Wallis Simpson, Loved and Lost (2013)

• 70%
• 2013
• Documentary
• Claire Walding

Was she an adventurer, a femme fatale or a victim? We present a truthful portrait of an unusual life. To this day, Wallis Simpson divides opinion; but whether hated or adored, she will always be the woman who stole a king from the British people and threw their monarchy into crisis. A twice-married American, and then Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson was not permitted to travel to England and was completely shunned by the royal family. For some she is a witch who cast a spell on the handsome prince, while others identify with her because the man she loved gave up everything for her. We attempt to sort the myth from the truth. Without doubt, Wallis was the reason that Edward VIII abdicated the British throne. This made her the most vilified woman of the 20th century. The British public, in particular, were merciless in their contempt and scorn. There were accusations that the marriage was illegal, that she was a nymphomaniac, a whore, even a sex-athlete, who had learned her trade in the brothels of China. Rumours of everything from working for the German Reich's secret service through to having an affair with the Nazi foreign minister von Ribbentrop abounded. But what is the truth? Where does this aversion come from? Could the relationship between Edward and Wallis Simpson even have been a good opportunity for the British government to rid itself of an unpopular monarch? Having grown up in rather modest circumstances, was Wallis striving for financial security? Was she a dangerous adventurer, who used her close relationship with the British king to rise in society? Or was she a victim - caught in a relationship that the entire world was watching? This film presents a truthful portrait of an unusual life.