with whom he had four children. After the duke's death in 1972, Johnson was retained by the duchess. Johnson was one of a limited number of attendees at the funeral service of the Duke of Windsor on 5 June 1972. Johnson's wife died around 1972, shortly after the death of the duke. Johnson left the duchess's service in 1973 to care for his children, reports differing if he resigned or was dismissed. Johnson was later reportedly employed by Lady Glover, the wife of Douglas Glover. Johnson was working as a waiter at the

Hôtel Ritz Paris The Ritz Paris is a hotel in central Paris, overlooking the Place Vendôme in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arrondissement. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World marketing group, the Ritz Paris is ranked among the most luxur ...

when it was purchased by Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1979. Al-Fayed was impressed by Johnson's knowledge of British high society and the royal family, and hired Johnson as his personal valet. During subsequent years, he worked with Al-Fayed during the restoration of Villa Windsor and served as curator of the collections. Johnson died suddenly on 17 January 1990 in Paris, the cause not being publicly known. On his death, he was described by Al-Fayed as "truly a gentlemen's gentleman".

In fiction

In the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

television series ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

'' (2022), Johnson was portrayed by Zimbabwe-born actor Connie M'Gadzah in a brief appearance during season 3. Johnson was the focus of the season 5 episode "Mou Mou", which depicts his relationships with the Duke of Windsor and Mohamed Al-Fayed, and was portrayed by Nigerian actor Jude Akuwudike, while a younger version was portrayed by Joshua Kekana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Sydney 1920s births 1990 deaths Servants People from Andros, Bahamas 20th-century Bahamian people Edward VIII