When Harry and Meghan - the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - released an explosive statement revealing that they would step back from their roles as senior royals, the world was shocked. But some used the incident as their latest opportunity to compare Meghan to another American divorcee who feel in love with a royal, with shock consequences. We are referring, of course, to Wallis Simpson, whose romance with and planned marriage to the then King Edward VIII led to his abdication and a shift in the line of succession. In royal circles, she was known ever after as 'That Woman.' So who was she?
Where did she come from, and who was she married to before Edward?
Wallis was born in Pennsylvania in 1896, granddaughter to a flour merchant. She met and married aviator Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. in 1916, which might have been doomed to fail: Wallis was horribly afraid of flying, a phobia that developed after she witnessed two plane crashes within a fortnight. Not surprising, really. They divorced in 1927, and Wallis married shipping executive Ernest Aldrich Simpson a year later. At some point in the next few years, she met Prince Edward.
How did their relationship start?
The affair is thought to have begun in January of 1934. She met members of his family later that year, with Edward's father George V reportedly livid that Wallis was brought along, thanks to the stigma of divorce and the fact that she was still married to Earl.
This truly became a problem, though, when George V passed away in 1936 and it became increasingly clear that Edward hoped to marry Wallis once her second marriage was dissolved. Indeed, Wallis is alleged to have said 'Soon I shall be Queen of England', before officially splitting from Earl. But it was not to be.
What was the constitutional crisis?
Edward's connections, and now evident romantic relationship, with a divorced American was deemed unacceptable by the establishment, and an ultimatum was clear: the throne, or Wallis. Edward chose Wallis. On December 10, 1936, he signed the Instrument of Abdication. His brothers the Duke of York (soon to be George VI), the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent were all present, and Edward made a statement via radio: 'I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love', he said. He married Wallis shortly after, in June of 1937, having been given the title of Duke of Windsor by George. Wallis, however, was not permitted to be known as 'Royal Highness.' No members of the royal family attended.
Where did they live?
The couple lived in France, then Spain, then Portugal, before settling in Paris in later life. When Edward died in 1972, Wallis attended the funeral in London - she stayed at Buckingham Palace - before returning home.
How did she die?
After suffering from dementia and several falls, Wallis passed away in 1986. The cause of death was bronchopneumonia. She was buried next to Edward in Windsor, in the Royal Burial Ground.
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