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The Duchess of Windsor: The Secret Life
"Deeply researched, valuable."
-The New York Times Book Review"A shocker . . . stunning . . . absolutely hypnotic. . . . A world of beautiful houses, ceaseless travel, trendsetting fashion, and powerful figures. . . . Fascinating revelations."
-Cosmopolitan
Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor, was one of the most famous women in history, the American divorcee who captured the Kin...more
-The New York Times Book Review"A shocker . . . stunning . . . absolutely hypnotic. . . . A world of beautiful houses, ceaseless travel, trendsetting fashion, and powerful figures. . . . Fascinating revelations."
-Cosmopolitan
Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor, was one of the most famous women in history, the American divorcee who captured the Kin...more
Paperback, 540 pages
Published
October 22nd 2004
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published June 1st 1989)
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The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were, without doubt, one of the most intriguing and controversial figures of the twentieth century. Their love has often been characterized as one of the greatest romances in history---a king gives up his crown to marry the woman he loves, a twice-divorced American commoner, against the wishes of the British royal family, parliament and the nation. But this book takes the mask off the fantasy and presents the reader with the unvarnished life of the Duchess (and to...more
Was She A Gold-Digger Or A Woman In Love?
Did Wallis Simpson want to be Queen or was she just desperately in love with King Edward VIII? According to Charles Higham in Mrs Simpson, she 'wanted to have her cake and eat it too'. She liked the grand life-style and the stunning presents she received as Prince Edward's mistress and she wanted to remain his mistress after he became King.
This is about the best thing about her, according to this book. Apart from being vulgar and common, Higham writes tha...more
Did Wallis Simpson want to be Queen or was she just desperately in love with King Edward VIII? According to Charles Higham in Mrs Simpson, she 'wanted to have her cake and eat it too'. She liked the grand life-style and the stunning presents she received as Prince Edward's mistress and she wanted to remain his mistress after he became King.
This is about the best thing about her, according to this book. Apart from being vulgar and common, Higham writes tha...more
As expected a bit of a sensationalist read which was based on observing other books this author wrote but it was a deeper insight into the lives of the Windsors. Fascinating how these people spent their lives finally waffling between Paris London New York and south of France in a quite aimless and wasted way. Who needs 117 pieces of luggage to get across the Atlantic and who knows how many tons of expensive jewellery. The pro Nazi and the Shanghai Lil bits we knew something of but it was illumin...more
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I am not going to review this book, other than to say that it fills in a few gaps in the reading public's knowledge of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor. What you make of this knowledge will depend on your attitude to her and her place in English history. Some biographies are sympathetic, some are not, but to have a real insight into her whole life, one needs to read Behind Closed Doors by Hugo Vickers. We have been well served by the mass of information about her early life and her glittering...more
Charles Higham was not a biographer, but a fantasist. He used archives, but rearranged or mangled evidence to suit his own purposes. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were not especially attractive characters, but the way Higham inserts his own fictions about their characters makes you feel rather sorry for them both. Charles J.V. Murphy and J. Bryan III wrote a much better book, "The Windsor Story," which reveals the flaws in their characters without making up things out of whole cloth. It was no...more
This was a pretty interesting read. A bit of a slog to get all the way to the end, but I did learn a lot--and it was crazy! I can't believe the twists and turns this story took. Nice entry point into understanding a bit about the times--the war etc. Well-written but I got the sense that the author was a bit of an old coot-- loved all the scandalous and gossipy details included--but wanted to check his references as some of it was pretty unbelievable! I don't know--he does seem authoritative. A n...more
Okay, confession: I didn't actually finish this book. I'm mildly interested to go back and find out what happens to Mrs. Simpson at some point, but the book, as a result of both the writing (dull, name-droppy, jumped around) and the subject matter (I just couldn't find anything redeeming about Wallis Simpson. I know she was partly a product of her time, but I am still flummoxed that the King abdicated the throne for her). This could have been a pretty scintillating magazine article, but it made...more
I was reading and thoroughly enjoying Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness mysteries in which Wallis Simpson makes several catty appearances and I was curious to know whether this portrayal of her was accurate. So I got two biographies from the library, this one, and The People's King by Susan Williams. When learning about historical characters, I always like to read several books, to get a well-rounded portrait, as every historian writes from their own particular bias or viewpoint. But if several sources...more
The duke and duchess were fascinating people, to say the least. However, I found this book to get a little caught up in the minutia of dates and "and then they went here, and then he said this," etc... which interrupted the overall arc of the story of their lives. The telling of the juicy bits (which there are quite a few) was a bit dry. I recommend a good editor, and more of a People magazine approach. Anyone who is interested in reading a biography of Wallis Simpson won't mind that style.
Apr 15, 2010
Marg
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
royaltry enthusiasts
Recommended to Marg by:
Katherine Kennedy
Wallis Simpson, socialite, and wife of a king who gave up his throne for her, has always fascinated me. This book gave an extremely detailed account of her long and controversial life. While other sources dispute some of Higham's claims, I feel the royal family and the the British Government were correct in keeping their distance from her as she mingled with many unsavoury people throughout her life while zipping through the millions as she partied night after night.
This book could be difficult to read because there were so many names to keep up with on each page thanks to the excellent background research of the author. There really was "The Secret Life" part of the book. I knew she and the duke were Nazi sympathizers but had no idea of the extent of it. She and the duke have been portrayed as members of the royal family to feel sorry for. You won't if you finish this book.
Very interesting book and well written. The book was a real eye-opener into the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. I used to think that their relationship was very romantic, but since reading the book (which is documented) I have changed my mind. I no longer feel that they were dealt with unfairly by the Royal Family. It is very interesting to see the family dynamics inside the Royal Family. This book is a historical novel. It makes reference to the war, but it doesn't go into the war sto...more
Far too much time spent proving they were Nazi collaborators, too many rumours, gossip & scandal presented as fact with only a sentence pointing out there's no actual evidence or anyone left alive to corroborate or indeed disprove them. This actually focuses on the couple rather than Wallis, after the Duke's death her life of nearly another 15 years is condensed into less than a chapter really.
A while back, I read an interesting biography about the Duchess of Windsor, written in 1988 by this same author, Charles Higham. Now I see that in 2004 he wrote this more detailed book about her after new documentary evidence was found. I'm looking forward to reading the book.
This reads like the 'real' story of the Duchess of Windsor - unlike her autobiography. I learned fascinating new facts - despite having read quite a bit about the D of W already. Very well researched. What a character she was! A must read if you are interested in her story.
Some of the story is lost because the political figures are simply unknown to readers of the current day. I wanted more of the lives of the couple and got politcs instead. OK read at the start of their relationship, not sure I would recommend it to others though. Im sure there are more recent books that cover the relationship much more effectively for a modern reader. Does not paint a flattering portrait of Wallis Simpson thats for sure.
It was a fascinating read. I thought I knew the story behind this Lady, but I was surprised at the facts in this particular Biography. She has been portrayed as a gold digger, etc...,This book gives us new insight into this period of history.
I found this book in the laundry room of my apartment complex. I didn't really expect much out of it-just some good gossipy stories-but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.
I will read anything if bored enough. This was pretty interesting. Lots of theories about this woman, but I actually feel somewhat sympathetic.
Explores the idea that Mrs Simpson was misunderstood but does nothing to make her more likeable in fact the opposite. Whilst much is made of the fact that she did not want to marry the King - she did want to be the King's mistress and would have preferred this status to being the exiled Duchess of Windsor.
Dispels some of the more salacious rumours about her being a hermaphrodite but certainly adds some re her three marriages and time spent in Chinese brothels learning the tricks of the trade...
A...more
Dispels some of the more salacious rumours about her being a hermaphrodite but certainly adds some re her three marriages and time spent in Chinese brothels learning the tricks of the trade...
A...more
Found this novel intriguing. Heavy reading in part but nevertheless entertaining. Quite an eye opener !!!
I found this book fascinating.
* Inherited from Mum's shelves.
Fascinating. Conspiracy theories and Nazi alliances in the royal family.
Interesting in depth account of the life of Wallis Simpson
Not so edifying but fascinating history about these two traitorous hedonists.
This is a great non-fiction account of Wallis Simpson's life. I enjoyed the background research the author found and believe that the duchess was largely misunderstood. A great read for that part of history and wow what a different time to live.
This is part biography, part salty gossip. When I saw The King's Speech recently, it made me think of this interesting, odd book. Mom alert - (well, Aunt alert)...Not for kids or teens!
Probably not someone I would like. And he seemed extremely immature.
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Charles Higham is an author and poet. Higham is a recipient of the Prix des Créateurs of the Académie Française and the Poetry Society of London Prize.
More about Charles Higham...
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