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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A fascinating history of people who claimed they were unfairly villainized when in fact they were more villainous than anyone knew at the time.
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
I've read a few books on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, but this added something new. As the author observed, most books focus on the things leading up to the abdication, but this was focused solely on after.
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
TRAITOR KING: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is one of the best, most thoroughly researched, and highly readable books about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (Edward and Wallis Simpson) it has been my pleasure to read.
The book takes the reader from the day of Edward VIII's abdication of the throne (December 11, 1936) to the deaths of both Edward (May 1972) and Wallis Simpson (April 1986). It is also richly laden with photos (both B&W and color) of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as well as some of their friends, attendants, and associates. What became clear to me as I read this book is how utterly unfit Edward was to be King (while he loved the trappings of the role, he hated the work and responsibilities that came with being King and avoided them whenever he could), coupled with his pro-Nazi sentiments, which Wallis Simpson also shared. By his own admission, Edward eschewed reading books and had zero interest in the arts, preferring to engage in gossip (he liked to dominate conversations with his take on the world), gardening, and golf. Wallis Simpson was a spendthrift, a social snob, and like her husband, a freeloader whenever she could get away with it.
What particularly struck me was the following remarks from Edward Metcalf, who had been one of Edward's closest friends and aides from the 1920s (when Edward was the young and dashing Prince of Wales, celebrated and emulated for his smart fashion sense -- he was a very snazzy dresser) concerning his abrupt abandonment by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in May 1940, when both of them fled their French estate in the wake of the German advances during the Battle of France. Following the abdication, Metcalf had worked for the Windsors for months without pay, sacrificing his own needs in the process:
"He [the Duke of Windsor] never made one single mention of what was to happen to me, or his paid Comptroller Phillips. He has taken all cars and left not even a bicycle!! ... He had denuded the Suchet house of all articles of value and all his clothes, etc. After twenty years I am through --- utterly I despise him, I've fought and backed him up (knowing what a swine he was for 20 years), but now it is finished ... The man is not worth doing anything for. He deserted his job in 1936. Well, he deserted his country now, at a time when every office boy and cripple is trying to do what he can. It is the end."
TRAITOR KING is an absolute keeper. This is a book that I will return to in times to come. Highly recommended.
The book takes the reader from the day of Edward VIII's abdication of the throne (December 11, 1936) to the deaths of both Edward (May 1972) and Wallis Simpson (April 1986). It is also richly laden with photos (both B&W and color) of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as well as some of their friends, attendants, and associates. What became clear to me as I read this book is how utterly unfit Edward was to be King (while he loved the trappings of the role, he hated the work and responsibilities that came with being King and avoided them whenever he could), coupled with his pro-Nazi sentiments, which Wallis Simpson also shared. By his own admission, Edward eschewed reading books and had zero interest in the arts, preferring to engage in gossip (he liked to dominate conversations with his take on the world), gardening, and golf. Wallis Simpson was a spendthrift, a social snob, and like her husband, a freeloader whenever she could get away with it.
What particularly struck me was the following remarks from Edward Metcalf, who had been one of Edward's closest friends and aides from the 1920s (when Edward was the young and dashing Prince of Wales, celebrated and emulated for his smart fashion sense -- he was a very snazzy dresser) concerning his abrupt abandonment by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in May 1940, when both of them fled their French estate in the wake of the German advances during the Battle of France. Following the abdication, Metcalf had worked for the Windsors for months without pay, sacrificing his own needs in the process:
"He [the Duke of Windsor] never made one single mention of what was to happen to me, or his paid Comptroller Phillips. He has taken all cars and left not even a bicycle!! ... He had denuded the Suchet house of all articles of value and all his clothes, etc. After twenty years I am through --- utterly I despise him, I've fought and backed him up (knowing what a swine he was for 20 years), but now it is finished ... The man is not worth doing anything for. He deserted his job in 1936. Well, he deserted his country now, at a time when every office boy and cripple is trying to do what he can. It is the end."
TRAITOR KING is an absolute keeper. This is a book that I will return to in times to come. Highly recommended.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
One of the problems with books about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is that they're often portrayed as either saints whom everyone turned against or horrible people England was lucky to see the back of. Andrew Lownie takes a more measured approach, acknowledging some genuine successes and good intentions (even if not followed through), while not shying away from the inescapable fact the Duke of Windsor was sympathetic to the Nazi regime, and probably wouldn't have objected too strenuously if German victory meant he might have a chance to return to the throne. (Despite what that would have meant for his brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces.)
The author leans heavily on primary sources such as letters, diaries, and other items contemporary to events, often contrasting those observations with later memoirs and biographies. Some of those sources are overtly hostile (Hello, Tommy Lascelles), but the evidence supports the idea they were right to be concerned about a feckless, pampered, privileged man more interested in the trappings of his position than the responsibilities, trappings which he bemoaned the loss of for the rest of his life.
Wallis is more of a cipher. More controlled and clever about what she did and did not reveal than her husband, there is a hint she found this "great romance" a trap from which she could not escape. The letters and diaries cited show a somewhat obsessive neediness in Edward which seemed to grate on Wallis from time to time (as it would almost any person). But it is also clear she enjoyed the status which came which being his wife, a status she would not find again if she left him.
For a long book, it's a surprisingly easy read, with a style that keeps you turning the page. It's also the story of two people, having made their choices, didn't want to face the consequences or discomfort of those choices.
The author leans heavily on primary sources such as letters, diaries, and other items contemporary to events, often contrasting those observations with later memoirs and biographies. Some of those sources are overtly hostile (Hello, Tommy Lascelles), but the evidence supports the idea they were right to be concerned about a feckless, pampered, privileged man more interested in the trappings of his position than the responsibilities, trappings which he bemoaned the loss of for the rest of his life.
Wallis is more of a cipher. More controlled and clever about what she did and did not reveal than her husband, there is a hint she found this "great romance" a trap from which she could not escape. The letters and diaries cited show a somewhat obsessive neediness in Edward which seemed to grate on Wallis from time to time (as it would almost any person). But it is also clear she enjoyed the status which came which being his wife, a status she would not find again if she left him.
For a long book, it's a surprisingly easy read, with a style that keeps you turning the page. It's also the story of two people, having made their choices, didn't want to face the consequences or discomfort of those choices.
Couldn’t stomach how totally despicable and without virtue these two were !
Utterly bored with the formatting of this book unfortunately. I’m going to track down the documentary of the same name and author of this book. The subject matter interests me greatly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs, Xenophobia
informative
medium-paced
Very thorough. England is lucky Wallis came along and caused Edward to abdicate, otherwise history could have turned out very differently. These two were parasites their entires lives. What a headache they must have been for the monarchy. (There are also eerie parallels to the trajectory of the Harry and Meghan saga, minus the treason).