Denied the Royal Blessing

The narrative often spun is that Edward VIII’s romance with Wallis Simpson was thwarted by her divorce—a simplification that doesn’t quite capture the complexity of the situation. As the king, Edward held the power to marry whomever he pleased. However, it wasn’t marital status but rather the identity of his chosen bride that ignited a firestorm.

With the Crown, Parliament, and the British Commonwealth ablaze with outrage over Edward’s attachment to Wallis, she became the target of scorn, dubbed dismissively as “that woman.” Edward’s failure to garner the support of key institutions threatened to plunge the nation into constitutional chaos. Speculation swirled that Wallis bore the brunt of blame from figures within the royal inner circle.