30 years after the Abdication Crisis, Wallis and Edward, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, pictured in 1966  – then aged 73 and 71 respectively

Today’s intrigues surrounding royal affairs reveal a continuing fascination with the British Royal Family. Think Prince Andrew, or Harry and Meghan. The work of royal press officers and the algorithms of social ensure continue to polarise people’s views on these stories. In a world of AI and fake news, how do we distinguish between fact and fiction? As the late Queen famously observed, “Our recollections may vary.” But how can we discern what is truth from spin and disinformation? This is a critical question in the international politics of the 202s. And it’s probably the reason why, outside of my work with ancestral narratives, what I am about to share with you are the most visited files on my website over the last twenty years…..

Ninety years ago in 1936 the British monarchy hit white water. It was the turning point for a king who was wildly popular in Great Britain and throughout the Commonwealth; a king whom Prime Minister Winston Churchill worked assiduously to keep on the British throne. Yet, as his official biographer reveals, this was a monarch who had clearly expressed to his family a desire to abdicate the throne more than ten years before he met the love of his life, the woman cast by the British press as the reason for his abdication, a woman whose family lines descended from Charlemagne and King Edward I – an American socialite who, having courted a king’s attention, found herself then cornered by his life-long love and adulation.

Yet ninety years after the abdication, there is still a mystery to the story. To  separate reality from disinformation is not a simple exercise. Absent of the hysteria, what was the truth of it? If you read the posts, and watch the videos that follow I wonder if your views will be confirmed or changed. Take this journey with me and make up your own mind.

 In later life as the Duke of Windsor

Enjoy the 10 POSTS below. In them you will find 8 VIDEOS including Rare Interview footage with the Duke and Duchess, all reflecting different facets of this fascinating story. Enjoy…

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 1: Popularity and Misgivings

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 2: Finding a Reason

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 3: Letters from A Corner

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 4: Managing Popularity

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 5: Varying the Succession

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 6: Preparations in Advance

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 7: The Last Straw

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 8: Family Ties & Nazi Sympathies

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 9: Goodwill and Infamy

The 1936 Abdication Crisis – Part 10: Four Rare Videos with Interview Footage

Sources:

The Heart has its Reasons – The Duchess of Windsor (D.McKay)

King Edward VIII – The Official Biography – Philip Ziegler (Harper Collins)

That Woman – Anne Sebba (St Martin’s Press)

Go-Betweens for Hitler – Dr Karina Urbach, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London .(Oxford University Press)