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King's lover Wallis Simpson was 'miserable, second-rate American woman' [Abdication 74 years ago]
UK Daily Telegraph ^ | 10 December 2010 | Andy Bloxham

Posted on 12/10/2010 10:24:24 PM PST by iowamark

Wallis Simpson was branded a 'miserable second-rate American woman' by BBC founder Sir John Reith after he learned Edward VIII was to abdicate to marry her, it has emerged in his diaries.

The eyewitness account of the abdication crisis by the corporation's then director general shows a distinct lack of appreciation for the divorcee....

He wrote a diary account of the events surrounding the address and extracts are featured in a collection of radio broadcasts, and television footage telling the Abdication story.

The material has been put online to commemorate the anniversary of the broadcast...

"He said that the King simply wasn't sane. He was going to realise later what he had done."

In the document the director general describes how he spoke to Edward's legal adviser Sir Walter Monckton a few minutes after the broadcast about Mrs Simpson.

Sir John wrote: "He said he couldn't find words for her. I said it was awful that all this crisis was caused by a miserable, second-rate American woman."

Before leaving he spoke to Edward telling him "Good luck, Sir" and shaking his hand and bowing.

Reith wrote: "What an occasion. What that young man has thrown away - a greater opportunity than any King or any man ever had."

The BBC Archive collection which is now online includes speeches when Edward was the Prince of Wales, showcases interviews after he became the Duke of Windsor and features other interviews with those who knew him and his wife.

A 1980s radio programme is also available featuring the journalist who first broke the story about the King's affair with Mrs Simpson.

In it he talks about the event that prompted his decision to file the scandalous scoop that ended Fleet Street's "conspiracy of silence".

For more information go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/edward_viii/

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: abdication; edwardviii; georgevi; lordmonckton; milhist; monckton; mrssimpson; princeofwales; sandiego; uk
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To: AdmSmith; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; bigheadfred; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; Delacon; ...

And she was still better than the Nazi-sympathizing inbred do-nothing deserved. Thanks iowamark.


41 posted on 12/11/2010 5:09:41 AM PST by SunkenCiv (The 2nd Amendment follows right behind the 1st because some people are hard of hearing.)
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To: kabumpo
Holy cow. bought that book a million years ago at a used book store in Florida. Read it over and over. Never thought i'd see it referenced on FR. :)

I enjoy biographies over fiction any day of the week...and THIS story was, IMHO, definitely in the "you can't make this s**t up" category.

42 posted on 12/11/2010 5:18:55 AM PST by ZinGirl
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To: bannie

Isn’t that CAMILLER rather? Actually, Charles probably should have married Camilla rather than Diana in the first place. I’ve read that Camilla hadn’t married at that time and Charles was smitten with her; but Camilla herself (reportedly) thought she wasn’t suitable for that role. (Role-playing in life leads to all sorts of problems.) A lot of people think and thought that Diana was more beautiful; but evidently Charles was, is, and always has been in love with Camilla.


43 posted on 12/11/2010 5:42:35 AM PST by Twinkie (Doing nothing is the most tiring job there is; you can't quit and rest . .)
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To: kabumpo

Why do I have it in for Camilla? Because Edward VIII was at least damn honest enough to marry the gal that he really loved. Gave up everything for her. That’s true love. This whole Camilla thing is something else entirely.

Contrast to Charles who married Diana, cheated and broke her heart by taking up with Camilla while married to Diana.

That is simply unforgiveable. I hope Queen Elizabeth lives as long as her mom.


44 posted on 12/11/2010 6:02:09 AM PST by BenKenobi (Obama's book of the month, Herman Melville's Killin' Whitey)
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To: kabumpo

I disagree there is nothing romantic or loving about their relationship, it was pure selfishness.
If, as they have said, they always knew how they felt about each other, then neither of them should have married other people.
Once they brought other people into the mix as spouses, they became common adulterers. They made vows in front of God that they broke. Charles never intended to keep the vow. Camilla may have intended to keep hers at the time of her marriage, but she has said she became engaged to her first husband to make Charles jealous.

Charles socially and militarily outranked Camilla’s husband putting him in the position of acquiescing to his wife’s affair to hang onto his position and rank or losing it all if he exposed the Prince’s behavior with his wife. Diana I think was always wobbly emotionally, but was chosen for her good breeding and youth. She had the starry eyed notion that she was the fairy tale princess and others made her dream seem real.

I view them as immature and spoiled. Their selfishness wrecked many lives including their children’s.


45 posted on 12/11/2010 6:19:37 AM PST by kalee (The offences we give, we write in the dust; Those we take, we engrave in marble. J Huett 1658)
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To: iowamark; windcliff

Madonna of all people is currently directing a movie about this.


46 posted on 12/11/2010 6:22:00 AM PST by stylecouncilor (What Would Jim Thompson Do?)
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To: kabumpo

And it meant exactly ‘what’ to you and the rest of the world????

How is it anyone’s business???


47 posted on 12/11/2010 6:22:40 AM PST by Carley (ISRAEL.......NOT SO ALONE!!!)
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To: iowamark

Well, we would never waste one of our first rate American women on a mere English king.


48 posted on 12/11/2010 6:51:06 AM PST by blau993 (Fight Gerbil Swarming)
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To: iowamark

King Edward was also pro-nazi.


49 posted on 12/11/2010 7:00:54 AM PST by rfreedom4u ("A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.")
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To: bannie

Chuck should have pulled an “Edward”: tell the royals to GTH and marry Camilla.


50 posted on 12/11/2010 7:16:21 AM PST by sportutegrl
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To: iowamark

Edward was also a Nazi sympathizer and there was real concern that had Hitler invaded Britain Edward would have been set up as a puppet king. For that reason Churchill had him sent off for the duration of the war as governor of Bermuda.


51 posted on 12/11/2010 9:01:57 AM PST by The Great RJ (The Bill of Rights: Another bill members of Congress haven't read.)
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To: MasterGunner01

I dont think that ww2 story ever happened. He was totally out of the picture after his abdication. He visited nazi germany, but that was before the war.


52 posted on 12/11/2010 2:04:57 PM PST by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
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To: rfreedom4u

I believe there was a deal that if England fell to the Nazis Edward would have returned as King to serve Hitler.


53 posted on 12/11/2010 2:08:16 PM PST by dfwgator (Congratulations to Josh Hamilton - AL MVP)
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To: sportutegrl
Chuck wants to have his cake and eat it, too.

From last month...

Prince Charles: Camilla May Be Queen

54 posted on 12/11/2010 2:09:58 PM PST by mewzilla (Hey, Schumer, how's that Lockerbie bomber deal investigation coming along?)
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To: kalee
Charles didn't have the same freedom of choice re marriage that regular person has. He was dissuaded from marrying Camilla as a young man by people who had strong holds over him. Your suggestion that he imitate his great uncle and throw everything over for love would have meant having to leave England forever and spend his life in exile. It would have been devastating for his mother, his family, and the monarchy in general.
55 posted on 12/11/2010 2:17:18 PM PST by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
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To: kalee
Charles didn't have the same freedom of choice re marriage that regular person has. He was dissuaded from marrying Camilla as a young man by people who had strong holds over him. Your suggestion that he imitate his great uncle and throw everything over for love would have meant having to leave England forever and spend his life in exile. It would have been devastating for his mother, his family, and the monarchy in general.
56 posted on 12/11/2010 2:17:45 PM PST by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
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To: ZinGirl

I knew the author in L.A. Got to hear some of the stories that werent in the book.


57 posted on 12/11/2010 2:20:17 PM PST by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
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To: bannie

You must really hate Elizabeth Taylor.


58 posted on 12/11/2010 2:23:42 PM PST by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
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To: kabumpo

I did not suggest he throw everything over and go into exile as his uncle had done.
I said when he and Camilla chose not to marry each other and married others they should have ceased their relationship and honored the vows they made to their spouses. Instead they selfishly chose to pursue their “love”, which in reality became a sordid adulterous affair, and the fall out from that WAS horrendous.
He, as the future King and head of the Church, made a mockery of the words duty, honor and loyalty.
Edward at least was honest.


59 posted on 12/11/2010 3:03:14 PM PST by kalee (The offences we give, we write in the dust; Those we take, we engrave in marble. J Huett 1658)
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To: kabumpo
there were stories that WEREN'T in the book? wowsa. even more interesting. :)

I have a few other books on Wallis Simpson, but the Charles Higham was the one I always went back to for entertaining reading. His book had the elements of real-life that made it easier to read and easier to mentally take myself back in time....even to the point of imagining someone SO in love, he would give up "the crown" for me.

60 posted on 12/11/2010 3:57:51 PM PST by ZinGirl
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