It’s Complicated: Edward VIII & Wallis Simpson’s Scandalous Romance

Edward VIII, King of England, shocked the world when he gave up his throne. He claimed to do so in the name of love, as his position would not allow him to marry the woman he had his eyes set on: Wallis Simpson, an American. Her status as twice divorced made their union impossible in the eyes of proper Brits and the laws of the Church of England. His abdication was far from the only scandal of their relationship, as they led a tangled life, constantly surrounded by rumor and suspicion.

The future King of England, George V, and his wife, Mary of Teck, welcomed their first son, to whom they gave the extended royal moniker Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, on June 23, 1894. Known as David to his family, young Edward was next in line to take the throne after his father. When George V took the throne in 1911, Edward became known as the Prince of Wales.

After studying at Osborne Naval College, the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, and Oxford’s Magdalen College, the well-educated Edward joined the British Navy. After the start of World War I, he enlisted in the army but was prevented from participating in situations that might risk his life. This frustrated the young daredevil, who was later banned from other activities he enjoyed, such as riding steeplechase, which was considered too dangerous. After the war, Edward took on a prince’s official duties, traveling the country and making appearances. He was incredibly popular with the English people.

A Budding Romance

Young Edward was also a favorite of Britain’s young women, even those already in relationships. He had affairs with several married women throughout the 1920s and women who threatened his social status, including a French courtesan who later went on to kill her husband.

Edward’s womanizing ways changed in 1931 when he attended a party thrown by his current mistress, American socialite Lady Thelma Furness. Also in attendance was American-born businessman Ernest Simpson and his wife, Wallis. Edward was smitten with Wallis, and the two quickly became friends.

Despite her married status, by January 1934, it was suspected by many around Edward that he and Wallis were having a relationship. The prince took a vacation with Wallis and Ernest and invited Mrs. Simpson to the Jubilee Ball at Buckingham Palace. Still, Edward denied any impropriety to those around him. The king himself had concerns about the potential couple and had them placed under the surveillance of Special Branch police officers.

In January 1936, Edward rushed to his ill father’s side at his mother’s urging. On January 20, King George V passed away after dealing with recurring lung issues, likely related to a lifetime of smoking. His death was accelerated by his doctor, who dosed him with a cocktail of morphine and cocaine to assist his passing, though this was kept under wraps for many years. Edward ascended to his dictated role as king of England and remained popular as king as he had been as prince—though he never seemed very enthusiastic about his royal role.

Wallis and Edward’s relationship seemed to be heating up despite advice from his royal relations to stay away from her. Mrs. Simpson was a controversial figure for a king to pursue. Currently married, previously divorced, and American, she was far from the ideal match for Edward from a monarchial standpoint. The relationship was openly discussed in the American media and elsewhere in Europe, but in England, coverage of the relationship was essentially a blackout topic. The Simpsons began divorce proceedings, which were not completely finalized until the following May.

As Wallis was to become officially unattached, Edward considered his options, knowing he wanted to be with her. A marriage between the two would be a complete scandal, both in the monarchy and the church of England. Edward would create a constitutional crisis if he outright married Simpson, as the Church of England, which he was the head of as king, outlawed marriage by divorcees if their former spouse was still alive.

There were also questions about Wallis’ loyalty to England, as she was not a British citizen, and suspicions about her true motivation were rampant. Edward proposed a morganatic marriage between the two, meaning he would retain his title and role as king, but his wife would receive no royal status. The Cabinet Office quickly refused this idea. Despite Edward’s threats to abdicate the throne, his advisors refused to budge. The king made good on his threat on December 10th, 1936, becoming the shortest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. His title was reduced to Duke of Windsor.

In a radio address a few days later, the former king explained his decision to the people of England. In his speech, which had been revised by Winston Churchill, Edward maintained that he was unable to complete his duties as king “without the help and support of the woman I love.”

Still, he gave his public allegiance to his younger brother (and father of the future Queen Elizabeth II), George VI, who was now king.

Wallis Simpson became a publicly hated figure throughout England, receiving stacks of hate mail and threats and constantly being chased by members of the press. According to biographer Anna Pasternak, Simpson did not support the idea of abdication and offered to leave England but was convinced by Edward that it was his wish.

The couple held their wedding on June 3, 1937 at Château de Cande in France. Reverend R. Anderson Jardine performed the service and, upon his return to England, was so badly shunned that he eventually moved to America.

Very few friends and no members of the royal family attended the wedding. With the marriage, Wallis was technically the Duchess of Windsor, though she never received any official royal titles. Their honeymoon took place in Austria, and they returned to live in France.

Whispers of Nazism

Another contentious aspect of the relationship between Wallis and Edward was the suspicion that the two of them, particularly Wallis, had ties to Germany’s Nazi party and supported fascist ideas. Before the abdication, these ideas had grown so much that MI5, a British intelligence agency, took to monitoring the king’s phone calls. There was fear among royal advisors that Wallis was manipulating Edward in his royal position, allowing for closer ties to the growing threat in Germany.

These ideas persisted after Edward’s abdication. The newly married couple visited Germany in 1937, meeting and getting photographed with Adolf Hitler. While some argue that the visit was proof of the former king’s treasonous tendencies, others claim that the trip was an effort on Edward’s part to maintain a royal role and acceptance of his wife. He may have seen potential for a diplomatic position with Germany.

The trip gave Wallis a chance to see what it felt like to be royal, as the two were welcomed with open arms and treated to a royal tour. Still, there were even rumors that Nazi officials planned to kidnap Edward and install him as a puppet king after a successful takeover of Britain in World War II.

Biographer Andrew Morton said that even if Edward was not a Nazi, he certainly had some sympathies toward aspects of the Nazi cause, including the fact that he was a known anti-Semite. Publically, the royal family maintained that Edward remained a devoted Brit and had “never wavered in his loyalty.”

Regardless of the truth of the situation, Edward and Wallis’ potential affiliation with the Nazi cause had made the couple a liability for World War II-era England. Edward was appointed the governor of the Bahamas, still a British territory at the time, in 1940. He and Wallis were sent across the Atlantic to the island nation to reside.

They were not pleased with the assignment, with the Duke said to have called the island a “third-class British colony.” The couple hobnobbed with other elites on the island, including gold mine millionaire Harry Oakes and Swedish aristocrat (and reportedly a close friend of Hitler’s second, Hermann Goering) Axel Wenner-Green. They remained under surveillance by British intelligence and the American FBI throughout their tenure in the Bahamas.

French Retirement

At the conclusion of the war, Edward and Wallis returned to France. For the remainder of their lives, visits to England were infrequent and brief, and the couple spent their time traveling, entertaining, and writing their memoirs. A heavy smoker like his father, Edward died in 1972 from throat cancer. His body was flown to Windsor Castle, where it lay in state before his funeral.

The funeral was one of the only times Wallis was ever in close proximity to the royals, as she lodged at Buckingham Palace during the proceedings. With Wallis in attendance along with Queen Elizabeth II, Edward VIII was laid to rest at Frogmore, home to the royal cemetery grounds. Just three months before turning 90 in 1986, Wallis succumbed to pneumonia and was buried alongside her late husband at Frogmore.

Controversial and divisive, the attraction and marriage between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson was a love story with many twists and turns. Despite the commotion and family estrangement that resulted from their relationship, the pair persisted. Their 35-year marriage resulted in the loss of kingship, inexhaustible media coverage, suspicion from the public and monarchy alike, and banishment. Still, Edward maintained that “not once did he regret the abdication, because he was so happy.”