THE FAIRY TALE THAT NEVER WAS

This December marks ninety years since Edward VIII abdicated as King of England, a constitutional crisis that turned Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom he gave up the throne, into public enemy number one. And an upcoming release of My Duchess, directed by Mike Newell, about Wallis’s final years is expected. Anna Pasternak, a commentator on the British royal family and author of a biography of the duchess that became an international bestseller, is a British journalist and writer educated at Oxford and a descendant of Boris Pasternak, author of Doctor Zhivago. She has contributed to some of Britain’s leading media outlets, such as The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph

On December 11, 1936, most Britons tuned-in to the BBC: Edward VIII, their brand-new king, wanted to explain to his subjects the reasons for his abdication. “It is impossible for me to continue bearing the heavy burden of responsibility” in a speech that the nation listened to in utter astonishment.

Due to press censorship, the British had practically only just found out about Edward VIII’s rela-tionship with Wallis Simpson: an American divorcee for whom he was not only relinquishing the throne of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and the overseas dominions, but also his position as Emperor of India. He was the first monarch in the country’s history to abdicate of his own free will. With that speech, an end was being put to an unprecedented constitutional crisis. The heir of George V and Mary of Teck did not reign for even a year or get crowned, like his ancestors, at Westminster Abbey. After his address, he left England aboard a Royal Navy destroyer bound for “the continent”, having been made Duke of Windsor by his successor (his brother, George VI).

In this way, Wallis Simpson became, as Anna Pasternak explains,“the most hated woman in the country”. She was accused of being a witch, a nymphomaniac and a manipulator. Also, a Nazi spy. These labels stayed with her until her death, in Paris, on April 24, 1986. She had been a widow for years, and, as Pasternak explains, she was senile and ill and at the mercy of her lawyer, the Frenchwoman Suzanne Blum. All of this is documented in The American Duchess. The real Wallis Simpson (William Collins).

Why a book about Wallis Simpson? What more can be said?

It was all due to my previous book about Lara, the muse of Boris Pasternak – author of Doctor Zhivago and my great-uncle. Critics said that I had rehabilitated a woman whom history had treated unfairly, and I thought that was a wonderful description and that I should do it again. The figure of Wallis Simpson emerged while I was watching the scene of Edward VIII’s abdication speech in The Crown. From a historical point of view it was completely wrong: in the series, he is at Buckingham Palace with his mother, Queen Mary, and with Wallis. It was ridiculous, because the queen never accepted Wallis and the broadcast was in Windsor. And Wallis wasn’t there either! So I decided to rehabilitate the Duchess of Windsor too. So many things have been said that are wrong that it had to be done.

Edward and Wallis came from very different backgrounds, but what did they have in common that made their union something indestructible?

They never managed to overcome that feeling of guilt that they both carried because of the abdication. She felt incredibly guilty because it was said that she had robbed the people of a beloved king, and in turn, he blamed himself for making her the most hated woman in the world. So they lived with that feeling as a foundation, upon which they had accumulated other layers.

And yes, they came from different environments, but Wallis came from a very respectable family in Baltimore. She had an excellent education and expressed herself eloquently. She was much smarter than he was and had a higher education than his. She possessed tremendous dignity: if I had to choose one word to describe the Duchess, it would be “dignified.” She never raised her voice nor complained about the horrible treatment she received from the royal family. They were also united by their passion for dressing impeccably and, why not, their obsession with diets.

Yes, they were united by their love for fashion, jewellery, and beautiful things. He gifted her very important pieces, his “crown jewels.” They wanted to bequeath them to England, but due to the manipulations of their lawyer, Suzanne Blum, they remained in France [they were auctioned in 1987; the proceeds were allocated to the Pasteur Institute]. Another thing I believe united them is that both had enormous insecurity regarding their sexuality: he did not feel fully masculine, and she did not feel fully feminine. And the reason they stayed so thin was also due to insecurity and the desire to always appear attractive. It’s ironic because he was the most handsome man in the kingdom.

A handsome prince who may have never heard the word “no” in his life. Is that why he insisted on marrying Wallis, come what may?

His obsession with her was due to the feeling of having found someone who made him feel valued, and he was not willing to give that up. One thing I admire about Edward VIII is that when his advisors advised him to keep Wallis as a mistress, he refused: “I will not be crowned with the sacred waters of the Jordan with a lie on my lips,” he said. That shows strength of character. However, I agree that he had probably never heard a “no” in his life and that when he was told “either the throne or Wallis,” he couldn’t believe it. And he insisted on marrying her when the real act of love would have been to let her go.

Which is what, as she recounts in her book, Wallis asked him: not to abdicate and to leave her. Was it really like that?

Yes, the last thing Wallis Simpson wanted was to be queen and for him to abdicate, although what remains in popular imagination is a false narrative that she was an intriguing woman who longed to become queen of England and seduced that man with exotic sexual practices – which she did not do, because in the reality was very prudish. But he simply was not going to leave her, so Wallis found herself in an untenable situation.

On the eve of the wedding, an assistant to the now ex-king told her, “The people hate you, but if you love this man and make him happy, they will forgive you.” Did they? No. For thirty-five years, she stood by Edward and made him very happy, but no one forgave her: she was only honoured as a member of the royal family on the day of her funeral! The ruling class and the British royal family controlled the narrative; just as they do today. Elizabeth [the queen consort] felt envy towards Wallis, and with the courtier Tommy Lascelles, she wove a web of lies against her.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, her sister-in-law, blamed her for the death of her husband, King George VI. Was she right?

There are parallels between the two couples: one abdicated the throne, while Charles said that Camilla was “non-negotiable.” And look how she has gone from being public enemy number one to becoming a national treasure. The same could have happened to Wallis! Although, in Camilla’s case, there was a ten-year campaign to achieve that.

In the book, it discusses the significant role the press played throughout the crisis; both in hiding the romance and contributing to changing the course of history. A lot of time has passed, but does the British monarchy still need the press to survive? I don’t believe the royal family is at the mercy of the media. On the contrary! They are the ones pulling the strings because the press needs them to sell copies. For example, I cannot write a favorable article about Meghan Markle in the Times or the Telegraph. They won’t publish it! In the Telegraph, there is a tacit agreement that you can only write positively about William and Catherine and negatively about Meghan and Harry. Sometimes I feel like I’m in my great-uncle’s Stalinist Russia!

You have mentioned the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, several times. What similarities do you find between them and the Windsors?

Obviously, the differences lie in the fact that when Harry married Meghan, she got everything Wallis didn’t: the title of royal highness, the royal wedding. But, when Harry talks about a campaign against them, orchestrated from Buckingham Palace, I know he speaks the truth: when they came on the scene, they were sexy, dynamic, she had that Hollywood sparkle. They made William and Catherine look a bit provincial and somewhat boring. And let’s not forget that in the British monarchy, for the Crown to survive, the focus of attention must always be on the monarch and the heir. Anyone who steals too much limelight is pushed out. That’s what happened with Harry and Meghan, what happened with Diana of Wales, and what is happening with the Dukes of Windsor.

He maintains that Wallis Simpson was not a German spy and that the marriage did not conspire with the Nazis, but there are images of them being received by Adolf Hitler. Was getting close to the Nazis his biggest mistake?

One thing is certain: Edward was very fond of his German relatives, and the only thing he excelled at was speaking German. When, in 1937, Charles Bedaux, the businessman who lent them his castle for the wedding, suggested that he go to Germany, he saw it as an opportunity for Wallis to enjoy a royal tour and for her to be treated as royal highness, as they assured him. So he said yes… but no one around him told him it was a bad idea!

It is overlooked that the Duke of Windsor was a weak man and that, after the abdication, the royal house – just as in the case of Meghan and Harry – turned its back on him: they didn’t provide him with advisors, support, nothing! He literally boarded that naval destroyer, left the country, and that was it. No one tried to help him navigate civilian life. On the other hand, we are seeing this visit from our perspective, but in those years leading up to the conflict, it was fashionable among the English aristocracy to go to the Berghof [Hitler’s residence in the Alps] to visit the Führer. Winston Churchill’s own son accompanied the Windsors on that visit. Moreover, as historian John Julius Norwich said, Edward was too stupid, both politically and intellectually, to truly adhere to a political creed.

They had no children. They lived in exile. They were hated by millions of people. Was the abdication worth it?

Yes, it was worth it in the sense that we had Elizabeth II as queen, and that was fantastic because she was an incredible monarch (even though she would have reigned anyway, since the Windsors had no descendants). I also think it was worth it for him because he never wavered in his love and adoration for the duchess and spent thirty-five years with the woman he was madly in love with.

For her, however, it was a bittersweet situation: when they married, I think she was more in love with the king’s lifestyle than with the person. But by the end of their life together, they were literally “us.” So, in the end, I think it was a truly extraordinary love story, but not a fairy tale.

Did Wallis really say the famous phrase “You can never be too rich or too thin”?

[Laughs]. I don’t know the answer, but I imagine she probably did, considering she was very thin and had a wonderful sense of humor. Wallis was a brilliant person; everyone wanted to sit next to her at dinners. She was affectionate, fun, and loyal. She was devoted to him, but she was also very close to his friends. She didn’t deserve to be the most hated woman in England.