In the thirties of the last century, thousands of girls around the world could only guess what the Duke of Windsor and former King Edward VIII of Great Britain found in a girl endowed with a rather non-standard appearance, but not a beauty and not at all a charismatic person.
Wallis Simpson had a sharp mind and magical charm, was a good conversationalist and could support almost any conversation. The wife of Edward VIII is still one of the style icons of the twentieth century. Wallis Simpson herself ingenuously stated:
I'm not the most attractive of women, but I have the ability to dress better than the rest.
For whom the king abdicated
The arrogant American who "stole" King Edward VIII from Great Britain was born in June 1986 in Pennsylvania, USA. From an early age, the girl was haunted by the stigma of being illegitimate, because the parents of the future duchess did not marry, but, of course, they once loved each other. Then if this was not a disaster, thena significant problem was for sure.
Teckle Wallis Warfield - Wallis's father - was the son of the owner of almost the entire financial system of B altimore and a successful American businessman Henry McTeer Warfield. The girl lost her father when she was only five months old. He died of tuberculosis. True, unofficial sources contain information that he fled, leaving Alice Wardild with an illegitimate baby in her arms.
From the very childhood, the American clearly understood that her husband must be selected wisely and approached with all responsibility, and most importantly, every relationship should be recorded officially. It was Wallis Simpson's passion for marriage that later played a decisive role in the fate of King Edward VIII of Great Britain.
Novels with influential people
At thirty years old, Wallis married an American pilot, Winfield Spencer. He turned out to be an alcoholic, so she divorced a year later. Shortly before that, she visited China, where she went to heal spiritual wounds. During the active search for a new husband, the woman was able to charm one American businessman. Some sources say that they met in China.
Ernest Simpson was divorced. With a new wife, he moved to London in 1928, where the couple met Thelma Furnis, the mistress of Edward VIII. Wallis Simpson (a photo of this mysterious woman can be seen in the article) managed to organize her own secular salon in the capital of Great Britain and become famous throughout the city. Such popularityled to a fatal meeting for the monarchy.
The woman organized dinner parties. She prepared for each event for several weeks. Wallis bought dishes in the same color before every dinner, because she preferred monochrome. Treats were selected in the tone of the meeting. Pink plates, for example, featured watermelons, red crayfish, tomatoes, and other foods that matched in color.
Wallis Simpson was not a beauty. But she was smart, quick-witted, able to keep up the conversation. The men gave her everything Wallis could want. She skillfully manipulated her lovers. Many sources indicate that the woman did this with special techniques she learned in Chinese brothels.
In Hong Kong, Wallis' first husband (the same pilot who was addicted to alcohol) began to roam the brothels. Over time, he began to bring his wife there. In her memoirs, she indirectly pointed to participation in group and role-playing relationships, masochistic games. So she learned to solve "male" problems in intimate relationships, causing a real addiction in the opposite sex.
According to some reports, Wallis Simpson, even during her marriage to Winfield, was in a secret relationship with the Italian Count Galeazzo Ciano, who later became Mussolini's foreign minister. She was even pregnant by her lover, but lost the baby after another beating by Winfield. Wallis Simpson could not have any more children, so she enjoyed the freedom of intimate relationships.
HeirBritish Crown
Edward VIII (the second protagonist of this romantic and somewhat mysterious story) was the male grandson of Queen Victoria. At baptism, he received seven names, but in the family he was most often called the last - David. After the death of his grandfather in 1910, fifteen-year-old Edward became heir to the throne, receiving the title of Prince of Wales.
The prince was not very sociable, he preferred the society of books to the company of relatives and friends. With age, his isolation only progressed. There were few friends and Edward, he usually avoided women. The situation seemed critical. But at twenty-four, the prince fell in love with a woman who was sixteen years his senior and completely changed.
Resolute and self-confident Frida Dudley Ward, the wife of one of the members of the House of Lords, was witty and knew how to keep the conversation going. Frida's husband was sympathetic to his wife's relationship with the heir to the throne. The novel lasted ten years, ending quite unexpectedly. The Prince of Wales proposed to Frieda. A serious scandal was brewing.
Frida Dudley Ward immediately left for her husband's estate, and the young heir to the throne was left in a deplorable state. The royal family then breathed a sigh of relief. What were the chances for a lady in years to give birth to a he althy child to the future king of Great Britain? But it turned out that much more trouble awaited the parliament and the entire monarchy a few years later, when Edward fell head over heels in love with a woman with an extremely dubious reputation.
The scandalous story of Wallis Simpson
The Crown Prince of Great Britain wasthirty-seven years old, Wallis - thirty-five. They could control their feelings, but three years after a casual acquaintance between the heir to the throne and an American, a passionate romance ensued. Her husband took this incident quite tolerantly, as once Lord Dudley Ward.
Mr. Simpson thought that his wife would quickly get tired of King Edward, and Wallis Simpson also did not really count on a long relationship, although the whole romantic story with the heir to the throne, of course, flattered her. But the shy Eduard is thinking about the wedding.
Prince's father died in 1936. Then the future king of Great Britain hastened to inform his beloved that the change in his position would not affect their relationship in any way. At forty-two, Edward VIII came to the throne, but declared that he was ready to marry his married mistress. Ms. Simpson's divorce proceedings immediately began in a London court.
The royal family and government were in disarray. The most unflattering rumors spread. What they didn’t say then about Wallis Simpson and Edward. Photos of the couple appeared in all the newspapers. By that time, the woman had already managed to fall in love with the king with all her heart, and he was forbidden to marry a person who had already been married.
Members of the royal family considered the chosen one of Edward VIII vulgar and completely unsuitable. The courtiers whispered that Wallis worked in Chinese brothels, where she learned sexual techniques to captivate any man. Everyone was embarrassed that Simpson was still not divorced, and her past was notideal. English subjects simply did not want to see an American woman on the throne.
Wallis Simpson received daily insulting letters, and residents of the capital marched near the royal residence with posters that clearly indicated the direction where the American upstart needed to go. Everyone seemed to feel it was their duty to pour a bucket of dirt on Wallis.
One of the ministers decided to have an audience with the new king. He admitted that neither the officials nor the relatives of Edward VIII would allow this wedding. But the usually insecure king then showed iron firmness. Edward renounced the crown without waiting for the coronation. He reigned for ten months. Edward VIII made a radio speech:
I found it impossible to bear the heavy burden of responsibility and fulfill the duties of a king without the help and support of the woman I love.
Why Edward refused the crown
Was the love story of Edward and Wallis Simpson the only reason for abdication? There are several almost opposite opinions on this matter. The English monarch's desire to marry a twice-divorced American was undesirable, but not so much as to lead to an abdication. Love in this story was the lesser evil.
Edward VIII himself didn't really need permission to marry. The monarch has the right to marry the woman whom he considered necessary. But the main thing is that she belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, because the King of Great Britain himself is the head of the Anglican Church. No one has the right to the monarch himselfcontrol, but he himself can influence the choice of a spouse or wife by any member of the royal family.
The monarch has the right to do whatever he pleases, as long as it is not made public. Edward VIII seemed to specifically initiate members of the government into all the subtleties of his love story. Winston Churchill (the king's confidant) did not understand the meaning of the abdication and said that in fact there was no conflict between parliament and the monarch. Even at the most serious trial, the issue could be resolved in favor of Edward.
The story of Wallis Simpson was seen by some as the wish of a greedy and prudent American woman to claim the crown. When her plan failed, the woman could break up with Edward. She treated him warmly, but perhaps it was cold calculation.
Throughout the novel, Wallis never once used the word "love" in her letters to Edward. In her 359-page memoirs, only one small paragraph is devoted to the wedding with her lover. And the feelings of the king were like an obsession. He could neglect matters of national importance for the sake of his beloved.
Other possible reasons for renunciation
Ms. Simpson herself then seemed suspicious to many. The American was considered a spy who charmed the prince in order to gain access to Britain's most important political secrets. King Edward and Wallis Simpson were too strange a couple for everyone to believe in their perfect love.
After getting married, the couple found themselves at the center of a new political scandal. They got to knowAdolf Hitler, who wouldn't mind having a king as a puppet in the UK. It is not known whether the American colluded with the Nazi regime, but Edward was then quickly called up for public service in the Bahamas.
The King was quite a charismatic and intelligent man. He was loved by many (both in the UK and abroad). But Edward VIII hated restrictions. He was an excellent gardener and enjoyed tending the English garden in his house in France.
Did he have any other reason to abdicate the British throne other than his burning love for Wallis? Much remains unexplored to this day. Most of the facts that could shed light on this story are classified as "top secret".
Proof of love for the Duke of Windrose
The story of Wallis Simpson and Edward was called by the media of the twentieth century the greatest love. Back in 1935, the monarch presented his beloved with a diamond brooch in the shape of petals. It was a symbol of the Prince of Wales, a declaration of sincere love and an invitation to become queen.
By the way, this brooch was coveted by Elizabeth Taylor. Richard Burton even asked Edward himself for permission to make a copy for Elizabeth. The American actress's passion dream came true in 1987 when she bought the same brooch at an auction following the death of the Duchess of Windsor.
Wally's wedding gift to his husband was a gold cigarette case, on which a map of the couple's trips to North America and Europe was laid out with stones. Edward's gift was a bracelet withten crosses of precious stones. Memorable dates for the couple are engraved on each cross.
The Duchess of Windsor was considered the best-dressed lady in the world, which is not surprising at all. Wallis bought clothes from the best designers of her time. Edward felt guilty before his beloved that he did not make her a queen, so he gave the woman jewelry twice a week. He ordered jewelry from the best craftsmen. The design was created specifically for the Duchess. She became the owner of one of the largest collections in the world, numbering about a thousand items.
Wallis loved bow blouses, tailored dresses, round glasses, fancy hats, pencil skirts, and low-heeled shoes. She practically did not wear rings, because she did not want to draw attention to her fingers. But the woman adored clip-on earrings and a necklace. One of the trademarks of the Duchess of Windsor was a hairstyle with a parting. Wallis was visited by a special hairdresser three times a day to keep her hair perfectly styled.
Ms. Simpson was disciplined in her diet. She retained an excellent figure until her old age. She was the first to put cardans in her wardrobe, and in fact only men wore this part of the wardrobe.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor
Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII left the UK after their abdication. The monarch said goodbye to his brother, who (thanks to the reckless actions of the monarch) became the new king, the father of the current Queen of England, Elizabeth II. With a small retinue, he went into exile.
The Duke of Widnsor and Wallis Simpson were married at the Château de Cande in France on June 3, 1937. The newly-made wife of the former king also received the title. Wallis became the Duchess of Windsor, but under pressure from Parliament, the new monarch refused her sister-in-law the prefix to the name "Her Royal Highness".
For some time, the former king lived with his new wife in France, then (after that very acquaintance with Hitler) he was sent to public service in the Bahamas. In those years, the couple had their own small state (Edward was the governor of the island), which was not affected by the hardships of the war.
After the end of the war, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor moved to the States. They led a measured existence. Wallis forbade her husband to drink, allowed herself sharp phrases addressed to the former monarch, but cooked well and refused to party, and also encouraged Edward's passion for gardening. Wallis did not pursue money, fame and titles. It seemed that the prudent American had finally found what she had been looking for all her life - calm family happiness.
The last years of the wife of the British monarch
After the death of the former king of Great Britain in 1972, rumors about the morality of Wallis Simpson again spread. It was rumored that she had several affairs with married men during the life of the Duke of Windsor. Wallis remained faithful to Edward not only until his death, but also after it. In 1986, she was buried next to her lover in the royal tomb at Windsor. She still got intopalace.
References to the American in culture
The story of Wallis Simpson (photo of the Duchess of Windsor is in the article) attracted the attention of contemporaries and remains interesting to this day. The writer and historian Arina Polyakova dedicated the book “How to Steal the King. The Wallis Simpson Story. The writer explains in an accessible and fascinating way why the real Duchess of Windsor is fundamentally different from the one that everyone knows.
Wallis herself published an autobiography in 1956 under the title "You can't command your heart." Wallis Simpson also became the heroine of the 1988 film The Woman He Loved, The King's Speech (2010), WE. We believe in love "(2011)," Wallis and Edward "(2005). The Duchess of Windsor is mentioned in an episode of the television series Up and Down Stairs, as well as in the novel Debutantes by June Singer. But films about Wallis Simpson, of course, do not always accurately reflect all the events of a woman's life.
