Whatever, perhaps not a conventional beauty, but certainly not ugly! And what style, my god, she had taste! And she must have had something for him to give up his throne for her! What a woman!
I saw a picture of her when she very young, maybe 20, and she was absolutely gorgeous, and I do mean gorgeous. Beautiful smile, beautiful eyes; she was breathtaking. She also knew how to handle herself well. No wonder the king was drawn to her.
Apparently Wallis felt trapped and was not in love with Edward. There was a documentary recently where some of her undiscovered letters to her ex husband were found. She never wanted to marry Edward - it had all got out of hand! She found him needy and childish and wished the whole thing had never happened.
She was surely the best model for the french fashion designers.... Hubert De Givenchy, Guy Laroche, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain, Madame Grès and mainly Marcel Rochas....
The sense of loathing between the Royal family and Wallis Simpson was entirely mutual. They thought she was nothing more than a common American woman, who had being through two marriages and was trying to work her way into a social circle of which they felt she had NO place to be in. She felt that they were snobbish and arrogant and realising she was never going to win them over treated them with the same level of contempt and disinterest that they had shown her. No love loss between them both
Pretty us as pretty DOES! Your actions tell the take of your character - once this "B" got those long claws into Edward, she treated him much, much worse than her endless stream of DIGS! And when he was dying, not once did she come, not even to find out how he was doing (Although his private duty nurse reported that he called her name endlessly!) I don't have any use for this type of person! He endured her treatment of him through the many years of their "marriage " I don't know how or why this was the case, but I do know absolutely that I would have presented her with a date to meet me in Divorce Court! I've read, too, that he paid a very stiff price for her. The royal family blamed him for causing his younger brother, George VI to be crowned King, and blamed him for George having to lead Britain through the horrors of WWII - George passed away shortly after the War, thereby making his older daughter, Elizabeth, Queen of England. Her mother HATED Edward AND Wallis for the turmoil, and refused to present them at Court - or even SEE them! So he did pay and pay for abdicating the Throne to marry this wretched woman! Together, they were mismatched, tragic figures!
@@ianjarrett2724 I don't know how much money Duke and Duchess got from British taxpayers though I wouldn't be surprised if some of their income came from that source. For some reason when the Duke and Duchess travelled by ship the fares were paid out of Buckingham Palace but where those funds came from before that I'm not sure: maybe taxes, maybe the personal funds of the royal family?Something not well known is that the Duke was smarter than people give him credit for: I've read quite a bit about the Windsors and learned that the Duke was quite savvy about the stock market and made a lot of money with his investments. If my memory is right he nearly tripled his personal fortune.
This couple have a quiet dignity and class that is rarely seen in today's loud and vulgar world. They are clearly from a different era that is no more.
Dude. Her private letters are out now. They just didn't make their mess public, but she didn't love him at all and wished it had never happened. If dignity and class means a life of quiet misery, how is that admirable? Is it so wrong to make a little noise if it's the only way to get free?
Ah yes. Today the people are vulgar and crude, but the good old race supremacist Nazi scum were better because they used a different vocabulary. God stop whining about the past being better. Things change. A hundred years from now future generations will be saying the early 21st century was a time of class. Get a grip you boomer.
They destroyed Edward VIII.Exile for 36 years?Unable to live a private life in the country of his birth?He served in the Bahamas brilliantly.Wallis was always supportive and poised.They loved each other,that is all they did.
There was ABSOLUTELY NO LOVE in that marriage. Edward was a timid, cowering WIMP when in her presence, and seemingly accepted all of her mental - and physical - abuse (which, sadist that she was,) she heaped on him during their nightmarish years together.
I agree Nancy Ayers. I don’t believe their marriage was a happy one. I feel that she regretted the marriage but was trapped since Edward had abdicated for “her”. And I believe she tormented him.
It's amazing that nearly eighty years after the abdication, and almost forty after both their deaths, people still have conflicting opinions about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Traitors and NAZIs should be shot. This F up managed to be both. And by NAZI I mean the real ones not the people the left uses slurs against today just because they have no good counter arguments
I've always been fascinated w/the Duke & Duchess of Windsor, I know the British Royal family--particularly Queen Elizabeth's parents--didn't care for Wallis Simpson (an understatement). I always felt they were too hard on her. Wallis Simpson was happily married to Ernest Simpson (half English/half American who claimed British citizenship), they eventually entered the social circle of the Prince of Wales, the most eligible bachelor in the world, and they were thrilled--who wouldn't be? Edward always had a mistress (he preferred American women) and it was through one of them, Thelma, Viscountess Furnace, that he met the Simpsons when they were asked to chaperone for a weekend at her country house (Thelma, by the way, had a twin sister, Gloria-who married a Vanderbilt & became mother to Gloria Vanderbilt, famous for a clothing line, and grandmother to news anchor Anderson Cooper). Little by little Edward became part of the Simpon's lives & by 1934 he was obsessed w/Wallis, who was flattered & amused (what woman wouldn't be?) but still in love with Ernest. The world knew what was going on through the newspapers & magazines (Americans were especially fascinated), but the "romance of the century" was censored in Britain; the average citizen didn't know their king was running around w/a married woman until late 1936. And the Prince just wouldn't leave her alone, what could she do? Telling him to go away wasn't going to work. Even Ernest--who was initially thrilled w/the Prince of Wales visiting the Simpsons apartment all the time--didn't know what to do about the situation. I doubt that Wallis thought Edward would ever give up the throne for her, by the time she realized what was happening it was too late. The only way to escape the guy was to move back to Baltimore, but he probably would have followed her there. I mean, Edward wasn't playing w/a full deck when you consider how literally obsessed he was w/a happily married woman and he didn't want to be king anyway, Wallis was just an excuse to abdicate. Once he abdicated, she was stuck w/him until his death in 1972. The Royal Family didn't realize it at the time, but Edward VIII abdicating was the best thing that ever happened to the monarchy (IMO). He was more interested in partying, socializing and cavorting w/his mistresses than he was in his responsibilities as king. He wasn't the type of man to leave any heirs, so the throne would have gone through Albert's line anyway. He also loved Germany (spoke fluent German & identified with the country)--not a good idea in the 1930s. The King of England couldn't afford to get cozy w/Hitler & his lot. The Duke of York (Albert) didn't want the crown--who would?--and wasn't prepared for the responsibility, especially w/WW2 looming ahead. George VI turned out to be a great ruler and the people loved him. He died in 1952--his wife, mother and daughters believed it was stress due to the abdication & then having to guide the nation through the war, but Albert had been a heavy smoker most of his life (like his older brother, who outlived him by 20 years) and that's what did him in more than anything. The Duke & Duchess of Windsor didn't do a whole lot after their marriage--they didn't dare return to England--he ended up being governor of the Bahamas during the war just to get him out of the way, then they retired to Paris & became members of the international jet set. The Duchess was always on the best-dressed list & became a fashion icon. Her magnificent jewelry collection was auctioned after her death in 1986. The bottom line is, I think Wallis Simpson wanted all the perks w/being the King's mistress but didn't want to marry him.
I had watched a documentary on them. And it said that he loved how she bossed him around and mothered him. Not like how everyone else treated him. She wasn't in love with him. She had fixed her husband up with her friend. Just to keep him busy. Well Ernest asked for divorce to marry her friend. Ernest was the one she really loved. But she seemed to just play around with people's feelings. Like she got a thrill out of it. Then she's screwed herself up. She couldn't bare to see Edward unhappy. Crazy people. She was married and acting like she was single.
Those signatures are worth thousands today.They also gifted with jewelry and keepsakes,wallets,handbags,etc.They were not arrogant and they certainly were never cheap.Of course to those with an axe to grind......
As much as we villainize Wallis Simpson, we pretty much owe her a thank you. Edward VIII was a known Nazi sympathizer, and had he been King at the outbreak of WWII, the world may be a very different place now.
After Edward died, Wallis kept a framed note he penned after his abdication on her dressing-room table. The touching lines read: "My friend, with thee to live alone, methinks were better than to own, a crown, a sceptre and a throne."
most of Edward's interviews after he abdicated was taken in this home in Paris. I also find it strange that a man of his stature sat in a chair slumped back with his legs wide open and not even aware I would that look like or how that portrayed him. It's plain to see that his upbringing is something he has forgotten on how to carry himself as a royal. I just find that amazing. Royal protocol seems like has been forgotten call me even dignity out the window. looks like he is shallow as a man screaming for someone to come and Rescue him. This makes me sad. After all he is a human being.
I don't know why everyone thought she was so ugly she really wasn't ugly she had an interesting look to herself let's try this way I like she was better looking than the Queen mom
That woman, Ms. Simpson, made out of Prince Edward a royal fool, a disgrace. How could he fall so low ? He didn't look happy after marrying that woman, he looked sad, bitter
The more I learn about these two (featured prominently in the new series The Crown), the more I am convinced that abdication was the only viable option. Edward's brother George VI was an excellent king although the strain of being an unexpected monarch probably shortened his live by about twenty years (yes, he died of lung cancer but his aggressive smoking habit was aggravated by this stress and probably brought his illness forward. Edward also smoked but lived longer no doubt due to his much more relaxed lifestyle). George VI went out of his way in WWII to visit not only British and Commonwealth services (Army, RAF and Navy) but he and his Queen spent a lot of time with the American forces when they came to Britain which I understand was very much appreciated by them.
I don't think you can argue that becoming king shortened George VI's life just it may have "aggravated" an "aggressive smoking habit." Smoking killed him, plain and simple. If he hadn't smoked he may have reigned as long as his grandmother and daughter. "The Crown" is good though, isn't it? I'm halfway through it.
Both Wallis and Edward cared for nothing but themselves. I truly believe this, and I don't really blame them, but I do see that the Duke's obsession with her was unatural. Her husband Ernice was a saint, and I think waited for her return...unfortunately, it was too late, It has to be said that after the abdication, the "Doook's" charisma vanished. (This from a child of the 1950's, I was born 1950.)
I also didn't expect Wallis to sound so British. I suppose part of her voice came from being around the Duke so much that she picked up some of his accent and I've read that he picked up some of hers though talked somewhat American early on, apparently just liked it. Wallis was reared in upper-class surroundings and I'm curious about what kind of accent those around her had. Upper-class northerners did or do have a sort-of English accent. Maybe some linguists out there can tell us!
@@kristinakane9981 I think that's very possible: a transatlantic accent from her household and maybe also from the school or schools Wallis attended. Too Wallis was born only a few generations from the American Revolution and was with people whose births were much closer to that time. I wonder if some people in Baltimore still sounded a bit English. I heard or read Kate Winslet responding to people saying she sounded somewhat British even though she played an American in "Titanic". Ms. Winslet said that a Philadelphian of that era (who was around the same age as Wallis) could still have had something of the British accent from Colonial and Revolutionary days. Maybe the same applied to Wallis in Baltimore.
She took very good care of him, as he did her. We saw how well Charles took care of Princess Diana. The guilt shows on his face. He has aged awfully. Camilla is toadied to and receives the curtsy, the DOW was denied out of jealousy and out and out cruelty. The Duke should have been praised for abdicating, a choice he decided in long before Wallis Windsor came to the scene. The British cherry picks who receives vilification and are still gnawing at the Duchess and Duke's character.
@@geraldtyus8645 You have got to consider the timeframes....you're talking about people of early last century. DOW left his brother in a terrible position and without the funds and holdings the Prince of Wales has to prepare for the top job. It was a fearful time too. Soon there would be war....soon the Romanovs would be whacked. England could not be unstable. The Prime Minister and Parliament had alot to do with it too. So it was not a matter of petty jealousy, though I'm sure there was plenty of it. In 100 years what will people be saying about our leadership decisions? Our society mores?
Thanks for this. I am really interested in Edward the VIII and the whole abdication saga. Could you post more of this documentary please. I've heard about it but never seen it before.
Very rare to be loved like this. She was a very lucky woman and if those letters and all other things mentioned on net against her are real, then very sad for the prince and what a waste living together miserable
DON'T mention that hidious, ancient relic of a woman! She is a boil on the ass of Royalty, but leave it to the quirky Charles to foist her on the other members of the royal family after Diana's death!! His dearest came true - now he can really BE one of her tampons!!
As soon as the death of a monarch is announced, their successor is proclaimed King or Queen. However their actual Coronation generally follows in the next twelve months. Queen Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen immediately on the death of her father in 1952 and became referred to as Queen from that say. She was actually crowned in 1953. Edward's situation was of course the same. He was proclaimed King immediately following his father's death but abdicated before being crowned. Btw to most English p
The part about his becoming bitter and throwing it up to her came from one of two books about 1960's novelist Jacqueline Susann ("Valley of the Dolls")--the books are "Lovely Me" by Barbara Seaman and "Life with Jackie" by Irving Mansfield. To be honest I don't remember which book I read it in. Ms. Susann and the Duchess of Windsor were close friends. The Duke of Windsor's hope that his family would eventually accept his marriage to Wallis is found in many books about the royal family.
Turns out she never really fully stopped loving her husband. Rebound relationships are not where it's at. Your not a frog jumping on toadstools across a creek. Gotta give yourself time to heal and love yourself. Then you can get closer to finding your true love.
the nazi lover and his gargoyle should have been hung as traitors for what went on before and during the war . Making plans with the nazis in event of Britain loseing the war , him and the troll being put back on the throne . Shocking betrayal . . . cant stand the sight of that piece of garbage after finding out just how terrible a person he really was
Sure, and that's not the sort of gossip the establishment would spread about them. They needed people to hate them, or else the new king would not be accepted.
He talked at the end about how he could share his life with her. No regard at all that she was married or how it would affect her husband. Just move in on a marriage and to hell with the consequences for anyone else
You should be proud to be American. But, you must not lose sight of where America came from and the history that shaped it and made it was it is today. From the ashes.............
Hmmm. She got the song wrong! It should be, "I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales." A popular song of the time, depicting the fascination with which he was regarded.
The Queen would still be queen, had Edward VIII reigned till 1972, the crown would still have passed to the eldest child of George V's next oldest son, the Queen's father. So George VI would have only been known as the Duke of York all his life.
He got hooked by this ambitious,scheming gold digger.She really hit the jackpot,but not as much as she'd hoped-being Queen consort. Britain's current Royal family owes them a HUGE debt of gratitude.If not for his abdication,Elizabeth wouldn't have been queen,her husband and their descendants and spouses wouldn't have the lives they do. Think about it:No princess Di,no Kate Middleton,no Prince Phillip,Charles,William,et.al. It would have all be different people all these years on the tabloids.
@aeronuk1 Before the abdication crisis broke, very few people outside of the upper levels of government and society knew anything about Edward's private life, much less his string of mistresses. Yes, in general they supported the idea of his marrying for love, mainly because they had bought the crafted public image of a dashing, forward-looking royal, and thought that he'd make a sensible choice. By her background and behavior, they would never have accepted Wallis.
If you watch "Pure History: Wallis Simpson: The Secret Letters" (somewhere at right) you might form an entirely different opinion of her. She did not want Edward to give up the throne for her because she did not want Edward. She was desperate to get out of marrying him...and to get away. Why? According to her letters, he enjoyed being treated like an infant (even resorting to baby talk), clung to her until she could barely stand it, threatened to slit his throat if she left him, and was utterly boring. She was in love with the man she had just divorced; and this highly intelligent and social woman spent 30+ years despised by society, trapped and isolated in luxurious confinement with a husband/child. It could be worse, but not too much worse.
+Kevin Longman At least she married and did not take lovers as most of the Royal family did. Mrs Simpson was more honest in her three relationships and married her boyfriends.
Windsor Edward He was her lover!!! She was married when she began her relationship with Edward and he had been in relationships with a number of married women before her. Both as bad as each other.
JohnHobbes thank you for sharing the truth about their situation. It is a remarkable love story. Not just a love affair between two people. After realizing what actually happened I ended up having a enormous amount of respect for her.
Are you guys all from Saudi Arabia or what? I do not understand this ultra conservative hysterical rage against people having affairs. They happen, not the end of the world. Marriage is not a life sentence.
John Hobbes,,,, for the same reasons that you shutdown the prince on his behavior, so you must be fair and shut down Wallace for her behavior. Are you kidding me??? She was the one married I treated her husband horribly by using him as a prop to go to these functions with the prince and have her Affair openly within their group. If Prince indeed was spineless, Wallace was just as well ridiculous by her behavior towards him and also to her husband Simpson. I don't think she was ugly, but there was nothing about her that was outstanding and looks as well as her figure. I don't know if her taste in clothes was of the time but she look like a clown and most of her dresses. Say as you will but Wallace was ridiculous as a shown throughout history. The biggest joke of all is that her escort too many parties in the evenings without her husband the prince was a gay man. It doesn't seem like any other man was knocking on her door with desire for her. You make it sound like the prince was in complete fault with that relationship and situation. Believe me over time the world has known went Wallace was all about as well. if you're going to make accusations or tear down one person in a relationship be fair about it.
With or without the approval of the royal family, they could have done something useful with their lives. Instead it was one long holiday -- but a holiday from what? In my books, these are two of the great airheads of history.
That was not uncommon in those days in America though, look at most of the old movie actors and many public figures from here generation, and you'll hear that they had similar accents. It's called a "mid-atlantic" accent.
Edward, then Prince of Wales, met Wallis Simpson for the first time on Saturday 10 January 1931, at Burroughs Court, Melton Mowbray, Leics (the country home of his mistress Lady Thelma Furness). The next meeting took place poss on or around 1 June 1931. There is a letter by Wallis to her Aunt where an entry for 4 June already confirms a meeting had taken place at Thelma's Grosvenor Square London home following the Prince's return from his trip to South America.
Yes but Camilla was only made a Duchess (of Cornwall) not a Princess. Rule goes that a woman must take the title of her husband, but because she is divorced she is not Princess Camilla of Wales, unlike Diana who was Princess of Wales when married to Charles. Thus, Camilla will not be Queen Consort when Charles is King (if so). Which is why Walis was given the title of Duches of Windsor (like her husband Duke of Windsor) after they were exiled from Britain.
@musicaltheatergeek79 Many Americans had accents that seem totally foreign to us today (many east coast socialites had accents similar to Simpson's), watch any film with American actors from the 30s and 40s and you'll realize how much spoken language has changed in the U.S. over just a few decades
@fordlandau - Edward WAS the king, although he was not coronated. Coronation is a mere formality in Britain, the Prince of Wales automatically becomes King the moment the preceding monarch dies. When you say that Edward was never really King is actually incorrect.
Wallis acted as the "fall guy" for his love. Pretty unfair. Then again I'm sure there was no real happy ending. I suppose we'll never really know the true motivation for his move.
@normalil the next line is: "Glory, glory, Hallelujah, I'm in LOVE with that Grand old Flag."--an illusion that other American girls wanted Wallace's place too! Fun song--thanks for the memory. That the Prince turned out to be a selfish scoundrel is beside the point--people were fascinated with him.
“I was struck by the grace of her carriage and the dignity of her movements...yea right.. doesn’t matter if she was married...just a little matter. He had puppy dog eyes for her and she saw dollar signs...she died alone....he was ostracized...karma is a bitch...
I have nothing against the Duke and Wallis love for each other... but why on God's earth did the Queen, his mother and his father the King, not find an arranged marriage for him like they've done for centuries.????
From the few books I have read about the current queen, the duke and duchess of windsor were asked to return to London at the start of the war. But since the offer didn't come from the King they refused. If they had perhaps put aside their ego things might have fared better for them.
Actions speak louder than words Before Diana shook hands with an AIDS victim Her estranged great Aunt in law Wallis , had already drawn up her will Leaving everything to the Pasture institute in Paris Then the leading medical research body, looking for a cure for AIDS Not bad gesture for someone normally described as being Self centred , selfish. Had the possibility of establishing a Museum to house the collection of Items as a couple they managed to Collect over a lifetime Instead all was auctioned and the funds given to the institute Has any one noticed the similarity In style and looks P Middleton as bridesmaid to Her sisters marrage to William ? Her dress and shape So W Windsor M Markels wedding dress The same By the duchess of Windsor’s favourite Designer Life goes on
She can't even get the song right, it was, "I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales." A song which depicted the amazing aura that this man had. Another example how a woman can bring down a beloved Prince. Before Diana, Charles was amazingly popular. Diana died as she lived - in the Fast Lane.
Sado-masochism was the name of their game! She made his married life a living Hell; however, she was his "out" - he knew he would never, ever become King if he married her, and sure enough ... But at what price!?!?
"Stilted and banal "....and so too their relationship for decades . A selfish and self absorbed couple with a love for none but themselves and their perceived importance to all they met.
@BearyHairy They couldn't be tried for treason because they didn't actually commit treason. I agree that Edward VIII was an idiot who neglected his duties. But I think it was symptomatic of a rather appalling upbringing (not because they were royal, per se). His family were pretty awful and that was what contributed to his weak character, I also think he had an affectionate side and was mistreated. In saying all that I support the British monarchy in the UK and Australia (where I live)
Whatever, perhaps not a conventional beauty, but certainly not ugly! And what style, my god, she had taste! And she must have had something for him to give up his throne for her! What a woman!
I saw a picture of her when she very young, maybe 20, and she was absolutely gorgeous, and I do mean gorgeous. Beautiful smile, beautiful eyes; she was breathtaking. She also knew how to handle herself well. No wonder the king was drawn to her.
Apparently Wallis felt trapped and was not in love with Edward. There was a documentary recently where some of her undiscovered letters to her ex husband were found. She never wanted to marry Edward - it had all got out of hand! She found him needy and childish and wished the whole thing had never happened.
dya know what the docu was called....i cant find anything
@@89helybely it's called "The secret diaries of Edward Vlll's wife"
@@maryt2196 thanking you
Wow that’s quite a turnabout, I’m not surprised where can you see these letters
She was surely the best model for the french fashion designers.... Hubert De Givenchy, Guy Laroche, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain, Madame Grès and mainly Marcel Rochas....
The sense of loathing between the Royal family and Wallis Simpson was entirely mutual. They thought she was nothing more than a common American woman, who had being through two marriages and was trying to work her way into a social circle of which they felt she had NO place to be in.
She felt that they were snobbish and arrogant and realising she was never going to win them over treated them with the same level of contempt and disinterest that they had shown her.
No love loss between them both
They also despised her because she was a Nazi
Wallis Simpson was certainly well dressed. She would've been a fashion icon today.
She was a fashion icon back then, too.
She is considered a fashion icon today!
She is and was!
Pretty us as pretty DOES! Your actions tell the take of your character - once this "B" got those long claws into Edward, she treated him much, much worse than her endless stream of DIGS!
And when he was dying, not once did she come, not even to find out how he was doing (Although his private duty nurse reported that he called her name endlessly!) I don't have any use for this type of person! He endured her treatment of him through the many years of their "marriage " I don't know how or why this was the case, but I do know absolutely that I would have presented her with a date to meet me in Divorce Court! I've read, too, that he paid a very stiff price for her. The royal family blamed him for causing his younger brother, George VI to be crowned King, and blamed him for George having to lead Britain through the horrors of WWII - George passed away shortly after the War, thereby making his older daughter, Elizabeth, Queen of England. Her mother HATED Edward AND Wallis for the turmoil, and refused to present them at Court - or even SEE them! So
he did pay and pay for abdicating the Throne to marry this wretched woman! Together, they were mismatched, tragic figures!
@@ianjarrett2724 I don't know how much money Duke and Duchess got from British taxpayers though I wouldn't be surprised if some of their income came from that source. For some reason when the Duke and Duchess travelled by ship the fares were paid out of Buckingham Palace but where those funds came from before that I'm not sure: maybe taxes, maybe the personal funds of the royal family?Something not well known is that the Duke was smarter than people give him credit for: I've read quite a bit about the Windsors and learned that the Duke was quite savvy about the stock market and made a lot of money with his investments. If my memory is right he nearly tripled his personal fortune.
This couple have a quiet dignity and class that is rarely seen in today's loud and vulgar world. They are clearly from a different era that is no more.
They apparently. courted publicity in.their say. The eta was different but but she .... . had no class
Dude. Her private letters are out now. They just didn't make their mess public, but she didn't love him at all and wished it had never happened. If dignity and class means a life of quiet misery, how is that admirable? Is it so wrong to make a little noise if it's the only way to get free?
My guy, they were Nazis
Lol nigga trippin
Ah yes. Today the people are vulgar and crude, but the good old race supremacist Nazi scum were better because they used a different vocabulary.
God stop whining about the past being better. Things change. A hundred years from now future generations will be saying the early 21st century was a time of class. Get a grip you boomer.
fascinating
They destroyed Edward VIII.Exile for 36 years?Unable to live a private life in the country of his birth?He served in the Bahamas brilliantly.Wallis was always supportive and poised.They loved each other,that is all they did.
There was ABSOLUTELY NO LOVE in that marriage. Edward was a timid, cowering WIMP when in her presence, and seemingly accepted all of her mental - and physical - abuse (which, sadist that she was,) she heaped on him during their nightmarish years together.
I agree Nancy Ayers. I don’t believe their marriage was a happy one. I feel that she regretted the marriage but was trapped since Edward had abdicated for “her”. And I believe she tormented him.
@@nancyayers6355 what speculstion!!As if you had a personal role in their intimacy.That or you sadly believe idle gossip.
It's amazing that nearly eighty years after the abdication, and almost forty after both their deaths, people still have conflicting opinions about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
He was a masochist, she was sadistic, where's the conflict!?
@@nancyayers6355 and both were nazis
@@sodapop83 I agree.
and the royal family have blood on their hands too yet find ways to look innocent , wasnt prince philip from a nazi family too
Traitors and NAZIs should be shot. This F up managed to be both. And by NAZI I mean the real ones not the people the left uses slurs against today just because they have no good counter arguments
I've always been fascinated w/the Duke & Duchess of Windsor, I know the British Royal family--particularly Queen Elizabeth's parents--didn't care for Wallis Simpson (an understatement). I always felt they were too hard on her. Wallis Simpson was happily married to Ernest Simpson (half English/half American who claimed British citizenship), they eventually entered the social circle of the Prince of Wales, the most eligible bachelor in the world, and they were thrilled--who wouldn't be? Edward always had a mistress (he preferred American women) and it was through one of them, Thelma, Viscountess Furnace, that he met the Simpsons when they were asked to chaperone for a weekend at her country house (Thelma, by the way, had a twin sister, Gloria-who married a Vanderbilt & became mother to Gloria Vanderbilt, famous for a clothing line, and grandmother to news anchor Anderson Cooper). Little by little Edward became part of the Simpon's lives & by 1934 he was obsessed w/Wallis, who was flattered & amused (what woman wouldn't be?) but still in love with Ernest. The world knew what was going on through the newspapers & magazines (Americans were especially fascinated), but the "romance of the century" was censored in Britain; the average citizen didn't know their king was running around w/a married woman until late 1936. And the Prince just wouldn't leave her alone, what could she do? Telling him to go away wasn't going to work. Even Ernest--who was initially thrilled w/the Prince of Wales visiting the Simpsons apartment all the time--didn't know what to do about the situation. I doubt that Wallis thought Edward would ever give up the throne for her, by the time she realized what was happening it was too late. The only way to escape the guy was to move back to Baltimore, but he probably would have followed her there. I mean, Edward wasn't playing w/a full deck when you consider how literally obsessed he was w/a happily married woman and he didn't want to be king anyway, Wallis was just an excuse to abdicate. Once he abdicated, she was stuck w/him until his death in 1972. The Royal Family didn't realize it at the time, but Edward VIII abdicating was the best thing that ever happened to the monarchy (IMO). He was more interested in partying, socializing and cavorting w/his mistresses than he was in his responsibilities as king. He wasn't the type of man to leave any heirs, so the throne would have gone through Albert's line anyway. He also loved Germany (spoke fluent German & identified with the country)--not a good idea in the 1930s. The King of England couldn't afford to get cozy w/Hitler & his lot. The Duke of York (Albert) didn't want the crown--who would?--and wasn't prepared for the responsibility, especially w/WW2 looming ahead. George VI turned out to be a great ruler and the people loved him. He died in 1952--his wife, mother and daughters believed it was stress due to the abdication & then having to guide the nation through the war, but Albert had been a heavy smoker most of his life (like his older brother, who outlived him by 20 years) and that's what did him in more than anything. The Duke & Duchess of Windsor didn't do a whole lot after their marriage--they didn't dare return to England--he ended up being governor of the Bahamas during the war just to get him out of the way, then they retired to Paris & became members of the international jet set. The Duchess was always on the best-dressed list & became a fashion icon. Her magnificent jewelry collection was auctioned after her death in 1986. The bottom line is, I think Wallis Simpson wanted all the perks w/being the King's mistress but didn't want to marry him.
I had watched a documentary on them. And it said that he loved how she bossed him around and mothered him. Not like how everyone else treated him. She wasn't in love with him. She had fixed her husband up with her friend. Just to keep him busy. Well Ernest asked for divorce to marry her friend. Ernest was the one she really loved. But she seemed to just play around with people's feelings. Like she got a thrill out of it. Then she's screwed herself up. She couldn't bare to see Edward unhappy. Crazy people. She was married and acting like she was single.
That's nice there's a man who's strong enough to do what he wants for the woman he loves, instead of what everybody else wants.
EXACTLY!!!
I'd love to see the whole interview. Do you have it?
Those signatures are worth thousands today.They also gifted with jewelry and keepsakes,wallets,handbags,etc.They were not arrogant and they certainly were never cheap.Of course to those with an axe to grind......
They answer these questions with all the charm of someone reading off a TelePrompter.
As much as we villainize Wallis Simpson, we pretty much owe her a thank you. Edward VIII was a known Nazi sympathizer, and had he been King at the outbreak of WWII, the world may be a very different place now.
fayeslover there is no actual evidence of this.
@@TrekJohnDoe there is lots of evidence of this. Get real.
People change sides all the times to whatever suits them best.
After Edward died, Wallis kept a framed note he penned after his abdication on her dressing-room table.
The touching lines read:
"My friend, with thee to live alone, methinks were better than to own, a crown, a sceptre and a throne."
Alfred Tennyson
@@HeXiiCsGaming
Correct !
From another poetry admirer.
Australia ❤️
most of Edward's interviews after he abdicated was taken in this home in Paris. I also find it strange that a man of his stature sat in a chair slumped back with his legs wide open and not even aware I would that look like or how that portrayed him. It's plain to see that his upbringing is something he has forgotten on how to carry himself as a royal. I just find that amazing. Royal protocol seems like has been forgotten call me even dignity out the window. looks like he is shallow as a man screaming for someone to come and Rescue him. This makes me sad. After all he is a human being.
I noticed that slumped look too it’s borderline vulgar
So many years later we are still enchanted by them.
true love story..Love is the most potent elixir of life
Too bad she NEVER really loved the Duke
@@celticmist14 i think different.they loved each other.otherwise noone would live with someone that not to love
I'd love to see the whole documentary and I can't understand why it isn't available. Very frustrating!
But there are many documentaries that detail this relationship.
I don't know why everyone thought she was so ugly she really wasn't ugly she had an interesting look to herself let's try this way I like she was better looking than the Queen mom
That woman, Ms. Simpson, made out of Prince Edward a royal fool, a disgrace. How could he fall so low ? He didn't look happy after marrying that woman, he looked sad, bitter
On the contrary, he was immensely content sharing his life with her, he adored her to bits.
He looked happy. They both did.
How was he looking sad and bitter?! Your comments are so unfair. Perhaps you are the one who is bitter, jealous and sad saying things like this.
Probably acting
Beautiful love story ⭐️
The more I learn about these two (featured prominently in the new series The Crown), the more I am convinced that abdication was the only viable option. Edward's brother George VI was an excellent king although the strain of being an unexpected monarch probably shortened his live by about twenty years (yes, he died of lung cancer but his aggressive smoking habit was aggravated by this stress and probably brought his illness forward. Edward also smoked but lived longer no doubt due to his much more relaxed lifestyle). George VI went out of his way in WWII to visit not only British and Commonwealth services (Army, RAF and Navy) but he and his Queen spent a lot of time with the American forces when they came to Britain which I understand was very much appreciated by them.
I don't think you can argue that becoming king shortened George VI's life just it may have "aggravated" an "aggressive smoking habit." Smoking killed him, plain and simple. If he hadn't smoked he may have reigned as long as his grandmother and daughter.
"The Crown" is good though, isn't it? I'm halfway through it.
Just keep watching tee vee , I'm sure it teaches you the best possible info. 🙄
Both Wallis and Edward cared for nothing but themselves. I truly believe this, and I don't really blame them, but I do see that the Duke's obsession with her was unatural. Her husband Ernice was a saint, and I think waited for her return...unfortunately, it was too late, It has to be said that after the abdication, the "Doook's" charisma vanished. (This from a child of the 1950's, I was born 1950.)
I also didn't expect Wallis to sound so British. I suppose part of her voice came from being around the Duke so much that she picked up some of his accent and I've read that he picked up some of hers though talked somewhat American early on, apparently just liked it. Wallis was reared in upper-class surroundings and I'm curious about what kind of accent those around her had. Upper-class northerners did or do have a sort-of English accent. Maybe some linguists out there can tell us!
I’m not a linguist, but I believe she had a Transatlantic accent from being raised in an upper-class household.
@@kristinakane9981 I think that's very possible: a transatlantic accent from her household and maybe also from the school or schools Wallis attended. Too Wallis was born only a few generations from the American Revolution and was with people whose births were much closer to that time. I wonder if some people in Baltimore still sounded a bit English. I heard or read Kate Winslet responding to people saying she sounded somewhat British even though she played an American in "Titanic". Ms. Winslet said that a Philadelphian of that era (who was around the same age as Wallis) could still have had something of the British accent from Colonial and Revolutionary days. Maybe the same applied to Wallis in Baltimore.
@@andrewbrendan1579Kate played American in Titanic? I didn’t realised that!
They were both dandies.Elegant,effective and charming.God bless their memory.
And they lived vapidly ever after.
no, they didn't. She spent 36 years with a man she didn't love.
But never truly happily!
@@duermedespierto look up the word "vapidly"
She took very good care of him, as he did her. We saw how well Charles took care of Princess Diana. The guilt shows on his face. He has aged awfully. Camilla is toadied to and receives the curtsy, the DOW was denied out of jealousy and out and out cruelty. The Duke should have been praised for abdicating, a choice he decided in long before Wallis Windsor came to the scene. The British cherry picks who receives vilification and are still gnawing at the Duchess and Duke's character.
@@geraldtyus8645 You have got to consider the timeframes....you're talking about people of early last century. DOW left his brother in a terrible position and without the funds and holdings the Prince of Wales has to prepare for the top job. It was a fearful time too. Soon there would be war....soon the Romanovs would be whacked. England could not be unstable. The Prime Minister and Parliament had alot to do with it too. So it was not a matter of petty jealousy, though I'm sure there was plenty of it. In 100 years what will people be saying about our leadership decisions? Our society mores?
I am really interested in Edward the VIII and the whole abdication saga.
Thanx so much for posting. :-))
What people forget was Edward/David was actually pure German. Taken on that basis are his sympathies really suprising
he was king and was very rich even after he left the monarchy... the point is, they lived, they lived life............ you should live yours.......
💕👍
I have always been intrigued with Wallis.
Thanks for this. I am really interested in Edward the VIII and the whole abdication saga. Could you post more of this documentary please. I've heard about it but never seen it before.
You can find some excerpts in the love story if Elizabeth and George 6 documentary here on UA-cam
I danced with the Prince of Wales too,,loved it!
He always talks like he's reading a speech off a paper, though there is none to be seen.
I am a big fan of the royals and Wallace and Edward especially but her hair here reminds me sooo much of Dracula in the movie with Keanu Reeves!!
They were Nazi sympathizers being a fan of them is rather shallow
She was a married woman
She and her husband Ernest played him and it went beyond her control.
Do you have more of this interview?
I think if it is today's world. Wallis will definitely be allowed to get married to him. She is well-educated, poised and intelligent lady.
Very rare to be loved like this.
She was a very lucky woman and if those letters and all other things mentioned on net against her are real, then very sad for the prince and what a waste living together miserable
Now look what we have Camilla,worn out and past the sell by date !
nevanovna I wonder what their family would’ve been like had Diana still been alive and her and Charles were still together
DON'T mention that hidious, ancient relic of a woman! She is a boil on the ass of Royalty, but leave it to the quirky Charles to foist her on the other members of the royal family after Diana's death!! His dearest came true - now he can really BE one of her tampons!!
The Duchess suffered from Crohns Desease all of her life and had many miscarrages which are a matter of record.
Yikes i never knew that , poor thing,
I read several places she was intersex and didn't have periods. Also he'd had mumps.
As soon as the death of a monarch is announced, their successor is proclaimed King or Queen. However their actual Coronation generally follows in the next twelve months. Queen Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen immediately on the death of her father in 1952 and became referred to as Queen from that say. She was actually crowned in 1953. Edward's situation was of course the same. He was proclaimed King immediately following his father's death but abdicated before being crowned. Btw to most English p
Where can I find this in full?
The part about his becoming bitter and throwing it up to her came from one of two books about 1960's novelist Jacqueline Susann ("Valley of the Dolls")--the books are "Lovely Me" by Barbara Seaman and "Life with Jackie" by Irving Mansfield. To be honest I don't remember which book I read it in. Ms. Susann and the Duchess of Windsor were close friends. The Duke of Windsor's hope that his family would eventually accept his marriage to Wallis is found in many books about the royal family.
Anyone want a spot of tea? Lol!
Turns out she never really fully stopped loving her husband. Rebound relationships are not where it's at. Your not a frog jumping on toadstools across a creek. Gotta give yourself time to heal and love yourself. Then you can get closer to finding your true love.
Is history repeating itself with the Harry and Megan saga?
the nazi lover and his gargoyle should have been hung as traitors for what went on before and during the war . Making plans with the nazis in event of Britain loseing the war , him and the troll being put back on the throne . Shocking betrayal . . . cant stand the sight of that piece of garbage after finding out just how terrible a person he really was
Sure, and that's not the sort of gossip the establishment would spread about them. They needed people to hate them, or else the new king would not be accepted.
@@dailybls The actual fuck are you talking about?
Any proof ?
Joe guirey No, you're the troll, only vastly more stupid than the average.
He talked at the end about how he could share his life with her.
No regard at all that she was married or how it would affect her husband.
Just move in on a marriage and to hell with the consequences for anyone else
Thanks royalty for.you
He was a highly sensitive intelligent man who loved and served his country. She was elegant and charismatic, a perfect match.
They're like an upper-class Sid and Nancy lol
They are natzi scum
You should be proud to be American. But, you must not lose sight of where America came from and the history that shaped it and made it was it is today. From the ashes.............
What a bad weekend that was .
@franzchick66
She speaks with an old-style accent that was used by Maryland upper-crust families.
No, she never had children.
Those were the times. If the Wallis situation happened today- it would be no big deal
Hmmm. She got the song wrong! It should be, "I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales." A popular song of the time, depicting the fascination with which he was regarded.
Thanks for the info. Shall be submitting the autographs here for pricing..
Ya better bleeeve! And Thank Gawd fer THAT, Hon' !!!!
The Queen would still be queen, had Edward VIII reigned till 1972, the crown would still have passed to the eldest child of George V's next oldest son, the Queen's father. So George VI would have only been known as the Duke of York all his life.
He got hooked by this ambitious,scheming gold digger.She really hit the jackpot,but not as much as she'd hoped-being Queen consort. Britain's current Royal family owes them a HUGE debt of gratitude.If not for his abdication,Elizabeth wouldn't have been queen,her husband and their descendants and spouses wouldn't have the lives they do. Think about it:No princess Di,no Kate Middleton,no Prince Phillip,Charles,William,et.al. It would have all be different people all these years on the tabloids.
No Elizabeth would still have suceeded Edward in 1972.
Is the narrator Orson welles?
@aeronuk1
Before the abdication crisis broke, very few people outside of the upper levels of government and society knew anything about Edward's private life, much less his string of mistresses. Yes, in general they supported the idea of his marrying for love, mainly because they had bought the crafted public image of a dashing, forward-looking royal, and thought that he'd make a sensible choice. By her background and behavior, they would never have accepted Wallis.
@EclecticMuzik88 Kathrine Hepburn was one in particular that had that very accent
Yes they did, but only because the truth had been kept from them. The Press in those days still had some sense of restraint and responsibility.
i would like to know what this programme was made for - was it screened on british tv? or is it a private archive, not intended for public viewing?
If you watch "Pure History: Wallis Simpson: The Secret Letters" (somewhere at right) you might form an entirely different opinion of her. She did not want Edward to give up the throne for her because she did not want Edward. She was desperate to get out of marrying him...and to get away. Why? According to her letters, he enjoyed being treated like an infant (even resorting to baby talk), clung to her until she could barely stand it, threatened to slit his throat if she left him, and was utterly boring. She was in love with the man she had just divorced; and this highly intelligent and social woman spent 30+ years despised by society, trapped and isolated in luxurious confinement with a husband/child. It could be worse, but not too much worse.
+Kevin Longman At least she married and did not take lovers as most of the Royal family did. Mrs Simpson was more honest in her three relationships and married her boyfriends.
Windsor Edward He was her lover!!! She was married when she began her relationship with Edward and he had been in relationships with a number of married women before her. Both as bad as each other.
JohnHobbes thank you for sharing the truth about their situation. It is a remarkable love story. Not just a love affair between two people. After realizing what actually happened I ended up having a enormous amount of respect for her.
Are you guys all from Saudi Arabia or what? I do not understand this ultra conservative hysterical rage against people having affairs. They happen, not the end of the world. Marriage is not a life sentence.
John Hobbes,,,, for the same reasons that you shutdown the prince on his behavior, so you must be fair and shut down Wallace for her behavior. Are you kidding me??? She was the one married I treated her husband horribly by using him as a prop to go to these functions with the prince and have her Affair openly within their group. If Prince indeed was spineless, Wallace was just as well ridiculous by her behavior towards him and also to her husband Simpson. I don't think she was ugly, but there was nothing about her that was outstanding and looks as well as her figure. I don't know if her taste in clothes was of the time but she look like a clown and most of her dresses. Say as you will but Wallace was ridiculous as a shown throughout history. The biggest joke of all is that her escort too many parties in the evenings without her husband the prince was a gay man. It doesn't seem like any other man was knocking on her door with desire for her. You make it sound like the prince was in complete fault with that relationship and situation. Believe me over time the world has known went Wallace was all about as well. if you're going to make accusations or tear down one person in a relationship be fair about it.
With or without the approval of the royal family, they could have done something useful with their lives. Instead it was one long holiday -- but a holiday from what? In my books, these are two of the great airheads of history.
Yes, she was a native of Baltimore.
@ABild Ok. Don't forget that Wallis Simpson was from Baltimore.
That was not uncommon in those days in America though, look at most of the old movie actors and many public figures from here generation, and you'll hear that they had similar accents. It's called a "mid-atlantic" accent.
There should be a Wallis statue in every civic square in the Empire. After all, she made sure that Nazi King-Emperor
would give up the throne...
This 6 month long king will go down as the traitor royal who nearly cost England to Germany.. Thank God for his brother!!!
The Duchess had a lovely voice. :)
Are you joking I could poke my eyes out hearing her talk for an extended length of time!
She is more Royal than the Royalty Duchesse de Windsor une grande Dame qui a ete mal jugé
Edward, then Prince of Wales, met Wallis Simpson for the first time on Saturday 10 January 1931, at Burroughs Court, Melton Mowbray, Leics (the country home of his mistress Lady Thelma Furness). The next meeting took place poss on or around 1 June 1931. There is a letter by Wallis to her Aunt where an entry for 4 June already confirms a meeting had taken place at Thelma's Grosvenor Square London home following the Prince's return from his trip to South America.
Yes but Camilla was only made a Duchess (of Cornwall) not a Princess. Rule goes that a woman must take the title of her husband, but because she is divorced she is not Princess Camilla of Wales, unlike Diana who was Princess of Wales when married to Charles. Thus, Camilla will not be Queen Consort when Charles is King (if so). Which is why Walis was given the title of Duches of Windsor (like her husband Duke of Windsor) after they were exiled from Britain.
Keeping an eye on others wives. Its bad, morally corrupt.
@musicaltheatergeek79 Many Americans had accents that seem totally foreign to us today (many east coast socialites had accents similar to Simpson's), watch any film with American actors from the 30s and 40s and you'll realize how much spoken language has changed in the U.S. over just a few decades
I am very very very VERY much related to her!!
@fordlandau - Edward WAS the king, although he was not coronated. Coronation is a mere formality in Britain, the Prince of Wales automatically becomes King the moment the preceding monarch dies. When you say that Edward was never really King is actually incorrect.
Wallis acted as the "fall guy" for his love. Pretty unfair. Then again I'm sure there was no real happy ending. I suppose we'll never really know the true motivation for his move.
Bril!
You gotta hand it to Wallas, she was the orginal DIVA
using whats shes got to get what she wants
LOL
@normalil the next line is: "Glory, glory, Hallelujah, I'm in LOVE with that Grand old Flag."--an illusion that other American girls wanted Wallace's place too! Fun song--thanks for the memory. That the Prince turned out to be a selfish scoundrel is beside the point--people were fascinated with him.
“I was struck by the grace of her carriage and the dignity of her movements...yea right.. doesn’t matter if she was married...just a little matter. He had puppy dog eyes for her and she saw dollar signs...she died alone....he was ostracized...karma is a bitch...
Hark the Herald, Angels Sing, Mrs Simpson Pinched our King.
I have nothing against the Duke and Wallis love for each other... but why on God's earth did the Queen, his mother and his father the King, not find an arranged marriage for him like they've done for centuries.????
It had fallen out of style by that point.
For one thing, the usual source of royal brides, Germany, dried up for some odd reason after 1914-18.
haha. Well put!
From the few books I have read about the current queen, the duke and duchess of windsor were asked to return to London at the start of the war. But since the offer didn't come from the King they refused. If they had perhaps put aside their ego things might have fared better for them.
Actions speak louder than words
Before Diana shook hands with an AIDS victim
Her estranged great Aunt in law
Wallis , had already drawn up her will
Leaving everything to the
Pasture institute in Paris
Then the leading medical research body, looking for a cure for AIDS
Not bad gesture for someone
normally described as being
Self centred , selfish. Had the possibility of establishing a
Museum to house the collection of
Items as a couple they managed to
Collect over a lifetime
Instead all was auctioned and the funds given to the institute
Has any one noticed the similarity
In style and looks
P Middleton as bridesmaid to
Her sisters marrage to William ?
Her dress and shape
So W Windsor
M Markels wedding dress
The same
By the duchess of Windsor’s favourite
Designer
Life goes on
Wallis' dress was by Mainbocher.
o goodness i forgot that ty
What year or decade was this taken?
She can't even get the song right, it was, "I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales." A song which depicted the amazing aura that this man had.
Another example how a woman can bring down a beloved Prince. Before Diana, Charles was amazingly popular. Diana died as she lived - in the Fast Lane.
What a Berk. We had a lucky escape with him. He reminds me a lot of Prince Charles. In other words an eccentric twit who is an ineffectual prat.
Ian Jarrett Edward and Simpson were also Nazi sympathisers, so lucky escape indeed.
Sado-masochism was the name of their game! She made his married life a living Hell; however, she was his "out" - he knew he would never, ever become King if he married her, and sure enough ... But at what price!?!?
Rip king Edward
"Stilted and banal "....and so too their relationship for decades . A selfish and self absorbed couple with a love for none but themselves and their perceived importance to all they met.
@BearyHairy They couldn't be tried for treason because they didn't actually commit treason. I agree that Edward VIII was an idiot who neglected his duties. But I think it was symptomatic of a rather appalling upbringing (not because they were royal, per se). His family were pretty awful and that was what contributed to his weak character, I also think he had an affectionate side and was mistreated. In saying all that I support the British monarchy in the UK and Australia (where I live)
And she was married but I thought what the fuck I am an entitled little shit!