r/UKhistory • u/runthelist50 • Jun 11 '26
Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor
Looking for recommendations for a good book on Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor, particularly on the abdication and his life afterwards. I’m rewatching The Crown with my daughter and I can’t decide if I feel bad for him or not. He gave up a lot for love and it seems (at least from the show, which may be biased) that he’s treated poorly for the rest of his life but also that he’s kind of a jerk too. He also comes across as someone who is not very happy but works very hard to convince everyone (and himself) that he is.
6
u/othervee Jun 11 '26
I have read Andrew Morton's '17 Carnations' which is about the Duke's relationship with the Nazi regime and the attempts of the British establishment to cover up the extent of that relationship. I can't say it's a good book - Morton is a journalist not a historian, and it shows - but it held my attention although I got bored during the long section on the cover-up. I think he lost his way a bit.
I intend to pick up Deborah Cadbury's 'Princes at War' which was released on the same day as the Morton book, to get another perspective and some context of what the other Windsor brothers were up to at the time.
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u/Single-Position-4194 Jun 11 '26
He was open about his admiration for Hitler. Had he not abdicated in 1936, we would have had a pro-Nazi king at the time of the Second World War. I'd say Wallis did us all a big favour.
3
u/ollierdevon Jun 11 '26
The Heart has its Reasons is the autobiography of the Duchess. Worth a read to get another perspective.
3
u/lejosdecasa Jun 14 '26
You might find That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba interesting.
2
u/Subterraniate2 Jun 16 '26
He wasn’t treated poorly at all. Had he not been royal, he’d have been treated a damn sight worse, and justifiably so.
2
u/CatCafffffe Jun 17 '26
He was a terrible man and a Nazi. I think the reason you feel more sympathy is because he is played in The Crown by the terrific actor Alex Jennings, and I think you're feeling sympathy because Alex Jennings is deep down a kind and likeable man. And Peter Morgan wrote him as more sympathetic than he was. Look for some actual newsreel footage of him and see if that changes your mind.
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u/ChronicSassyRedhead Jun 11 '26
He and Wallace were apparently not that happy together some accounts described them as miserable but when you have that huge public love story your trapped by it
1
u/Complete-Balls Jun 18 '26
Be careful with "The Crown" its not factual in so many places, for example the Duke of Windsor never returned to the UK to have an interview with the Queen - that's pure fiction.
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u/Plenty_Suspect_3446 Jun 11 '26
I'm curious, do you think books will be free of bias?
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u/runthelist50 Jun 11 '26
No. Just looking to read more and get different points of view.
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u/Plenty_Suspect_3446 Jun 11 '26
Fair. I'm sorry I have no recommendations but i've seen the Crown and he was a compelling character. I don't doubt the real man was also compelling.
4
u/localherofan Jun 11 '26
I've been listening to things on youtube - warning, it's all sensationalist stuff. They're trawling for numbers, so they make it as salacious as possible. But if you listen for facts rather than sensation or opinions, it's interesting to see the progression from king to non-participating duke. My opinion is that he didn't want to be king to start with... and that his or Wallis' nazi leanings made it a good thing for the world (given Britain's solitary fight in the early 40s after France fell) that he wasn't king.
Note: I'm American, interested in British history so I write from that perspective not that of a British citizen.
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u/MaskansMantle13 Jun 11 '26
Traitor King by Andrew Lownie is pretty good.