
The Real Wallis Simpson
A New History of the American Divorcee Who Became the Duchess of Windsor
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Narrated by:
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Laura Kirman
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By:
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Anna Pasternak
About this listen
Wallis Simpson is known as the woman at the center of the most scandalous love affair of the 20th century, but in this “unputdownable...lively and detailed” (The Times, London) biography, discover a woman wronged by history with new information revealed by the latest research those who were close to the couple.
The story that has been told repeatedly is this: The handsome, charismatic, and popular Prince Edward was expected to marry a well-bred virgin who would one day become queen of England when he ascended the throne. But when the prince was nearly 40, he fell in love with a divorced American woman - Wallis Simpson. No one thought the relationship would last, and when the prince did become king, everyone assumed that was the end of the affair. But to the shock of the British establishment, the new king announced his intention to marry the American divorcée.
Overnight, Wallis was accused of entrapping the prince in a seductive web in order to achieve her audacious ambition to be queen. After declaring that he could not rule without the woman he loved, the king abdicated, and his family banished him and his new wife from the country. The couple spent the rest of their days in exile, but happy in their devoted love for each other.
Now, Anna Pasternak’s The American Dutchess tells a different story: that Wallis was the victim of the abdication, not the villain. Warm, well-mannered, and witty, Wallis was flattered by Prince Edward’s attention, but like everyone else, she never expected his infatuation to last. She never anticipated his jealous, possessive nature - and his absolute refusal to let her go. Edward’s true dark nature, however, was no secret to the royal family, the church, or the Parliament; everyone close to Edward knew that beyond his charming façade, he was utterly unfit to rule. Caught in Edward’s fierce obsession, she became the perfect scapegoat for those who wished to dethrone the troubled king. With profound insight and evenhanded research, Pasternak pulls back the curtain on one of the darkest fairy tales in recent memory and effortlessly reveals “[A] host of intriguing insights into a misunderstood woman” (Kirkus Reviews).
©2019 Anna Pasternak (P)2019 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
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- By: Alexander Larman
- Narrated by: Sophie Roberts
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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At the beginning of 1937, the British monarchy was in a state of turmoil. The previous king, Edward VIII, had abdicated the throne, leaving his unprepared and terrified brother Bertie to become George VI, surrounded by a gaggle of courtiers and politicians who barely thought him up to the job. Meanwhile, as the now-Duke of Windsor awaited the decree that would allow him to marry his mistress Wallis Simpson, he took an increased interest in the expansionist plans of Adolf Hitler. He may even have gone so far as to betray his country in the process.
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Well-written and very good narration!
- By Nancy on 08-15-24
By: Alexander Larman
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Once a King
- The Lost Memoir of Edward VIII
- By: Jane Marguerite Tippett
- Narrated by: Esther Wane, Gregory Cox
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Using never before seen sources, Once a King is a fresh, revelatory and gripping insight into the Duke of Windsor - King Edward VIII - who gave up the throne to marry the woman he loved, twice divorced American Wallis Simpson. Considering Edward VIII's travels and interests as Prince of Wales as well as his relationship with Wallis Simpson and the course of events leading up to his abdication and subsequent exile, Once a King offers a previously unexplored lens through which we encounter two of the twentieth century's most iconic Royal figures: the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
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Highly Recommended
- By JT on 11-12-23
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The Diana Chronicles
- By: Tina Brown
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Diana Chronicles, you will meet a formidable female cast and understand as never before the society that shaped them: among them, Diana's sexually charged mother, her bad-girl sister-in-law, Fergie, and, most formidable of them all, her mother-in-law, the Queen. Add Camilla Parker-Bowles, the ultimate "other woman" into this combustible mix, and it's no wonder that Diana broke out of her royal cage into celebrity culture, where she found her own power and used it to devastating effect.
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One of the best Diana's
- By J F Whitmore on 08-02-12
By: Tina Brown
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Courtiers
- Intrigue, Ambition, and the Power Players Behind the House of Windsor
- By: Valentine Low
- Narrated by: Valentine Low
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The gripping account of how the Royal family really operates, from the journalist who has spent years studying them. Who really runs the show and, as Charles III begins his reign, what will happen next?
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author narrator
- By Amazon Customer on 01-26-23
By: Valentine Low
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Lara
- The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago
- By: Anna Pasternak
- Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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When Stalin came into power in 1924, the Communist government began persecuting dissident writers. Though Stalin spared the life of Boris Pasternak - whose novel in progress, Doctor Zhivago, was suspected of being anti-Soviet - he persecuted Boris' mistress, typist, and literary muse, Olga Ivinskaya. Boris' affair with Olga devastated the straitlaced Pasternaks, and they were keen to disavow Olga's role in Boris' writing process.
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A wonderfully enjoyable read
- By gran 80 on 03-15-17
By: Anna Pasternak
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The Woman Before Wallis
- A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
- By: Bryn Turnbull
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In the summer of 1925, Thelma Morgan arrives at the Paris Ritz still stinging from the heartache and humiliation of her failed marriage. Her twin sister, Gloria, newly and blissfully wedded to Reginald Vanderbilt and with a baby in tow, has invited her to spend the summer - and though romance is the last thing on Thelma’s mind, she can’t deny that Reggie’s friend Duke Furness is as charming and dapper as he is keen to win her affection.
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Beautifully Written
- By Amazon Customer on 11-29-20
By: Bryn Turnbull
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Her Lotus Year
- China, the Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson
- By: Paul French
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Before she was the Duchess of Windsor, Bessie Wallis Warfield was Mrs. Wallis Spencer, wife of Earl “Win” Spencer, a US Navy aviator. From humble beginnings in Baltimore, she rose to marry a man who gave up his throne for her. But what made Wallis Spencer, Navy Wife, the woman who could become the Duchess of Windsor? The answers lie in her one-year sojourn in China. In her memoirs, Wallis described her time in China as her “Lotus Year,” referring to Homer’s Lotus Eaters, a group living in a state of dreamy forgetfulness, never to return home.
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An interesting new look at Wallis Simpson
- By boleyn1532 on 12-09-24
By: Paul French
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Elizabeth
- By: Gyles Brandreth
- Narrated by: Gyles Brandreth
- Length: 19 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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This intimate, personal biography of Queen Elizabeth II tells the story of her remarkable life, reign and times, from a perspective unlike any other. Gyles Brandreth writes the Queen's tale candidly with grace and sensitivity from the view of someone who met her, talked with her and kept a record of those conversations. Brandreth knew the Queen's husband well and knows the new King and Queen Consort.
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Love the writing style!
- By K on 01-16-23
By: Gyles Brandreth
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Bertie: A Life of Edward VII
- By: Jane Ridley
- Narrated by: Carole Boyd
- Length: 22 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Entertaining and different, this is an enjoyable study of a flawed yet characterful Prince of Wales seen through the eyes of the women in his life. Edward Vll, who gave his name to the Edwardian Age and died in 1911, was King of England for the final 10 years of his life. He was 59 when at last he came to the throne. Known as Bertie, the eldest son of Victoria and Albert, he was bullied by both his parents.
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I cried when I finished
- By Silverthorne on 04-22-14
By: Jane Ridley
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Diana
- Her True Story - in Her Own Words
- By: Andrew Morton
- Narrated by: Michael Maloney, Caroline Langrishe
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The sensational biography of Princess Diana, now revised to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her death. When Diana: Her True Story - in Her Own Words was first published in 1992, it forever changed the way the public viewed the British monarchy.
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Wonderful overall with one issue...
- By globewest on 07-02-17
By: Andrew Morton
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Henry VIII: King and Court
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
- Length: 25 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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This magnificent biography of Henry VIII is set against the cultural, social and political background of his court - the most spectacular court ever seen in England - and the splendour of his many sumptuous palaces. An entertaining narrative packed with colourful description and a wealth of anecdotal evidence, but also a comprehensive analytical study of the development of both monarch and court during a crucial period in English history.
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A concise focus with tremendous detail
- By kwdayboise (Kim Day) on 05-24-17
By: Alison Weir
What listeners say about The Real Wallis Simpson
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- Multiphonics
- 06-16-19
Beautiful profile of a complex woman
This is a fascinating, sympathetic account of a complex, multi-faceted woman and her devoted husband who found themselves in an impossible situation. The author tells the story artfully through excerpts from the memoirs and letters written by the Duke and Duchess themselves, as well as by people who knew them personally. The epilogue moved me to tears.
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- David Ortmann
- 05-20-22
Exceptional - compassionate, brilliantly…
researched winner! It wins 3 prizes!
1) Exceptional serious work of history,
2) A captivating, complex tale of love and sacrifice.
3) A loving and respectful homage to our beloved and cherished – HRH Wallis Windsor, the Duchess of Windsor.
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- Lucinda M.
- 12-22-21
Great Book
All they had left was each other. I hope it was enough, and for him I guess it was.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-20-22
The Duchess
A lovely book. I’m glad that I now know the real Wallis Simpson. Highly recommend it.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-26-24
That Wallis was a kind and warm person.
The audiobook was quite entertaining. I ended caring about the Duke and Duchess, and believe the Queen, King George’s wife, was insecure and wrong in shunning them. It was nice that later Elizabeth II, was caring and the Duke and Duchess were buried next to each other on royal grounds.
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- S Weston
- 04-15-24
Lovingly Inspiring
A moving real life story told with emotional respect. I’m honored to have learned the history of this regal love story.
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- Katie M
- 10-18-23
Interesting and thoroughly researched
I’ve read almost every book out there on Wallis and Edward. This is one of the best. It makes no secret that its goal is to present to the reader a more favorable version of the Duchess than we’ve typically heard, and this it accomplishes quite well. I retained the neutral to negative take I’d had about the couple throughout the book, but by the end found I was quite sad at their deaths. The epilogue was especially moving and I quite enjoyed hearing about the author’s visit to the Fort and Frogmore. The only negative was some of the strange pronunciations and voices for historical characters used at times by the narrator, but they were brief enough to not be overly irritating. Highly recommend!
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- Bonnie Burros
- 09-09-21
Excellent read
I enjoyed this book immensely and learned so much about her and her relationship with Edward
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-26-23
Factual and Interesting
Anyone who is interested in the history of the royal family I think will love this book. There are so many personal and private letters that are read that you get a more intimate knowledge of what really transpired between Edward, Wallace and the royal family. It definitely will change the way you look at that time in history. I truly enjoyed it.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-31-20
Wonderfully researched book!!!
Absolutely delightful book! Well written and over all just enjoyable. I've read several books about Wallis but there were many facts I was unaware of. Get it! You won't regret it!!
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