The Windsor Affair by Melanie Benjamin

 

Summary (from the publisher): A scandalous affair. A power struggle for the throne. A sensational rivalry between an English queen and an American commoner. In this electrifying novel, the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue tells the story of the Abdication of Edward VIII—and the two women at the center of it all.

Feuding Windsor brothers and their wives—some things, it seems, never change. The Men: Edward David Windsor, heir to the British throne, and Albert, known as Bertie, his younger brother, “the spare.” The Women: Edward’s wife Wallis, an American divorcée, and Bertie's wife Elizabeth, descended from Scottish nobility. The Feud: a rivalry that will last all their lives, make headlines, and still fuel gossip pages nearly a century later.

The Windsor Affair recreates the cataclysmic events that nearly toppled the monarchy and incited the power struggle between Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the queen-to-be, and Wallis Simpson, aka “That Woman," who fell into a calculated love affair with Prince Edward. Told from the perspective of both women, the novel propels readers into the fabulous world of the debonair Prince of Wales, café society of the 1930s, and the glittering private lives of the Windsors.

The first novel dedicated to the infamous rivalry between these two world-famous women, The Windsor Affair brings us all the gossip and intrigue between the two very different—yet perhaps more similar than they would admit—wives of royals. As Queen, Elizabeth would become the symbol of British pluck and courage during World War II and remain a British institution for the rest of her long life. Wallis would be forever forced to enact the World’s Greatest Love Story even after it sours, as she goes from being admired to vilified and, ultimately, pitied.

Against the backdrop of the Abdication Crisis, World War II, coronations, funerals, births, and deaths, these two women maintain a bitter, biting, sharp-tongued feud—until age and the long arm of history bring about a kind of understanding. For the last communication between these bitter rivals was a simple, surprising “In friendship, Elizabeth.”

Review: Thank you to Delacorte Press and Goodreads giveaways for gifted copy!

This wonderfully researched work of historical fiction follows Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Wallis Simpson and their infamous feud. Married to Windsor brothers, these sisters-in-law are famous for being two of those closest to the scandal of the abdication of the throne of King Edward VIII. Wallis Simpson was a twice-divorced American who caught the eye to the heir to the British throne. And Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was descended from Scottish nobility and married to the second son of the King of England. When David refused to give up Wallis, it was Elizabeth who became queen instead. This novel tells the story from the two women's perspectives and all the gossip and heated emotions at the heart of scandal that rocked the nation. 

This book was so well done and one of the best works of historical fiction I've read in some time. I have read several biographies about both Wallis and the Queen Mother and could not believe how historically accurate this book was! This would be a great introduction to their lives for fiction readers. But more than that, the story was told in a very compelling way that goes beyond the fact and digs into the emotions behind the events. Told in alternating chapters, we get insight into both Wallis's and Elizabeth's perspective. Both are flawed characters, but this book really humanizes them in many ways too.

This is such a juicy story that many still remember or know about today that I'm shocked this story hasn't been told in a fictional tale before now. It was unique in that it follows two women who are united by their mutual dislike of each other and their connection to the throne. But it is also the story of two marriages, which are neatly compared and contrasted in the alternating chapters. Despite Elizabeth's initial reluctance to marry him, she and Bertie have a loving and devoted marriage, which I love to see: "Despite thrones and crowns and balcony appearances and curtsies and bows and trumpets and swords, they were, quite simply, a married couple who loved each other in that quiet, easy way that fortunate married couples earned" (290). This is sharply contrasted with the often poisonous and volatile relationship between Wallis and David: "As if his devotion - touching, pathetic, smothering, incessant - could make up for all she'd sacrificed?" (4). 

This was so well done, and such a fascinating inside look at a scandalous and infamous incident and relationship that it was hard not to love it. I will say that the constant backstabbing and endless badmouthing between the two women as portrayed in this book got a little hard to read after a while. They were vicious! But I did love the way it was concluded and the note these two ended on.

Stars: 4.5