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A very well-founded book.

The authorised life story of the king who gave up his throne for love, by one of our most distinguished biographers. In this masterly authorized biography, Philip Ziegler reveals the complex personality of Edward VIII, the only British monarch to have voluntarily renounced the throne. With unique access to the Royal Archives, Ziegler overturns many myths about Edward and tells his side of the story – from his glamorous existence as Prince of Wales to his long decline in semi-exile in France. At the heart of the book is an unflinchingly honest examination of Edward’s all-consuming passion for Wallis Simpson, which led to his dramatic abdication.

Elegant and devastating, this is the most convincing portrait of Edward ever published.

Review: A well-researched and well written book, I would recommend it. The only drawback is that it is now slightly dated and more information about Edward and Wallis, and Edward and the Nazis etc. has come to light. If I’m honest, I found the first half of the book (up to about page 250 in which we meet Wallis Simpson) quite tiresome at times, where the author focuses heavily on the PoW’s mood during his tours of The Empire. What was described of Edward in Canada was like Australia, and New Zealand, and South Africa and India, etc. – quite repetitive. The plus side here is that this does help to bring the PoW’s character to life, and you feel you “know him” in preparation for the second half. At this point, we focus on the ascension, affair with Simpson, abdication, Nazi involvement and years in France etc. which I found far more interesting. I wish the Nazi subject was discussed further but I think it could fill (and probably has filled) a whole book itself. I did find it fascinating however, a King of England in the 20th Century abdicating the throne and collaborating with Hitler – it’s like an absurd Hollywood film plot to me! but again, I can’t criticise the book for not focusing more on this as this book isn’t called “The Duke of Windsor and Hitler”.

On balance, I would recommend giving this a read if you are interested in History, the Monarchy or even if you have just watched Netflix’s “The Crown” and found the relationship between Edward and the more recent Royal Family/Nazis/Wallis etc. interesting. Personally, I have been reading a biography of every Monarch from William the Conqueror onwards, in order, and this certainly isn’t one of the books I have disliked or struggled through. If you do enjoy it, I would recommend Ziegler’s biography of William IV which I found excellent and sympathetic to a King who is usually, at worst, seen as a buffoon, and at best, totally forgotten.