Wallis Simpson: Kingmaker (2023)

The wedding day was a bittersweet affair. Before the wedding, Edward had received two visceral blows. One told her that his wife would never obtain the title of HRH and it is no exaggeration to say that she received this news like a kind of fatal gunshot wound. from which she never recovered and the second was being told that no member of his family would attend the wedding. In retrospect, it's a glorious thing. I'm not sure if he had been told this is what would happen to his wife. You will be exiled from the country you will never see your family again if you still had.

I think what is desperately sad is that the night before the wedding Sir Walter Monton Edward's Aid told Wallace that the people hate you very much, but if you make the king happy, they will love you and forgive you for 35 years every day after of the wedding, she did everything she could to satisfy him and make him happy and she really made him happy and yet the court of public opinion never forgave her. The real tragedy for me in this is that Wallace was never given the opportunity to be seen as the woman she was and the woman I discovered through my research was nothing like the myth we have been fed in history. in daily life. at the beginning of the 20th century it was very dynamic the 19th century the previous 100e period was marked by great socio-political economic change Britain became an industrial society there was a general feeling of depression both in terms of economic depression and social depression the collapse of Wall Street emanating from New York this plunges many ordinary people into extreme poverty again they resort to extremes they seek answers in communism fascism this is a time of grave danger for the British monarchy many young people had died the country was impoverished there was There was also a general feeling that Britain was no longer great, there was a feeling that the days of the Empire, the days of the people who were sure of Britain's place in the world had receded and therefore when George VF became king, there was a real sense that a renaissance was needed. and that there was a new type of monarchy that people were looking for, trained at the Royal Naval Academy when he was young.

King George had once told his instructors: "forget my brother Albert, he will be king, I will be a sailor", but when his plans for a final career were cut short and he found himself at the head of the British monarchy. The new ruler handled the great responsibility of his office in a way that made his loyal subjects more than proud. I think it's really interesting that both George V and then George V 6 unexpectedly came to the throne and I think that's very difficult. because in these royal and aristocratic families the air is really conditioned and you are expected to become king and grow up with a sense of your Destiny and all that, and the brother never really thinks that they will become king, well, George V was very different from his father Edward I the Seventh because he was a much more traditional figure, he was someone who was much more interested in maintaining the integrity of a monarchy, everything that was an integral part of his being was about responsibility, duty and dignity, but he What it was was that it was not a dynamic figure.

I mean, he's often been called the most boring king to ever rule England, but he was the right person at the right time because obviously what England needed. At that time he was someone who was boring and stable and who wasn't going to run off with the showgirls like in the seventh. King George V had a fairly strained relationship, certainly with his children, he was quite an old-fashioned figure, he was very Very Victorian and at first quite resistant to change brought about by things like new technology and advances in media Freda Dudley Ward He said that Edward could never be blamed for his problems because he had gone through a terrible time at the hands of his parents.

He had always said that he hated his father and that his father was horrible to him and even though he loved his mother, his mother didn't care. let him love her and that she always took the side of the King, we see it now we almost consider it. as abusive because we considered the idea that these children were being treated in ways that were not humane or kind, but on the other hand, back then there was no concept of kindness as we understand it today, it's really interesting what Edward said about his childhood. That Christmas was Dickens on a Cartier stage and I think that really sums it up: while they had the trappings of wealth and incredible luxury, there was a tremendous abandon and even when the family didn't have visitors in the evening, they dressed in all your finery for dinner. in Diamond Tiaras but there was no emotional warmth, Edward later said that he had a curious kind of loneliness that even though he had all these brothers, I mean, even though they were brought up in royal palaces at Sandringham and Wisor and Balm moral All these places that we see so splendid were actually tremendously emotional.

Edward VII was the fast-living Prince. He was excited about change and innovation as a man. He engaged in many outdoor activities, such as flying, golf, skiing, swimming, he was a real guy. In that sense, everything about his character was completely unsuitable for the role of a monarchy. He wanted to be more spontaneous. He definitely he was more modern. He was someone who escaped this rather irritating frontier that he found himself on because his parents had essentially told him his entire young life you're going to be this beautiful prince you're going to be king you were going to do this you were going to do that by the time Edward came of age.

I had a simple answer for this no, I It's not like that, it was also true that he enjoyed the fast life, night clubs and parties, going out socializing and drinking with his brothers. He also enjoyed the company of women. He had several extramarital affairs. The ones you enjoy dancing with. the cream, of course, I think anyone would enjoy it, he was tremendously lucky, he was tremendously nice, and before I met him, of course, I was scared to death, I didn't know what he was going to say to him, but he was so perfect. Naturally, because it seemed that dancing was anyone else and he talked and talked about nothing in particular and a little bit of everything and it was very funny, he was the Bad Prince, but the public loved him, he had many relationships. ships and they all tended to be with married women, which of course drove his family crazy and raised worried eyebrows about the cordon.

His main relationship before Wallace Simpson was with a woman named Freda Dudley Ward, who was half-American, half-British, married with two teenage daughters. He had this obsessive need in relationships for the woman to be a kind of mother figure to him and there was a period when he wrote her over two thousand letters and, although he had other affairs during that period, Mrs. Dudley Ward really was a very good influence on him and and and because she was kind of an establishment figure, that relationship, although frowned upon, was somewhat accepted and she resisted his other affairs and it wasn't until Wallace Simpson came along that there was a serious contender for the Mrs.

Dudley Ward's role as Wallace, the lover of the Prince of Wales, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Wallace Simpson came from a very well-educated American family. He had a very good education. He went to a very good girls' school, Old Fields in Baltimore. Her father died when she was a The baby and her mother were a single mother and his childhood was difficult. She absolutely adored her mother, but they were at the mercy of her mother's brother, Uncle Saul, who was a very dictatorial, difficult and demanding man. The reason I think Wallace married incredibly young was because she felt that he would have some form of financial security and that would be a relief to her mother.

He was in the Navy as a US Navy officer. That relationship broke down due to the long absences that the two spent apart, mainly because he was traveling. active duty discovered on their honeymoon that he was an alcoholic and at the time she had never drank. He came from a very strict family background and did not drink alcohol. What's fascinating about Wallace Simpson is the perceived narrative now. is that she was a kind of fan forti and she was a daring figure and she manipulated the Prince of Wales when the reality was that she was actually very prudish, very conservative, in the way she dressed, in her bearing, in her being, she was a woman ahead.

During her time she could not see why or how he should remain in a marriage that was abusive to her. So she finally escaped and traveled with a friend to China and her so-called Lotus year has again been completely manipulated and denigrated by biographers. saying that she learned tricks of sexual perversion and all that stuff that the Wallace I found was so far from who she was possibly the most sexually shocking fact about Wallace Simpson is that on the eve of her wedding to Edward she told the man that she ratted out Herman Rogers that none of her previous husbands had ever touched her below her personal Mason Dixon line which seems to imply that she was not exactly a virgin but had not had sexual relations and this was because which was a source of great shame and The secret embarrassment for Wallace was that she was what is now known as interex, where you have both male and female organs and a full sexual relationship would probably have been quite difficult for her and I think one of the things that United Wallace and Edward both had sexual insecurities and of course we can't know what happens at 2:00 in the morning, you know, lying in bed between a couple, but I think it's fair to say that they somehow understood each other.

Wallace Simpson is, I believe, one of the most reviled women of the 20th century, most of which I believe is dictated by outright misogyny. I think the idea of ​​a strong, confident woman who is forging her own path in the world was seen as something absolute. Terror from people who didn't like the idea that this person who couldn't be suppressed wouldn't answer to anyone didn't belong in British codes of conduct Wallace and Edward first met at a house party in Melton mbre in leerer Edward is amazed by a woman who refuses to silver him and of course she was intrigued by the Prince of Wales and incredibly flattered when he became involved with her mure.

Edward was still involved with other women. Wallace was still married to Erna Simpson at the time. over time, but in her mind this was just a kind of free flirtation, a bit of fun and she was firmly married to her second husband and we know this because she wrote a letter to her Aunt Bessie telling her what a blow I will get when the prince leaves. calm down and find a suitable real girlfriend; well the problem for her was that the events didn't happen and were completely out of his control due to his inability to let her go or abandon her from the first meeting, it was largely Wallace and Ernest and they were in the real mure and then Edward He was clearly very intrigued by Wallace and was starting to stop by for potluck dinners.

It must also be said at this stage that Ernest Simpson was very flattered to have the Prince of Wales in his life. at her house and as Freda Dudley Ward said when asked what her husband cared about her affair with the Prince of Wal, she said that no husband cares if he is the Prince of Wales and I think there was an element of that , I think Ernest didn't expect the relationship to go this far and I think Wallace didn't either. It was well known in high society that this romance between Wallace and Edward had gone well in the upper classes of Britain in the early 1930s.

It was considered too posh to have a mistress, so the fact that Edward, the man most elegant of all, being involved with a married woman was in no sense extraordinary; What was terribly difficult for the British public was that of course they knew nothing about Wallace and Edward's relationship, whereas within the establishment and within society everyone knew about their relationship and I think one of the crucial aspects of the story in this regard is that everyone in the Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson Circle who knew Mrs Simpson really loved and admired her. her and I could see the good influence she had on the king, however, it was the Profa Trinity, as I call them, of the Palace, Parliament and the church, who did not want Edward on the throne and, in my opinion, Mrs .

Simpson became the convenient scapegoat for the great The press barons Lord Beaverbrook and Lord Ramir had conspired together to basically tell other Fleet Street newspaper editors that they should not publish the story about Wallace and Edward, that this It had to be kept a closely guarded secret, this was because there was real concern. about what the public response would be, uh, and ultimately they were very successful, Beaverbrook and rir, in keeping this a closely guarded secret until the end of 1936, as the London clocks approached midnight, news came over the radio of the famous BBC of England that the king had died Dawn finds London with all the flags on the half hour, the busy theater districts are deserted, even the cinemas are closed and, in many cases, the business houses, as well as in the Palace ofBuckingham, thousands of people remain silent as a sign of their pain, there is no disorder, but from time to time. the Mounted Police find it necessary to push back the front lines with crepe in their colors the guards follow the old military uniform down to the last detail in London's Hide Park the light field artillery fires the traditional salute today the British people reflect on their King Edward VIII The new head of the House of Windsor there were some doubts about Edward's suitability for the role, certainly among government and religious circles and the British government did not like the fact that Edward was outspoken.

I think it's really interesting to note that everyone is so quick to blame Wallace Simpson for the abdication. In 1927, which was before Edward met Wallace Simpson, Stanley Baldwin, the Prime Minister was standing dot-to-dot with courtier Tommy Lass. Tommy Lassel said he hoped he fell off his horse while he was running and broke it. Neck and Stanley Balton, the Prime Minister, said so help me God, me too. The idea was that at the highest levels of society, whether it was social, whether it was political, ecclesiastical, whatever, no one wanted him to become king because they saw him as a complete burden, but also, and I think this is Crucially, someone who could not be governed when Mrs Simpson arrived, her prayers were answered because suddenly here was someone who could take the blame for the fact that, as I say, the Holy Trinity of the Palace, Parliament and the Church I don't want Edward VII on the throne you Lord Edward VII God save the king as king Edward took his role very seriously, no doubt, when it came to being among his subjects when he had been Prince of Wales Edward was very active in going out Towns towns cities meeting greeting the ordinary working class There was a lot of affection for him among the British public because he had this special intimate relationship with them, however in terms of the affairs of government he was less obedient within the limitations of his character he did what best he could and the main point is that he was incredibly popular with people that his people adored him because he had that identification, but in terms of his rigid duty towards what being king entailed, there were many aspects that we were missing.

We also have a tradition of free press, we have a tradition of people talking about things. It was quite open in 1936, it was very different because what happened then was that the biggest news of the day was that the king of England was involved in a relationship with a married American woman. There was just no talk of a relationship with a married American woman, it was everywhere. The newspapers in the United States, in all the newspapers in Europe and in Britain, it just wasn't mentioned at all, but all the newspapers knew that this was a huge story, so the editors and the owners faced a tension between whether we keep the story out of the newspapers like we're supposed to or whether we publish it and sell the papers that way and everyone was essentially waiting for a sign and the sign came on day 1.

In December 1936, the bishop's sermon of Bradford was so catastrophic throughout the run-up to the abdication because it was the first time the royal family had been truly tainted by scandal. This was because the Bishop of Bradford got up one Sunday morning and criticized the king for behaving in a non-Christian manner, what he was actually talking about was the fact that Edward didn't go to church much on Sundays, but the London newspapers interpreted this comment as an implicit criticism of Edward's affair with Wallace and took this as an opportunity to announce to the public the news that this affair had been occurring in the sermon which had a devastating effect on the course of the story and the following 10 days and what unraveled the public reaction to the announcement of this news of the matter was shock and surprise, how could this news have been hidden from them for so long?

They adore this man, they put their faith in him, they all wanted him to marry and such was the public's affection for Edward that in fact there were many arguments especially with Wallace, could he give people direction and if people could understand that he loved this woman and he truly felt that he couldn't be a good king without her, then would you understand that in some quarters they were supportive? The King thought he should be able to marry the woman he loved and remain on the throne; However, certainly in more middle-class and more conservative circles there were concerns that Edward was not putting duty before his personal gratification and that he should be playing a better role as a Christian king.

My opinion of the king is for Mar, who he loves, he has been a good check on the working class. That's my opinion of him, apart from the fact that you, of noble blood, Mr. Simpson has done it twice. been in the divorce process, in my opinion, that completely rules her out as Queen of England, the nation is behind him and we must not lose him. Personally I am a housewife, I think it is a sign of modern democratic times. I don't think the church should interfere in matters of state I am Shauer by profession after all the king is a man like himself but he should not allow his private life to interfere with his public life in my opinion the king's marriage should be an act private and considered as In this case we should be able to avoid a constitutional question, but I wondered why the Baldwin government has forced an issue that cannot be decided until next April.

In my opinion, it is a possible explanation that they are worried about the growing popularity of the king King Edward VII center of the greatest F in Britain since the world war opposed to the popular ruler's desire to marry Mrs Waller Simpson is advancing by leaps and bounds Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin spokesman for the old school of conventional England no marriage with Mr Simpson Stanley Baldwin says speaking for the British government here is in typical action the government is a great idea today in Britain's new crisis the first minister shows that he has not lost strength Mr.

Simpson responded with a formal offer to resign from the king withdraw from The Tempest that sweeps the Empire leave Edward safely on his throne Edward always knew that abdication was a possibility. If we go and look at the Diaries of his friends and associates in early 1936, when they talk about the matter before it became public news, we know that Eduardo was already considering this idea that he might have to abdicate to marry the woman he he loved, however this was not a plan, he would have preferred to remain as king, this was a role he cared deeply about and wanted to play and he wanted to marry the woman. he loved, ultimately he was pushed towards option b, which was ultimately to give up the throne to marry Wallace.

It's a really interesting question. Was abdication a difficult decision for Edward because in a sense it wasn't a difficult decision at all because the thing? What was clear to him was that he could not be an effective king without the support of the woman he loved and that this relationship meant more to him than anything else, however, for a man like that who had been bought into that house obviously to abdicate was the most devastating and seismic event and I think he really felt terrible for letting down the people who loved him, but I can finally say some words of my own.

I've never wanted to hide anything, but so far he hasn't. It has been constitutionally possible for me to speak, but you must believe me when I say that it has been impossible for me to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and fulfill my duties as king as I would like to do without the help of women's support. I love you and now we all have the new king. I wish him and you, his people, happiness and prosperity with all my heart. God bless you all. God save the king. Wallace repeatedly tried to stop Edward from abdicating and she wanted to leave and stood. saying that she wrote to my friends that I could sneak away and fold up my tent quietly and she wrote to Edward and said look, you can be a really effective king and I will watch you proudly from afar, she was anxious that it had become so scandalous.

The woman at the center of this story did not enjoy the attention. Bertie, her brother, was completely and utterly devastated and derailed by the abdication. He never expected to be king. He did it. He did not feel that he had the means to be king. he was the absolute antithesis of his brother ABS his brother was sophisticated glamorous handsome confident good with people here he was Bertie stuttering anxious you know you couldn't have a greater contrast he begged Edward not to abdicate he said please you know, don't do it to do this to me was something he never wanted, he had a debilitating stutter which meant any kind of public speaking was almost impossible for him and it was with complete fear that he watched the abdication crisis arise because he did not want to be king, the ancient French city de Tours gives the Reverend ra Jardine of Darlington, England, a royal farewell as he rushes to the Chateau Deon, near here, to perform the marriage ceremony for the Duke of Windsor.

He is accompanied by Sir Walter Monton and AJ Allen the Duke. legal advisors your arrival at the gates of the Chateau Park finds a small army of photographers and journalists besieging the entrance preparing to show the four corners of the world the climax of the royal love story that has captivated the world a large crowd has gathered here also to toast the bride and groom when the news of the completion of the ceremony reaches the door of the castle, now the photographers present can enter the premises and so we advance through the quiet silver scenes, ideal scenes for royal romance, until the old castle with its historic towers and its impressive atmosphere only a select few witnessed the ceremony and now the Duke and Duchess were climbing the stairs of the castle Edward and his American bride, the woman for whose love he gave up an empire.

Theirs has been called the greatest romance in history. and their climax here in this secluded place contrasts vividly with the bombshell it could have been, but they are finally supremely happy after months of hardship. Konda's silent, almost lifeless grounds at this critical moment in Edward's life are reminiscent of last month's resplendent Coronation Show in London, but Edward staked his crown on the love and mate of his heart's desire, so who are now happy among their closest friends, Herman L. Rogers, who gave away the bride, and Mayor Ed, the Duke's equerry and godfather. For the public his abdication was a rejection it was a total shock it was a betrayal they were really hurt by this they were a gas they couldn't understand why he would do such a thing 1936 was the year of the three kings it was a year That greatly disturbed the British Monarchy, Given how popular Edward had been after his departure, there was a great sense of disappointment and a cloud hung over the British Monarchy.

We know that Berti, as Edward's younger brother, was very eager to become the King that he was. He was a public figure on the same level as his brother, he wasn't very good in front of the cameras, he had a hard time giving speeches, he was a reluctant monarch in that sense and he knew that becoming king would mean that he had to put an end to the life of him. his home life his family in the background he had to embrace the responsibility of Embracing duty now, first and foremost, for royal families, like the rest of us, life has its moments of sadness and joy with this royal family, the British peoples have shared the birth. to the king who, in his own words, is now beginning a new life and to his lovely queen, Great Britain and the Empire wish him many years of happiness.

Let them reign. God save the king long after application. Wallace Simpson was considered dangerous. regarded as the woman who had destroyed the king the woman who had brought down Ed V AP and was seen as someone not worth bothering with Wallace was terrified of the consequences of the abdication crisis the press was after her she was essentially condemned to death Ostracized by high society circles for having previously spent time in Edward was a much more dangerous figure in terms of his politics in terms of his associations, but he was condemned by the association, he was someone who was never socially received in Great Britain again.

Brittany, she was someone who in America was essentially considered someone from a freak show and she knew all this, I mean, she was an intelligent woman, she was someone who understood what the fashion lines were, what the fashion lines were. of society and that she was being viewed in an incredibly negative way and I think it bothered her on a personal level, but she never made any reference to any of this, she just smiled, dressed fantastically and absorbed the AR of the abuse, although It's towards her, I think Wallace got trapped by Edward. I think if he had really loved her in the sense that I think love is, he would have let her go because the problem was that in his obsessive need for her, the evidence is that she didn't want to marry him at all, but no. could.

To break free, EdwardHe bought Wallace a galloper called a slipper and this dog became his kind of surrogate son. Edward, who had had the dog in Austria, decided to send him to Wallace because he missed him so much and the first night that the dog arrived with Edward's hair and had brought him Wallace took the dog for a walk and the dog's shoe was bitten by a viper and died and it is at this point in their correspondence and really everything they had been through that they have been holding are so tight that the dam of their pain breaks and their letters are absolutely heartbreaking they say that the main guest at our wedding is already it doesn't exist they can't stop crying they feel completely and absolutely broken by the death of this dog and I really understand that because they stuck together so strongly, they went through this seismic historical event and everything that it entailed and the death of This dog broke the dam of his pain, what is really revealing is that Wallace said: "I'm going to have a slipper." buried in the castle grounds where she was saying and Edward said no, don't do that.

I'm going to have a special lead-lined coffin made and we'll take the slipper to the can9 cemetery at Fort Beler, his home. what had been his home in England now what this shows is that at the time of his abdication it never occurred to him that after a proper period of reflection he would not be allowed to return to England to live the life of his brother. of the king and having Wallace with him back in Britain, I think that's very revealing. Do you regret anything when you look back on your life? Oh, about certain things, yes, I wish it had been different, but I mean, I'm extremely happy and you've actually been through some tough times, but who hasn't?

Not only do we have to learn to live with it, but I have a lot of fun. I think happiness is a big secret to how you feel and look. Maybe we have been very happy. Well, you certainly look very young. very happy because Edward's health failed. Wallace essentially became his full-time caregiver. I think in the last years of Edward's life, when he had various forms of cancer and was physically very weakened. I think Wallace was, if not a physical help to him. at least a kind of emotional help for him, because at this stage they had been through so much together that they had this company of many decades and people who had dinners or parties with them reported that she would be making an effort in part for the party she should continue and in a sense you can see that even decades after her heyday, she was always someone who lived by the standards of her time.

She made sure everyone had the best wine, the best cocktails, etc., but I think at the end of Edward's life, she knew that when he died, she would be seen as a very diminished figure. That's exactly what happened when Wallace returned to England for Edward's funeral, which is what he wanted. I think the absolute irony was that the royal family gave her everything that would have meant so much to her husband in his life, but at his death they didn't care. The day before the duke's funeral it was the colored troop and the queen asked Wallace would like to ride the state carriage. surprisingly with the Queen Mother and Wallace said that no I mean it was too little too late it would have given her husband so much pleasure but she didn't care about any of that what she wanted was for him to be recognized and for both of them to have been recognized in life, I think one of the most tragic photographs is the photograph of the Duchess of Windsor looking out the window of Buckingham Palace.

She looks so alone because she was alone when she was among the royal family and she knew that she had to go through this because it is what Edward had decreed in all the funeral arrangements he had agreed with the queen at a previous event, so she had to honor her husband's wishes, but I mean, it would have been unbearable for her and then very sad. figure of the grieving widow walking up the stairs, the queen had kindly sent one of her private planes to take Wallace home and she walks up those stairs alone and you know she is returning to a life alone in Paris, feel sorry for her on a personal level .

These 14 years for her husband, where she was essentially trying to do what she could to be regarded favorably by posterity and I think posterity now regards her more favorably, if only because we get to see the true horror of who her husband was during those years. After Edward's death were really the most tragic for Wallace, as his private secretary, Janna Shutz, told me that he stayed with her for a few years and that they would travel to America on the ship and she would do some shopping and tried to befriend her, but essentially Wallace was alone, she was very lonely and the most terrible aspect of this was that he got involved with this lawyer Matra Bloom, who excluded his friends and Wallace stopped eating, he had these terrible ulcers, he became very, very sick and frail and One of the saddest things for me was that one of her friends, Mrs.

Brinsley Plunket, an Irish aristocrat, said that at the end of Wallace's life all her friends wanted to go see her and give her back. part of the incredible hospitality she had given them and, as Wallace became more frail, she was literally imprisoned by a lawyer who would not let anyone into the house and when Wallace died, Mrs. Brinsley Plunket said that all she wanted to do was to go to her bedroom door, blow her a kiss, put some flowers next to her bed so she knew we cared, but Matra Bloom, you know, stood guard and no one was allowed at the end of her life. , it was a devastating and devastating affair and would have been everything the Duke would not have wanted for her.

I mean, I think her legacy is a woman who was misunderstood and mistreated by the establishment and has never really been recognized for the woman she was and until recently I don't think her qualities have been fully celebrated, but let's face it, her legacy is a woman who changed the course of history.