The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

[auntie]

Originally Posted by Duchess

so i finally finished the book. it ended on such a sad note with the death of the Duchess...alone. i agree with the author that this was the love story of the century.

I choose to disagree, Wallis, according to witnesses tried very hard to be in love with David or the prince of Wales, but was more in love with his position. All her husbands were very rich, she stole her second husband from his wife and looked for more than Money. Come on look at the facts, not the gossip. I think he probably was very in love with her, or besotted.

[frank22]

The english writer Hugo Vickers is writing a wonderful book about the life of the Duchess of Windsor. It will be available after January of 2010.

:: Hugo Vickers Official Site ::

[Jeniann]

I am really looking forward to that book. That, and the official biography of the Queen Mother. Gotta get both sides of the story...

[Jaya]

Originally Posted by MARG

I believe that Wallis felt that if David did not abdicate that all would "come around" to her/their way of thinking. She could not conceive the situation where a "King" could be dictated to by parliament and the people. Least of all that his wish to make her his Queen could be thwarted.

As for the Queen Mother blaming Wallis..... she did. But on a purely personal level. We tend to forget that David was a dashing, debonaire batchelor who was also a beloved brother, brother-in-law and uncle!

Wallis took him away from his family and his throne, and, in the eyes of the Queen Mother, thrust her beloved husband into a role he had never been prepared for, and effectively removed her daughter from her and turned her into "The Heir". In short, their small, close-knit family (David included) was destroyed forever.

As for Wallis herself? Well, in those days men did not bring their mistresses to the family dinner table. And, like it or not, Wallis was not the innocent (virgin?) they were all expecting to join their family as future Queen.

The Queen Mother and Wallis obviously met, but they were never friends or contemporaries. I doubt they gave each other much thought at all as they had nothing in common.

Fate dealt a hand that both (for love) played out in anger, enmity and probably not a little regret.

KIng George had a neurologial dysfunction dysfunction that would have shortened his life with the burden of being a monarch - as it did. He could hardy give a speech.In oreder to calm himself down he chain smoked. That is why the Queen Mother resented Wallis and Edward because they were sending George - or bertie on a suicide mission by him being crowned king. He had a difficult time of it and there is even a theory that he did not have sexual relations with Elizabeth but that they took his sperm and impregnated her.So if all of this is true you can understand why the Queen Mother was imaplacable. This is another theory surrounding them.

[espejor]

Do you know titles of photo-books about Duke and Duchess of Windsor?

Regards and thanks in advance!

[frank22]

For Espejor:

"The private world of the duke and duchess of windsor" (hugo vickers, I recommend this book), "The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor" (Sothebys catalogue, Geneve), "The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor" (John Culme and Nicholas Rayner), "Windsor Sytle" (Suzy Menkes). In April there will be a new book written by Hugo Vickers about the private world of the Duchess of Windsor.

[espejor]

Hello! Thanks very much for your help! Do you know if the book that will be released in April is a photo-book?

I have read that the Duke wrote a book called something like "My family album" in 1960: is it a photo-book?

Regards!

[Russophile]

Originally Posted by Jaya

He had a difficult time of it and there is even a theory that he did not have sexual relations with Elizabeth but that they took his sperm and impregnated her.

Yeah, I read that in the Kitty Kelly book which I regard as being on par with the tabloids so I wouldn't put too much stock in it.

[Vasillisos Markos]

Originally Posted by Russophile

Yeah, I read that in the Kitty Kelly book which I regard as being on par with the tabloids so I wouldn't put too much stock in it.

So you suggesting that the Queen Mum had to lie there, on her back, with her eyes shut, and think of England??

[Russophile]

Originally Posted by Vasillisos Markos

So you suggesting that the Queen Mum had to lie there, on her back, with her eyes shut, and think of England??

Oh my Warren is going to shut us down! Naughty children! Naughty children!

[jonc93]

In the movie Bertie & Elizabeth it shows how they met and all about the abdication crisis. At one point it shows Wallis & the then king talking and Wallis is making fun of the QM at the time Duchess of York, when Albert & Elizabeth walk in and then she gets embarrassed for being caught, I wonder if that ever happened? You can see it here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaBq1...eature=related

There's eleven clips if anyone's interested in watching.

[frank22]

For Espejor: yes, the new book of Hugo Vickers will be a photo-book.

[Duchessmary]

I believe the venom between Elizabeth, Duchess of York and later Queen of England, and Wallis was real. C'mon, think about it. Bertie was ill-equipped to be King, it probably hastened his early death and the Queen Mum strikes me as someone that didn't forget.

[Mermaid1962]

I think that Albert was better suited to be king than his elder brother. He might have had a nervous temperament, but he had courage as well. He was there when his people needed him, regardless of the personal cost.

Originally Posted by Duchessmary

I believe the venom between Elizabeth, Duchess of York and later Queen of England, and Wallis was real. C'mon, think about it. Bertie was ill-equipped to be King, it probably hastened his early death and the Queen Mum strikes me as someone that didn't forget.

[MARG]

Originally Posted by Jaya

KIng George had a neurologial dysfunction dysfunction that would have shortened his life with the burden of being a monarch - as it did. He could hardy give a speech.In oreder to calm himself down he chain smoked. That is why the Queen Mother resented Wallis and Edward because they were sending George - or bertie on a suicide mission by him being crowned king.

Could you supply some credible medical evidence that David suffered from any neurological dysfunction? I know he stuttered . . . badly, in which case the prospect of public speaking could posibly have made him a tad tense?

Originally Posted by Jaya

He had a difficult time of it and there is even a theory that he did not have sexual relations with Elizabeth but that they took his sperm and impregnated her. So if all of this is true you can understand why the Queen Mother was imaplacable. This is another theory surrounding them.

Could we have some verification of these somewhat tacky "factoids" regarding the conception and/or continued connubial bliss of the King and Queen? . The name of the person wielding the turkey baster, the valet/courtier/maid hiding in the dressing room writing it all down for posterity?

BTW Kitty Kelly doesn't qualify!

The York family led a life of contentment before the advent of Wallis, and were, by most accounts, a very close and loving family. When both Elizabeth and Margaret were born, Bertie was just the second son of four, the youngest of which already had a son, so I fail to see the need for the turkey baster to ensure any succession, or indeed for the Duchess of York to "lay back and think of England".

Trying to smear the entire life of King George and his Queen, Elizabeth by implying that he was both mentally unfit and phyically impotent is just about as low as you can get on the trek to elevate David and Wallis from their chosen life of useless, lazy, narcisistic excess and is extremely distasteful.

[Warren]

A couple of snippets from "Wallis - Secret Lives of the Duchess of Windsor" by Charles Higham (paperback pp140-142)...

[context: just prior to the wedding of Prince George and Princess Marina in 1934]

"Two days before the wedding there was a celebration ball at Buckingham Palace. King George and Queen Mary insisted that the Lord Chamberlain remove Wallis's name from the guest list. This was very upsetting to Wallis, and Edward was furious when he found out; as a result, he arrived with Wallis and swept through the verstibule with her, determined that she would meet his parents. 'He smuggled her into the Palace' King George later said to Count Mensdorff.

Wallis was determined to upstage the beautiful Marina, who was dressd unpretentiously in white satin; the Queen was in silver brocade. Most of the ladies were dressed in subdued colours in keeping with the dignity of the occasion. Wallis appeared in a creation of violet-coloured lamé with a green sash... Her jewels, presents from her lover, glittered at neck and wrist. She also wore a tiara of diamonds, hired from Cartier's...

With sheer effrontery, the Prince introduced Wallis to his parents. She curtseyed while they stared at her. She had no warmer a reception from the Duke of York, next in line to the throne, or his wife, the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The Duchess of York took an instant dislike to Wallis. She was offended by what she felt to be Wallis's blatant and vulgar behaviour and the garish colours of her dress. Wallis was equally unimpressed. She was irritated by the Duchess of York's sweet, slightly high-pitched voice, pink Scottish face and plump figure."

° ° °

The anecdote mentioned by jonc93 at post #69 about the Duke and Duchess of York arriving at Fort Belvedere and walking in on Wallis doing an impersonation of the Duchess of York is quite correct.
.

[espejor]

I have been looking for books about the Duchess of Windsor and I have found dozens... What do you think that is the best book about her?

PD: Thanks frank for the information

Regards and thanks in advance!

[frank22]

To Espejor: I have not found yet a good biography about the Duchess of Windsor. There are tons of books about her, but they are not professional. I recommend you to wait for the book of Hugo Vickers, it will be realeased in April. He is very professional and before he writes a book he makes a lot of research.

[Russophile]

Greg King's book on Wallis is good.

[Elly C]

Madonna is directing a film called WE which is based on the relationship between Edward & Wallis. She was filming scenes on the French & Italian Rivieras this summer.

Press release

In another article I read a little while ago it reported that Madonna would ask the Queen for permission to film in "several of her houses". Given the nature of the film I doubt very much that Her Majesty would agree.