Posted on 12/10/2010 10:24:24 PM PST by iowamark
Wallis Simpson was branded a 'miserable second-rate American woman' by BBC founder Sir John Reith after he learned Edward VIII was to abdicate to marry her, it has emerged in his diaries.
The eyewitness account of the abdication crisis by the corporation's then director general shows a distinct lack of appreciation for the divorcee....
He wrote a diary account of the events surrounding the address and extracts are featured in a collection of radio broadcasts, and television footage telling the Abdication story.
The material has been put online to commemorate the anniversary of the broadcast...
"He said that the King simply wasn't sane. He was going to realise later what he had done."
In the document the director general describes how he spoke to Edward's legal adviser Sir Walter Monckton a few minutes after the broadcast about Mrs Simpson.
Sir John wrote: "He said he couldn't find words for her. I said it was awful that all this crisis was caused by a miserable, second-rate American woman."
Before leaving he spoke to Edward telling him "Good luck, Sir" and shaking his hand and bowing.
Reith wrote: "What an occasion. What that young man has thrown away - a greater opportunity than any King or any man ever had."
The BBC Archive collection which is now online includes speeches when Edward was the Prince of Wales, showcases interviews after he became the Duke of Windsor and features other interviews with those who knew him and his wife.
A 1980s radio programme is also available featuring the journalist who first broke the story about the King's affair with Mrs Simpson.
In it he talks about the event that prompted his decision to file the scandalous scoop that ended Fleet Street's "conspiracy of silence".
For more information go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/edward_viii/
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
And she was still better than the Nazi-sympathizing inbred do-nothing deserved. Thanks iowamark.
I enjoy biographies over fiction any day of the week...and THIS story was, IMHO, definitely in the "you can't make this s**t up" category.
Isn’t that CAMILLER rather? Actually, Charles probably should have married Camilla rather than Diana in the first place. I’ve read that Camilla hadn’t married at that time and Charles was smitten with her; but Camilla herself (reportedly) thought she wasn’t suitable for that role. (Role-playing in life leads to all sorts of problems.) A lot of people think and thought that Diana was more beautiful; but evidently Charles was, is, and always has been in love with Camilla.
Why do I have it in for Camilla? Because Edward VIII was at least damn honest enough to marry the gal that he really loved. Gave up everything for her. That’s true love. This whole Camilla thing is something else entirely.
Contrast to Charles who married Diana, cheated and broke her heart by taking up with Camilla while married to Diana.
That is simply unforgiveable. I hope Queen Elizabeth lives as long as her mom.
I disagree there is nothing romantic or loving about their relationship, it was pure selfishness.
If, as they have said, they always knew how they felt about each other, then neither of them should have married other people.
Once they brought other people into the mix as spouses, they became common adulterers. They made vows in front of God that they broke. Charles never intended to keep the vow. Camilla may have intended to keep hers at the time of her marriage, but she has said she became engaged to her first husband to make Charles jealous.
Charles socially and militarily outranked Camilla’s husband putting him in the position of acquiescing to his wife’s affair to hang onto his position and rank or losing it all if he exposed the Prince’s behavior with his wife. Diana I think was always wobbly emotionally, but was chosen for her good breeding and youth. She had the starry eyed notion that she was the fairy tale princess and others made her dream seem real.
I view them as immature and spoiled. Their selfishness wrecked many lives including their children’s.
Madonna of all people is currently directing a movie about this.
And it meant exactly ‘what’ to you and the rest of the world????
How is it anyone’s business???
Well, we would never waste one of our first rate American women on a mere English king.
King Edward was also pro-nazi.
Chuck should have pulled an “Edward”: tell the royals to GTH and marry Camilla.
Edward was also a Nazi sympathizer and there was real concern that had Hitler invaded Britain Edward would have been set up as a puppet king. For that reason Churchill had him sent off for the duration of the war as governor of Bermuda.
I dont think that ww2 story ever happened. He was totally out of the picture after his abdication. He visited nazi germany, but that was before the war.
I believe there was a deal that if England fell to the Nazis Edward would have returned as King to serve Hitler.
From last month...
I knew the author in L.A. Got to hear some of the stories that werent in the book.
You must really hate Elizabeth Taylor.
I did not suggest he throw everything over and go into exile as his uncle had done.
I said when he and Camilla chose not to marry each other and married others they should have ceased their relationship and honored the vows they made to their spouses. Instead they selfishly chose to pursue their “love”, which in reality became a sordid adulterous affair, and the fall out from that WAS horrendous.
He, as the future King and head of the Church, made a mockery of the words duty, honor and loyalty.
Edward at least was honest.
I have a few other books on Wallis Simpson, but the Charles Higham was the one I always went back to for entertaining reading. His book had the elements of real-life that made it easier to read and easier to mentally take myself back in time....even to the point of imagining someone SO in love, he would give up "the crown" for me.
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