The Duchess of Windsor is a 1980 biography of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor by Diana Mosley. The book was published by Sidgwick & Jackson

Sidgwick & Jackson

Sidgwick & Jackson is an imprint of publishing company Pan Macmillan. It was founded in Britain in 1908. Notable early Sidgwick and Jackson authors include poet Rupert Brooke and novelist E.M. Forster...

 and by Gibson Square in 2003.

Synopsis

The American divorcée

Divorcee

Divorcee, refers to a person whose marriage has ended in divorce, a legal dissolution of marriage before death by either spouse. The feminine form is "divorcée", and the masculine "divorcé". At one time the term had negative cultural and religious associations...

 (Simpson) attracted media attention when she married Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...

. Due to the divisive political issue of the proposed marriage, the king was forced to abdicate the throne in order to pursue marriage with Simpson. The author (Mosley) was a confidante and neighbour of the Duchess.

2003 edition

In the revised edition, Mosley addresses latest allegations of secret service reports about the Windsors' conduct during the war and the abdication.

Critical reception

The biography was generally well-received by critics;

"This biography is a loyal tribute to the Duchess of Windsor and a welcome change..." The Times

The Times

The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

"Diana Mosley writes with knowledge in this friendly, compassionate biography..." The Financial Times

Contents

The book has been published in both paperback and hardback and also features several illustrations.

• Acknowledgements (6)
• List of Illustrations (7)
• Foreword (11)
• I A Young Lady from Baltimore (12)
• II Navy Wife (22)
• III The Little Prince (29)
• IV Prince of Wales (40)
• V Divorce and Re-marriage (49)
• VI Ich Dien (58)
• VII Mrs Simpson meets the Prince (68)
• VIII The Prince in Love (74)
• IX Loved by a King (85)
• X Storm Clouds (96)
• XI Abdication (104)
• XII King into Duke (115)
• XIII Marriage (125)
• XIV The First Two Years (140)
• XV War (150)
• XVI The Bahamas (163)
• XVII The Windsors in France (169)
• XVIII The Brilliant Duchess (188)
• XIX Old Age (198)
• XX Summing Up (211)

Index (220)