Off With Her Head: Wallis Warfield Simpson
Royal Scapegoats, Part III
Welcome back to The Fascinator’s series on Royal Scapegoats! In these installments, we’re examining the lives of women who have been the subjects of blatantly biased treatment throughout history.
We’re solidly in the 20th century today to discuss Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson. I hope you won’t mind me jumping around the historical record.
When she met the future Edward VIII (then Prince of Wales), Wallis Warfield Simpson had already been divorced once—and was actually in the thick of her second marriage. Wallis and Edward were introduced by a mistress of the Prince, who probably regretted this decision as the pair became fast friends and lovers. The rest is history.
Scandalous Divorcée
Born in Pennsylvania and brought up in Baltimore, Wallis was everything the Royal Family could have feared in a future royal bride. As an American socialite, she was bright, fashionable, and not above the occasional “sexual exploit.” And she came with relationship baggage.
Wallis had married Earl Winfield “Win” Spencer Jr., a U.S. Navy pilot, in 1916. Their marriage was troubled due to his heavy drinking and demanding career, and they spent much of their time apart.
During this first marriage, according to a fellow Navy wife who knew the Spencers while they were stationed in Beijing, Wallis allegedly had an affair with an Italian count, became pregnant, and had a botched abortion that left her infertile. The rumor was widespread but never substantiated; Win and Wallis divorced in 1927.
After her first divorce, Wallis next married Ernest Aldrich Simpson, a British-American shipping executive, in 1928. Their marriage lasted nearly a decade, and even after their 1937 divorce, the two would remain friends. Wallis sent him flowers after a surgery, and Ernest offered advice when Wallis was writing her memoirs.
Between 1931 and 1934, Edward met the Simpsons at British society parties, and Wallis was even presented at court. By the end of 1934, the Prince was smitten with Mrs. Simpson. Unlike British women, she gave him no deference simply because of his title. A biographer would later write that Edward quickly became “slavishly dependent” on Wallis and not only tolerated but admired her domineering personality.