1894-1972

In 1936, the British monarchy faced the greatest threats to its survival in the modern era. First came the crisis of abdication and then the menace of Nazism. The fate of the country rested in the hands of the late King George V's sons: the stammering King George VI (who became king when his eldest brother, Edward VIII abdicated in December, 1936), the dull-witted Duke of Gloucester, the too-glamorous Duke of Kent, and the Nazi-sympathizer and ex-king, who became known as the Duke of Windsor after his abdication. They were four men, miscast by fate, and one would save the monarchy at great personal cost to himself and his family.

"Morton tells the story of the feckless Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor, his American wife Wallis Simpson, the bizarre wartime Nazi plot to make him a puppet king after the invasion of Britain, and the attempted cover-up by Churchill, General Eisenhower, and King George VI of the duke's relations with Hitler. From the alleged affair between Simpson and the German foreign minister to the discovery of top secret correspondence about the man dubbed 'the traitor king' and the Nazi high command, this is a sagaof intrigue, betrayal, and deception"--Dust jacket flap.

Interviews with informed persons provide a definitive account of England's bachelor king and Mrs. Wallis Simpson, who are portrayed as tragically mismatched lovers.

A biography of England's King Edward VIII, with emphasis on the events surrounding his abdication of the throne to marry an American woman.