Marrying the Duke of Windsor

Barely a day after Wallis Simpson’s divorce papers were inked, Edward wasted no time in rushing to her side, marking the swift end to their five-month-long separation. With the assistance of his brother, George VI, a picturesque chateau in France was secured as the backdrop for their impending nuptials, slated for June 3—a whirlwind romance culminating in a hasty wedding.

Despite the absence of any royal attendees, Edward’s poignant abdication speech and Wallis’ regal presence in a stunning blue wedding gown began to thaw the frosty public reception of the scandal-plagued couple. Yet, despite Wallis’ aspirations of royal treatment, the entrenched biases of aristocratic society persisted, leaving her aspirations for acceptance as “Her Royal Highness” unfulfilled.