Royal Feud

by Rh Value Publishing

Details the intense thirty-year enmity between the present Queen Mother Elizabeth and the Duchess of Windsor, the effect on Britain's royal family, and the accord finally established between them.

Genres: Biography, Royalty, Nonfiction, History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1985 and the scandals which have wracked the Royal Family since that time have rather put the abdication of HRH King Edward VIII in the shade. But in 1936 the British and the world were shocked when he abdicated "for the woman I love" and his unprepared brother, the Duke of York, ascended to the throne as HRH King George VI. It threw the government into a situation as to what to do about the status of the now titled Duke of Windsor and his wife, Wallace.

The story of the Windsors is still fairly well known and I won't go into all the problems that arose from their subsequent marriage. Edward was known as a womanizer and had several married mistresses before meeting Wallace Simpson, a married woman who had already been divorced once. Edward was a weak man and she was a very strong personality who totally controlled him. She backed herself into a corner when he decided to abdicate which she fought against since she knew she would never be Queen and was happy to just be the mistresse en titre.

Her strongest enemy was HRH Queen Elizabeth (known to modern audiences as the Queen Mum) who worked endlessly to undermine the Duchess's position and succeeded in denying her the HRH title, and "banning" her from England. The Duke was not offered any job in the government except as Governor of the Bahamas which was just a sop and kept the couple as far away from England as possible. The book follows the feud between the two women who did not come face to face for thirty years.

The Windsors, especially the Duke, were rather pathetic and this is an interesting and detailed picture of their life as they drifted around the world with nothing to do. This book could easily have become "gossipy" but the author attempted to be unbiased (not an easy task) and his research material is factual. I have to admit that I enjoyed it.

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's time to play the Royal Feud! Queen Mum and the Duchess of Windsor...c'mon down!

In 1936, Edward VIII gave up his throne for Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American. At the time, it was a scandalous (well, still is) way to abdicate responsibility given that he was raised to be a King. It all turned out all right for the free world. But let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.



He was born as David, eldest son of the stern George V, who must have looked at his sons and thrown up his hands in dismay. David loved the good life and bloomed during the freewheeling 1920s. His younger brothers all looked up to him, perhaps in relief that he would have to shoulder the burden of kingship. But David just never could get into the whole swing of...what's that word..."responsibility". Yes, that's the word. Think George IV.

When the old King died in January of 1936, David became Edward VIII. Unfortunately, it was not a good year for a weak-willed Windsor to come to power given the whole world situation at the time. Worse, he was infatuated with an American divorcee named Wallis Simpson. A striving, ambitious me-first fortune hunter, Simpson already had the King wrapped around her finger. She expected to be a Queen.

Thankfully, the British people had a bit more common sense than their besotted 'leader'. The combination of angry popular opinion and a stubborn government forced Edward VIII into abdication. THANK YOU, GREAT BRITAIN. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU (the Americans would have put her picture on a postage stamp). The new King (George VI), always dutiful toward his older brother, made Edward the Duke of Windsor and tried, in vain, to push him out-of-sight.

Now we get to the gist of this book. Although the whole ex-King thing is mighty interesting (what does one do with an ex-King), the story here is of the battle between the hungry Wallis and the don't-even-go-there resolve of the new Queen. Unlike the unlikable Duchess of Windsor, Queen Bess (that was always my name for her) had Scottish nerves of steel and an obsession with doing one's duty. Neither she nor her shy husband ever expected to be rulers of a country, a country about to enter a terrifying war. Meanwhile, the Windsors hung out with Hitler.



Fast forward to WWII, the Brits with their backs to the wall, and the King and Queen staying put amidst the bombs and destruction.



While the Windsors cavorted in the Bahamas (sent there because Churchill knew of the ex-King's pro-Nazi sympathies), the war played out, albeit to the detriment of George VI, who aged rapidly as the stress of ruling his beleaguered country and being the King who had to see the break-up of the once-great empire became too much. Queen Bess never forgave the Duke of Windsor and his haughty wife. Especially the Duchess.

"The woman who killed my husband."

The Queen Mum went on to instill a sense of duty in her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. The work you do is the rent you pay for the room you occupy on earth. The royal family did their best to keep the Windsors at bay, upset that they were living a life of carefree celebrity while the British people were still on rations during the 1950s. The Windsors received tax-free housing from the French government and never stopped complaining about their lot in life.



As the Duchess of Windsor aged, she had more and more plastic surgery to ward off the reaper (with her angular looks, she could have been a medieval playing card). The Duchess of Windsor aged rapidly anyway and ended her days in an Alzheimer's fog. Alone. Sometimes Karma does its job.



The Queen Mum continued to work and lived until the age of 101. I call that success.

So, that's the story. As one might tell, I am a bit biased here. As a child in Australia, I remember the hatred toward the Duke because of unkind remarks about Aussies (who fought and died for his good life). He was already dead, but I just didn't like him or his Yankee wife. In this book, the author doesn't take sides right away. Instead he drives the reader crazy with notes and a constant back-and-forth between the two leading ladies. Also, it was sometimes hard to figure out which Elizabeth he was referring to in certain passages.

Anyway, after about 1/3 of the way through, the story gets really going and I was hooked. But, it took too long to get there. Still, it's a good read for anyone wanting to learn about the Windsors and the not always heralded Queen Mum. This is War of the Roses, with the Duchess as the red rose of Lancaster and the Queen as the white rose of York.

Book Season = Year Round (pull up the drawbridge)

[Joy H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

RE: Royal Feud: The Dark Side of the Love Story of the Century Royal Feud: The Dark Side of the Love Story of the Century (1985) by Michael Thornton

Added 3/7/10 - I read this book in March 2010.
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DESCRIPTION:
"Story of the feud between The Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Wallis Simpson, American, who became Duchess of Windsor when King Edward VIII, in 1936, abdicated the throne to marry her. This story dramatizes the course of this feud and explains its origins. It also tells how, in old age, a peace was finally made between them."
FROM: http://www.hcbooksonline.com/browse-a...
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I am awed by the amount of research which went into this book about the break between the British Royal family and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor after Edward VIII's abdication. The footnotes abound (leading me on to other books I'd like to read). It's a fascinating story detailing, among other things, the animosity between Wallis Windsor and George VI's wife, Queen Elizabeth. The Duke never gave up in his attempts to persuade his brother, the king, to allow Wallis to use the title HRH (Her Royal Highness).

Also, from page 226: "The King's decision not to give the Windsors any further official work may have resulted from the documentary evidence of the Duke's 'indiscretions' during the war." (This refers to the Duke's interactions with Hitler before and during WWII. On page 226, it says: "Hitler had not yet abandoned his plans for the restoration of Edward to the throne from which he had abdicated.")

PS-I've been lucky enough to find a YouTube video in which both the Duke and the Duchess are speaking. They tell about the beginning of their relationship and how they met. See the video here: ====>
http://www.articlebliss.com/article_m...

PPS-I'm trying to see both sides of the story, as to whether the British Crown did right or wrong in their ostracism of the abdicated king and his wife, Wallis Windsor.
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ADDENDUM - 4/2/13:
QUOTES FROM MY HANDWRITTEN NOTES:
p.324 - "If age had caught up with Wallace, it had not robbed her of style."

p.334 - "The Prince was dead. The royal fairy tale was over... The leading lady was left on stage surrounded by her props and all the tinsel of make-believe."

p.335 - "Between the Duchess of Windsor and her sister-in-law, the Queen Mother, there remained a strange and touching epilogue to be played out."

p.360 - (re the Queen Mother) "... making any house she lives in a unique haven of cozinesss and character... (words of Prince Phillip in book's preface (?))

p.360 - (re the Queen Mother) "... whose greatest gift is to enhance life for others through her own effervescent enthusiasm for life."
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SEE RELATED ARTICLE AT:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/art...
(The article, by Michael Thornton, is entitled: "The Queen Mother? That spiteful old soak dedicated herself to making our lives hell")

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extensively researched and interesting account of the 40-year feud between the late Queen Mother and her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Windsor. Less gossipy than I expected (which is very much a good thing), though occasionally Thornton went a bit overboard in including superfluous details.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A glorified High School research paper, with an interesting tidbit here and there.

Admittedly I have read many a Royal bio so this may be unfair to those who haven't, but I felt there wasn't too much unknown information revealed in this book. plus some of the information was stretched a bit to fit the author's thesis statement. I felt that every now and then the author of thought "oh I have to make a statement to support the title of my book again" and it got a bit redundant. If I saw the quote about the queen mother's "justly famous personality" one more time I thought I would go crazy.

I struggled to find a rating for this. Two stars seem too harsh and three stars seem way too generous I really wish half stars were allowed because I would do it too and a half but I will give at 3.

[Jennifer Newell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book, although it seemed a little thin at times. I agree with the author that Elizabeth had a lot if influence in keeping her sister-in-law away from court. There wasn't a lot of new information with this book - a lot of it just rehashed information available in other sources. I would recommend this book to readers interested in the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and have a good understanding of the underlying drama they caused. If you are familiar with the people in this book, a lot of the text can be skimmed over, which makes for a fast read. The author did a good job making this book very readable.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about a book title that gives a false impression! I expected more of an expose' , gossipy type book, but this is in fact a detailed, heavily researched examination of the contentious relationship between the Duchess of Windsor and her sister-in-law, the beloved Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and of the historical events and societal changes they lived through. The book is understated, pretty even-handed, neither canonizes nor vilifies either of these complex women, and is highly recommended - but not if you want a quick, lively read!

[Rho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read so many stories about both the Queen mum and the Duchess. This book deals with their relationship. This is the second time I have read this book - Very interesting. It was always known that there was animosity between these two women - this book tells that story. It describes how the feud originated and the extremes the Royal Family went to ostracize the Windsors. The Queen Mum was one great lady with principles and a good moral code. It is wonderful and so important to the royal family that she saw through the greedy, shallow duchess.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

So fascinating to read about how the relationship between Edward and Wallis affected the Royal Family and Britain in general.

Very well researched. I did find myself skimming on backstory that I wasn’t particularly interested in, as well as names and titles. The latter of which reminded me of The Iliad, where every character introduced with his family history.

Also, it was published in 1985 so I’m curious whether additional distance from the episode might lead to different conclusions.
—
Legend
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Can't stop talking about/want to re-read
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Recommend without equivocation
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Enjoyed and recommend with caveats
⭐️⭐️ = Finished but don't recommend
⭐️ = Couldn't finish

[Caryatid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book but glaring omissions regarding finances. Much quibbling and lies about how much money the ex-king had and his grasping for more give another insight into that insipid shallow pair but almost nothing on that subject was mentioned.

[Yblees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, gossipy read about the "feud" between the Queen Mum, and Wallis Simpson who became the Duchess of Windsor.
I totally enjoyed it.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read about how the relationship between Edward and Wallis affected the Royal Family and Britain in general.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well researched with a host of references and full of very interesting facts and anecdotes about the two women whose lives would cross so momentously. My mother when I asked her about the abdication many years ago shuddered and said she didn't want to talk about it because 'I lived through it'. I was amused when I was dealing in antiques at how many pieces of King Edward VIII Coronation memorabilia used to turn up, they were out there selling at the time of the abdication.
One of many interesting facts that came out of this book was that Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who loathed Wallis Simpson for well known reasons, also refused to accept others who married outside the rules of the day including her nephew who married an Irish commoner nurse, Mary Brennan. Mary gave up Catholicism in order to fill the bill but Elizabeth refused to attend their wedding and they were never graced with her presence again. Mary, the 'unsuitable' and shunned wife, died by suicide at age 45.
Liz was a good hater apparently and not just regarding Wallis. The photo of her looking down at Wallis Simpson's casket with a faint smile is a classic.
One of Edward's closest friends was Sir Oswald Mosley, who was a British politician, a Member of Parliament who later in the 1930s became leader of the British Union of Fascists. He was poncing around London waving fascist flags by day and being entertained by the King at night. He became a frequent visitor to Edward in exile. It seems Britain was well rid of King Edward.

[Gaile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about the royal feud between Elizabeth, Duchess Of York, later Queen to George VI and Wallis Simpson, lover of Edward VIII. Elizabeth thoroughly disapproved of the twice divorced Wallis and refused to receive her. The fact that Edward VIII abdicated so he could marry her farther drove Elizabeth into bitterness. She did not want to be queen nor did she want her husband crowned. Although she made a charming queen, she feared it was all too much for "Bertie," as she called her husband. His early death reinforced this belief and it was not until Edward VIII died in 1972 that she relented a little.
I had feared this book might be dull and dryly written but to my surprise, I found myself fully absorbed.
This books shows the Nazi sympathies of the abdicated couple, the fact that Wallis wanted a royal title and was denied one. Because of his abdication, Edward (or David as he was called) was refused a royal wedding. David once he abdicated could not seem to get used to not being King and their life afterward, partying , sporting and traveling also left the royals whom main job is to be good will
ambassadors absolutely cold. Wallis herself had a very bad old age while the queen mother seemed barely touched by old age.
Of course no one at the time knew there would be a future royal feud between Prince Charles and Dianna.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The feud mentioned here is one between the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (the former King Edward VIII and his twice-married girlfriend), and the brother who had to become King in Edward's place, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mother. The Queen Mother always blamed the Duchess- the former Mrs. Simpson-- for shortening the life of her husband, George VI, for being thrust into the role of King; a role for which he had not been groomed as had his older brother.

The book insinuates that if the brothers had had their way, they probably could have remained cordial to one another, but the Queen Mother's animosity toward the Duchess (and vice versa) kept that from happening. It was to be many decades before any member of the royal family received the Duchess of Windsor. There is ample material in the book to make the point that it was probably for the best that Edward VIII abdicated, as he and the Duchess were friendly with Adolf Hitler and held opinions that were not shared by most Englishmen.

**#73 of 100 books pledged to read/review during 2015**

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loaded with information about the Queen Mother, the Duchess of Windsor and all the British Royalty of the early to mid-20th century surrounding the abdication of Edward VIII. I would have preferred alternating chapters on the two women in question rather then every so many sentences the author switches between the two.

[Diz White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a juicy dish on the feud better the Queen Mother - the current Queen of England's mother and Wallis Simpson who caused the abdication of the King of England in the late 1930s. I couldn't put it down. Very well written and researched with a lot of material that heretofore was unknown to me - despite extensive reading around this subject.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent insight into the scandal that nearly brought down the English monarchy. Balanced and fair to both the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. I loved it.

[Helen Hutchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually a non-fiction fan but this book was so well researched and written that I was enthralled from the first page. The adage that truth is stranger than fiction is borne out in this book. An amazing account of an incredible period in history.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were times I had to take small breaks from reading this book, as it made me unaccountably sad in parts. However, I am glad I stuck with it. I have a strong desire to read all I can about the Duchess of Windsor in order to truly understand the unique role she played in British history.

[Kristina Hoerner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this one. It was about the decades of disliking each other between the Queen Mother and the Duchess of Windsor.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of information, sometimes hard to follow, but a very interesting book.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Queen Elizabeth consort to George VI and Wallis Simpson the Duchess of Windsor.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good, but got a bit old. I was ready for it to end much sooner than it did.