Wallis Simpson married Edward, Duke of Windsor, in 1937, after he announced that he would abdicate the English throne in order to be with her.
Public DomainWallis Simpson, one of the most controversial women in English history
When King Edward VIII declared his desire to marry his girlfriend, a twice-divorced American socialite, Britain revolted. Wallis Simpson was widely seen as a social climber and schemer — certainly not an appropriate partner for the king of England.
Indeed, headlines smeared Wallis as a harpy and a temptress; rumors spread that she had seduced the king using “tricks” she’d learned in Asia. But on Dec. 11, 1936, Edward shocked the nation when he became the first king to ever voluntarily abdicate the English throne. He stated he would rather leave the throne than give up Wallis, “the woman I love.”
So who was Wallis Simpson, the vilified woman behind England’s “abdication crisis”?
The Early Years of Wallis Simpson
Wikimedia CommonsRaised in Baltimore’s high society, Wallis Simpson would ultimately marry three times.
Born on June 19, 1896, Bessie Wallis Warfield grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Her father died of tuberculosis when she was just a few months old, and Wallis was subsequently supported by her uncle, Solomon Davies Warfield. She attended a prestigious boarding school, where she earned a reputation both for her fashion sense and for sneaking out to meet up with boys.
After leaving school, Wallis moved to Pensacola, Florida, to live with her cousin, who was married to the head of the Pensacola Air Base. There, Wallis fell in love with a naval pilot, Lieutenant Earl Winfield “Win” Spencer.
According to Spencer’s sister, Wallis didn’t limit her affections to him. “[Wallis] could no more keep from flirting than breathing,” she said, per Politico.
The Two First Husbands Of Wallace Simpson
In 1916, Wallis Simpson married Win Spencer.
The young couple lived on naval bases across the country, including in San Diego and Washington D.C., before shipping overseas to China. But life as a Navy wife was much less glamorous than Wallis had hoped. Spencer was an alcoholic and may have been abusive. Meanwhile, Wallis’ flirtations with other men may have also caused problems.
As the couple drifted apart in the 1920s, Wallis stayed in China. During her self-proclaimed “lotus year,” she traveled the country alone, seeing friends, going to parties, and taking lovers. In 1927, she and Spencer divorced.
Wikimedia CommonsWallis Simpson in 1915, shortly before she married for the first time.
However, Wallis wasn’t single for long. By the time her divorce was finalized, she had already struck up another relationship, this time with a married man named Ernest Simpson. Ernest divorced his wife after meeting Wallis, and the two married in 1928 in London.
London’s social scene suited Wallis well. She became known for hosting glamorous parties and for her impeccable fashion sense. “I’m not a beautiful woman,” Wallis once declared. “I’m nothing to look at, so the only thing I can do is dress better than anyone else.”
She also fatefully developed a friendship with Thelma Furness, one of the lovers of Edward, Prince of Wales, the heir to the English throne. In 1931, Wallis Simpson and Edward crossed paths for the first time.
A few years later, they began to have an affair.
Catching The Eye Of The Prince Of Wales
Edward, Prince of Wales, was the son and heir of King George V. But Edward showed little interest in ruling.
National Portrait GalleryA portrait of Prince Edward from 1920.
“I feel quite ready to commit suicide and would if I didn’t think it unfair to Papa,” Edward wrote in the 1920s, according to That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba.
Indeed, many royal advisors worried that Edward would destroy the monarchy. He was widely seen as eccentric, frivolous, and even morally impaired, with one advisor fretting “we shall have to lock him up.” In the 1920s and 1930s, he jumped from lover to lover. Many were married. And soon, Wallis Simpson caught the prince’s eye.
In January 1934, Furness, the prince’s current girlfriend, asked Wallis to entertain the prince while she traveled. According to CNN, Furness hoped Wallis would distract the prince temporarily so that he wouldn’t be tempted to stray while she was abroad. But instead, Edward fell for Wallis — hard.
Public DomainPrince Edward and Wallis Simpson in Austria. February 1935.
The prince began visiting Wallis daily and phoning her multiple times a day. At first, Wallis’ husband was “flattered” by the royal attention. But then the prince dismissed his other lovers. And that summer, he and Wallis went on vacation without Wallis’ husband.
Edward was besotted with Wallis, who initially thought the affair would be short-lived. But according to Sebba, the prince’s infatuated only deepened. He threatened suicide, and told her that he would pursue her even if she left him.
And then, on Jan. 10, 1936, Edward’s father King George V died. The Prince of Wales then became King Edward VIII.
The Woman Behind England’s ‘Abdication Crisis’
In January 1936, George V died and the Prince of Wales became King Edward VIII.
But Edward showed little interest in his new duties. He spent days with Wallis, ignoring the world — even as the Nazis grew more powerful in Germany — and trying to figure out how to make Wallis his queen.
National Media MuseumWallis and Edward on vacation together in Yugoslavia in 1936.
Both his family and the British establishment were against the plan. For one, Wallis was still married. For another, she was American — and divorced. Though Wallis divorced Ernest, Edward was told that, as the head of the Church of England, he could not marry a divorcée.
Even Wallis tried to convince Edward that they did not need to marry.
“Summoning all the powers of persuasion in my possession, I tried to convince him of the hopelessness of our position,” she later stated, according to The Real Wallis Simpson by Anna Pasternak. “For him to go on hoping, to go on fighting the inevitable, could only mean tragedy for him and catastrophe for me.”
But Edward was determined. As PEOPLE reports, Edward and Wallis secretly got engaged in October 1936 when Edward gave Wallis a a 19.77-carat emerald ring surrounded by diamonds.
And six weeks later, Edward made a historic decision. He decided to abdicate his throne in order to marry Wallis.
“I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love,” he declared in December 1936 radio address.
Edward’s younger brother then took the throne as George VI. Edward would henceforth be known as the Duke of Windsor. And Wallis Simpson, who he married on June 3, 1937, became the Duchess of Windsor.
The Lonely Lives Of The Duke and Duchess of Windsor
After Edward abdicated, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor left England together. They lived in Paris, and traveled frequently. They also visited Nazi Germany, where they were photographed with Adolf Hitler. And, indeed, both Edward and Wallis were later suspected of being Nazi sympathizers.
They spent their life largely adrift, bitter toward the royal family and with no real responsibilities of their own.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and MuseumThe Duke and Duchess of Windsor remained in the spotlight, but had little responsibilities of their own.
In 1972, Edward died, leaving behind Wallis as his widow. Fourteen years later, Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, died at the age of 89. She is buried next to Edward at Windsor Castle.
Today, Wallis Simpson is largely seen as the woman who broke the British monarchy, a seductress who lured a king away from his throne. But her story was always more complicated than that — Edward’s devotion surprised her as much as it surprised the British.
Yet, in accepting his love, Wallis Simpson also changed the course of world history.
After reading about Wallis Simpson, discover the story of Queen Anne and the truth behind the film ‘The Favorite.’ Then, learn about the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives.
