The King that was...Edward the 8th, and Mrs. Simpson

Author's Note:  I do apologize in advance for the appalling formatting in the following post.  I am still learning the woeful word processing barely available on this blogging site.

 Ah, Wallis.  Who were you?

A woman.  An opportunist? Most likely.  A divorcee twice over? Yes, certainly.  A sexual predator? Jesus.  A woman to be scorned? Ye Gods.

The decade is the wicked 1930s, folks, time of the Great Depression.  The characters are an older Prince of Wales (international playboy of mystery), and an American woman, Wallis Simpson, currently married to  London businessman, Ernest Simpson.  The classic triangle.

Now, what normally would have been a run-of-the-mill royal scandal, ballooned eventually into a national crisis for Great Britain.  But, how did it begin? 

Well, it begins, as any historical drama, with the types of people involved.  In this case, a Prince of Wales who was a rather desperate character--a man who enjoyed playing at life, and a woman in search of love and financial security.

Wallis was brought up to be a type of modern southern belle, in Maryland.  She and her mother had lived a hand to mouth existence, after the death of her husband from consumption.  Dependent upon her relatives for money, both mother and daughter craved for a return of societal prominence, and financial security.  Such things would continue to be of paramount importance to Wallis throughout her life.

In 1916, Wallis met her first husband, Wynn Spencer, a military man.  Unfortunately for Wallis, he also turned out to be an alcoholic, and an abusive husband.  Wallis suffered from repeated beatings, and verbal harangues.  He also loved to visit the local brothels.  Clearly, this was not a marriage destined for a happy ending.  

One of the problems with her first marriage lay in the lack of children.  It has never been ascertained as to why Wallis never had any children.  Much speculation has centered around this question.  It may indeed have been due to physical abuse by her husband.  Honestly, we'll never know.  Yet, for five years, Wallis tried like hell to make her marriage work, but to no avail.  And, yet, she still tried.  Divorce was not a solution that many women tried in the 1920s.  It often resulted in the destruction of a woman's reputation, rather than the man's.  She eventually left Wynn, to return briefly back to her family.  However, they did not want to support her wish to divorce, and pressured her to remain with her husband.  She did, briefly, but the reunion did not last, and she also found that nothing had changed.  In fact, the abuse got worse.  Wallis left again, and defying the wishes and/or directives of her family (including her very rich Uncle Saul), she filed for divorce.  With the exception of her mother, and her Aunt Bessie, Wallis was effectively cut off from family support.

She went to New York, and there met Mr. Ernest Simpson.  He was a businessman, who was himself separated from his wife.  In spite of their mutual ties to their respective spouses, Ernest and Wallis nonetheless got engaged, eventually removing to London, where they married.

  The couple settled into a middle class life, with Ernest beginning a successful business career, and Wallis quickly immersing herself into the social life of the "Mayfair Set"--an uneasy mixture of wayward nobility and successful businessmen.  This group also possessed an important satellite:  the Prince of Wales.  Eventually, this brought Wallis into contact with the future king.  At first, there was no spark of great passion between them, but this changed as they grew to know each other, largely through the auspices of the Prince's present mistress, Thelma Furness.  

                                                                 Thelma Furness

The POW, or David, as he was personally known (although this was just one of his mile long list of first names), came into closer acquaintance after the departure to America of Mrs. Furness.  A friend of Wallis, Thelma asked her friend to 'keep an eye out for the Little Man.'  She agreed readily, seizing the opportunity.  What had been a charming friendship, quickly became something more, even enjoying the tacit acceptance from her husband, who certainly indirectly profited from this new friendship.

"David," also known as Edward VIII

David, as Prince of Wales, was known far and wide as a playboy extraordinaire.  His conquests were numerous, and were most often with married women.  And girls in the 1920s adored David--both in England, and abroad.  Indeed, popular songs were already being written about the royal celebrity:

From the moment that the friendship grew in its' intimacy, David was charmed by Wallis--her interest in his duties as a royal, and his general problems.  She obviously possessed the rare quality of listening.  This was a novelty to the prince, who began to frequent the Simpson home with greater frequency.  It was not a development that Ernest welcomed.

When eventually Thelma Furness returned from America, she found that the prince's affections had shifted to her friend, Wallis.  She was effectively out, and Mrs. Simpson was most definitely in.  She was the new favorite.  But things did not remain so polite.  David quickly fell deeply in love with Wallis, while she remained practical and aloof.  Wallis knew that any serious relationship with the king-in-waiting was doomed, but David had different ideas.  He was enamored with her, and decided that marriage was his only course of action.  

In 1936, David's father King George, was seriously ill, and eventually died.  As the eldest son, David became King.  Now, in any other sane universe, Wallis knew that her relationship with the new king was eventually going to end.  Of course it was going to end.  Queen Wallis? The British public of the 1930s would never accept it.  

What of Ernest? Well, what seemed at first an incredible social opportunity, quickly became a cuckolding.  A man of his time, Ernest could not long tolerate the position of cuckold.  As he began to grumble, Wallis resisted any attempts on his part to limit or even end her friendship with the new king.  Perhaps this was an insatiable desire for the social cache of being David's mistress.  I cannot say.  It almost certainly was not love on her part.  So, was she a social opportunist? Well, yes, I think so.  Was this a characteristic punishable by character assassination? No.

Now one of the more interesting and speculative parts of this story, has to do with politics.  David as king, almost from the beginning, flouted long standing royal tradition.  An example of this was the presentation of debutantes to the monarch.  This occasion was usually where each girl would curtsy to the king (or queen), and then withdraw from the royal presence.  It was a time-honored practice, and could take hours to complete.  Bored beyond measure with the prospect, David decreed that all the girls would be presented at once, thus saving him craved release from what he viewed as a waste of time.  This was not an isolated incident, and his actions began to alienate the British establishment, particularly those serving in Parliament.

Historical evidence suggests, that the Prime Minister arranged for British intelligence to begin surveillance on the couple.  Resultant reports by agents alleged that Wallis was not only unfaithful, not just to her husband, by her lover the king.  A car salesman by the name of Guy Trundle was named as just one of her lovers, and another rather shocking revelation accused her of having an affair with Joachim Von Rippentraup, Hitler's ambassador to England.  According to the urban myth, Wallis received a number of carnations from him everyday, in remembrance of the number of times they had coupled.  

If the reports of her relationship with the German minister are true, then there was an acute problem--the British government was increasingly afraid of the Fascist fashion currently overtaking both Italy, Spain, and Germany. David was known, among his intimates, to occasionally remark on his admiration for how Herr Hitler (evil mastermind and bastard) had saved his country from economic disaster.  As England faced a similar crisis,  it is some cause for speculation as to whether or not David would have been influenced by the examples set by Mussolini and Hitler in the early years of their respective governments.  People in White Hall were somewhat aghast, as reports reached them of the king's reputed admiration.  A fascist king? Never.  Some historians pose this question:  was the eventual abdication of the king somehow engineered, in light of his political sympathies? It is simply not known.

Yes, folks, there is some truth to both of their questionable sympathies.  Here is a brief interlude from their personal correspondence.  These letters date from before his ascension (because he was never coronated) to the throne:

From David:

Although I am next in line to the throne and our family is of German ancestry, (don’t let the name “Windsor” fool you – we’re Krauts to the bone), I am barely monolingual. How very fortunate for me that I don’t really have to be good at anything.

Forever yours,
David

And, from Wallis;

My Darling David,

First, .... I am a great admirer of the German people. Well, maybe not all the German people, and certainly not the impoverished peasants who dot the German countryside like pilling on a cheap cardigan. But the German aristocracy – well, that’s a whole other matter. Adolf is – well – I suppose the word “madcap” is what comes immediately to mind. But David, as God is my witness, there is no truth to those hurtful, nasty rumors about Ambassador von Ribbentrop and me. It is now my entire family who’s laughing. And they’re back in Maryland…

As long as we’re on the subject of names, I find it odd that everyone calls you “David,” even though your name is “Edward.” I suppose, like “high tea” and the fact that, after we’re married, everyone – even my own mother – will have to curtsy to me, are British customs I will just have to get used to.

Kisses from your Future Mrs.

P.S. They will have to curtsy, won’t they?

"Future Mrs.", eh? Hmmmmm.

David's reply is really interesting, a little reserved, and rather unlike our perception of him as a man hopelessly in love:

Dear Wallis,

I think we are getting ahead of ourselves just a tad here. Yes, I suppose they would, were we to marry. However, the likelihood of that is well…… You know I feel tremendous affection for you, Wallis, but thinking about china and linen patterns at this time would be, in a word, premature. Let us be realistic here. You’re a twice-divorced American and, though you’re easy on these eyes, Mother says Neville Chamberlain would make a more attractive bride....

With great affection,
David

We have to be quite careful in our writing of the past, because as historians, often we make assumptions based on our own perceptions.  I am no different.  My perceptions of this interchange suggest several things:  

• That Edward was not as besotted as modern historians believe.
• That Wallis was indeed rather keen to be queen (probably without realizing what it would be truly like to be married to David and the royal family.  She also wouldn't have thought too much about the continuous public scrutiny and prejudice she'd have to face as his wife).

Wallis used to joke that she was 'Wallis in Wonderland,' and indeed she was, with jewels to play with, and exotic locals to explore.  Her character was perhaps not the type to truly think about the consequences of her actions until it was too late.  Perhaps she did not truly know this royal, until after tragic events later began to unfold, robbing her of any avenue of escape.  I believe that when the entire story was told, she was unable to do anything else but marry the deposed king.  Perhaps, in her naivety and romantic leaning, she persuaded herself that she could indeed be the Queen Consort.  I believe that Wallis would have liked that.

Some diarists of the time, like politician and socialite Duff Cooper (also a personal friend of the POW) are good sources for outside perceptions of the relationship

    21.1.36 ... I didn't go to hear the proclamation read out the next morning although we had tickets for the roof of St. James' Palace.  I thought it would make my cold worse.  I gave my ticket to Liz Paget who went with Diana [wife].  They saw the king at a window with Wallis and Ernest Simpson...  This is just the kind of thing that I hope so much he won't do.  It causes so much criticism and does so much harm.  Already people are beginning to talk about her and to criticize him.

 Now, why was this so very shocking to the English establishment? Because she was known, in those circles, as the latest mistress in a long series of married women.  To have her present at such an occasion meant that he didn't have the necessary respect for existing customs.  Did you know that this photo of David and Wallis was forbidden to be published by the British government?

Duff Cooper also commented on his impression of Wallis.  This was appropriate, because he was something of an intimate of David's:

20.1.36  We dined with Freddie Lonsdale that evening at the Garrick Club....I sat next to Wallis.  She talked to me a great deal about the King.  I told her how well his informal little speech had gone with the Privy Council whereupon she repeated it word for word.  Apparently he had spent a very long time composing it -- walkign up and down the room and dictating it to her....she had not allowed him to come to her flat since his father's death....[and] even suggested that it would be better if she were to go away altogether.  I think she is a nice woman and a sensible woman -- but she is as hard as nails and she doesn't love him.

Not a terribly flattering comment on Wallis, that's for sure, but at least she was 'nice and sensible.'   

So, what kind of king was David (Edward VIII)?  Well, he was charming, and beloved by the people, because of his informality.  His official visits to various parts of the country often included moments in the poorest sections of the city, where he made certain to meet the people, and sometimes visit their houses.  By the end of such tours, his popularity was assured.  Indeed, the people seemed to love him.

Thus, considering this state of affairs, why did the establishment regard him as such a threat? Well, I don't know, exactly.  However, there are several theories about his conduct as King.  One was that the establishment viewed his practices as monarch, flouted important customs and traditions.  He seemed to be unable to follow them.

Two:  He did not take his responsibilities seriously.  This fact was illustrated by his practice of handling secret state documents.  This had to do with the so-called "red boxes."  These would be sent to the monarch, by the Prime Minister, with governmental documents, usually for them to sign into law (or policy).  But, there were also classified papers in these boxes.  It was not unusual for these documents to be discussed at the dinner table with guests at Ft. Belvedere.  Also, when the papers were returned, there were often watermarks on them, suggesting a martini glass! Clearly, these top secret documents were being left out in the open for anyone to see.

Shaken, not stirred.

In such a dangerous and uncertain time, the British governmental establishment heard about this habit with collective horror.

And then there were the EXtensiuve vacations he on which he took with his friends, and Wallis, on the royal yacht, tooling around the Mediterranean for weeks at a time.  It was at this moment, that the world press began reporting, and taking pictures of the clandestine couple.  Soon, the coverage extended around the world--with the exception of England.

So, what of the British press? They remained silent, out of respect for the royal family.  In our time, this concept seems completely foreign, as those familiar with the fascination of the tabloids for the Windsors can attest.  Diana, anyone? The outside world had little idea of the scandal brewing in plain sight.  Certainly, Wallis and David didn't bother to hide their relationship in public, to the delight of European and American reporters.

Upon their return home, David and Wallis discovered that their relationship was causing great discord with the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin.  This became even greater, after the British press finally 'broke the story' of the affair.  The English were appalled.  Wallis would not be acceptable as a queen.  A twice divorced woman? Impossible.  It was also against a long established tradition of the Church of England, regarding the dissolution of marriage.  Wallis, was greatly dismayed by the English press coverage, many of which were sent to her from the States by her Aunt Bessie.  She was now labelled as a fallen woman, and a sexual predator, by British reporters.  

Wallis began to pull away from David, who would not be so easily be put off.  The more she tried to gracefully withdraw from the relationship, the greater became the king's need of her.  Why? Perhaps the ancient allure of forbidden fruit, or perhaps the fantasy of Wallis as a sexy nanny. There was a reason why he was nicknamed the "Little Man."  He was also often referred to by intimates as 'Peter Pan.' In retrospect, I believe that Wallis, at that point, was finally able to grasp the reality of the situation, and how it would impact her.  I think that her fantasy and pleasure in the relationship with David became too much--particularly in light of such blatant and negative publicity.  Certainly she did not see herself as the siren who lured the king away from his English throne--this was how the British establishment and general public viewed her:

In the meantime, Ernest had had enough.  He went to see the king, to have a frank conversation about Wallis.  Apparently, David assured Ernest that his intentions towards Wallis were entirely honorable, and that he was determined to marry her.  He also assured Ernest that he was prepared to settle a substantial amount of money on her, and to generously provide for her material needs.  They reached a gentlemen's agreement, unbeknownst to Wallis.  Can you imagine the arrogance? Typical behavior for men of this period.  Ernest left their flat in Bryanston Court, to stay at his private club, and Wallis quietly filed for divorce.  Did she welcome this development? Probably not.  Recently correspondence between Wallis and Ernest has been discovered, dating from this time period, suggesting that the former couple lamented their failed relationship.

Certainly, Wallis does not appear to have welcomed the prospect of life with a man-child.  Yet, what other choice did she have? In this era, a woman of her class (as well as twice divorced) could not really survive without a good reputation.  She needed David to survive.  Thus, her trip to Ipswitch, where she filed for divorce.  It was previously arranged that Ernest would take the blame for the dissolution of the marriage, and in a staged incident, a hotel employee 'discovered' him in bed with his mistress.  Such evidence was necessary, under British law, to secure a divorce.  In a short hearing, the court granted a "decree Nicae," and in six months she would be free to marry David.  

So, what was the Prime Minister doing during all of this? Reacting with shock and awe, of course.  Mrs. Simpson as Queen? The horror!!

Stanley Baldwin regarded the relationship with Mrs. Simpson, as impossible, and demanded that the king give her up.  Yet, David was adamant:  he would only be crowned king, with Wallis by his side.  Eventually, parliament became polarized around the issue, and yet, David remained firm.  He was faced with an implacable choice--either give Wallis up, or abdicate.  Eventually, David realized that the only way he could have her was to give up the throne.  It was probably not ever a choice for him, he was so desperately in love 
with her.  

And so, the divorce.  And so Edward abdicates the throne, under a lot of pressure from the Prime Minister.  In his farewell speech to the British people, he made reference to the fact that he would be unable to rule "without the help and support of the woman I love."  Many thought that this was extremely romantic, calling the relationship 'the romance of the century.'  Was it?  I don't know.  As we begin to uncover more letters, diaries, and governmental reports, one thing becomes clear--at least to me:

1.  Prior to the abdication, Wallis enjoyed a life of luxury, which swept away all her good sense.

2.  Wallis did not appreciate the reality of life with David--I think she was more in love with the fantasy of becoming Queen Consort.

3.  Parliament wanted him out.  They would not even support a morganatic marriage, which would mean that David could marry Wallis, but that she would have neither official status, nor title.

4.  Edward was, to some extent, sympathetic to the fascist movement.  Perhaps he even admired it.

So, was his abdication manufactured by Baldwin's government? Possibly.  If one thinks about it, fascism is antithetical to the British way of life, and in the wake of tales leaking out of Italy and Spain in the mid 1930s, Baldwin's government began to worry, and then freak out over the words and actions of their monarch.  

Eventually, David's brother George (Bertie) took his brother's place.  The year was 1936.

David married his paramour Wallis after the finalization of her divorce.  For their honeymoon, David wished to do something ... unforgettable....

  

Yes, you recognized him.  Freaking Hitler.  Some honeymoon getaway, huh?

Some king.

Oh wait.  He abdicated, didn't he?

The Duke and Duchess made an incredible mistake in travelling to see Herr Hitler, and his band of merry psychopaths.  It was a visit also not viewed well in England by both the establishment, and the public.

The Duke and Duchess made a favorable impression on Hitler's hierarchy.  The following is a comment by Joseph Goebbels, lick-spittle extraordinaire:

the duke is wonderful--a nice, sympathetic fellow....it's a shame he is no longer king.  With him we would have entered into an alliance

Wallace's impressions of Goebbels were rather insulting, however:

[Goebbels is] a tiny, wispy gnome with an enormous skull.

Well, David had his way, he married his paramour.  A happy ending then, eh? 

No.

So, what happened to the newly styled Duke of Windsor and his Duchess? That, Dear Reader, is for next time.