''The Duchess of Windsor'' is a 1980 biography of
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986), was an American socialite and wife of the former King Edward VIII. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused ...
by
Diana Mosley
Diana, Lady Mosley (''née'' Freeman-Mitford; 17 June 191011 August 2003) was one of the Mitford sisters. In 1929 she married Bryan Walter Guinness, heir to the barony of Moyne, with whom she was part of the Bright Young Things social group o ...
. The book was commissioned by
Lord Longford and published by
Sidgwick & Jackson and again by Gibson Square in 2003. In
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, Mosley and her husband
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...
were long-term neighbours and friends of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor and
Edward VIII
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...
. On 26 June 1980, she was interviewed by
Russell Harty
Frederic Russell Harty (5 September 1934 – 8 June 1988) was an English television presenter of arts programmes and chat shows.
Early life
Harty was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, the son of greengrocer Fred Harty, who ran a fruit-and-veget ...
on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
to discuss the project. The earlier edition sold 23, 000 copies according to Mosley's biographer, Jan Dalley.
Synopsis
The American
divorcée
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
(Simpson) attracted media attention when she married
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom. Due to the divisive political issue of the proposed marriage, the king was forced to abdicate the throne in order to pursue marriage with Simpson. The author (Mosley) was a confidante and neighbour of the Duchess.
Later editions
In the revised 2003 edition, Mosley addresses latest allegations of secret service reports about the Windsors' conduct during the war and the abdication.
Simpson returned to the public consciousness with the release of the biopic ''
W.E.
''W.E.'' (stylised ''W./E.'') is a 2011 historical romantic drama film written and directed by Madonna and starring Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, Oscar Isaac, Richard Coyle, and James D'Arcy. The screenplay was co-written by Alek Keshishia ...
'' in 2012. Mosley's biography was re-released in 2012 and an extract was published by the ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
''.
Betrayal of my old friend Wallis
Daily Express. 13 January 2012
Contents
The book has been published in both paperback and hardback and also features several illustrations.
*''Acknowledgements'' (6)
*''List of Illustrations'' (7)
*''Foreword'' (11)
*I ''A Young Lady from Baltimore'' (12)
*II ''Navy Wife'' (22)
*III ''The Little Prince'' (29)
*IV ''Prince of Wales'' (40)
*V ''Divorce and Re-marriage'' (49)
*VI ''Ich Dien'' (58)
*VII ''Mrs Simpson meets the Prince'' (68)
*VIII ''The Prince in Love'' (74)
*IX ''Loved by a King'' (85)
*X ''Storm Clouds'' (96)
*XI ''Abdication'' (104)
*XII ''King into Duke'' (115)
*XIII ''Marriage'' (125)
*XIV ''The First Two Years'' (140)
*XV ''War'' (150)
*XVI ''The Bahamas'' (163)
*XVII ''The Windsors in France'' (169)
*XVIII ''The Brilliant Duchess'' (188)
*XIX ''Old Age'' (198)
*XX ''Summing Up'' (211)
Index (220)
References
* Mosley, Diana, ''The Duchess of Windsor'' (1st edition, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1980) reissued, London, 2003,
External links
1980 review by Patricia Beer in the London Review of Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duchess
Books by Diana Mitford
1980 non-fiction books
2003 non-fiction books
American biographies
Sidgwick & Jackson books