Adorable Story #85: Wallis Simpson - Part 1

The Woman Who Changed a King’s Fate

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (1896-1986) and the Duke of Windsor (1894-1972) outside Goverment House in Nassau, the Bahamas, circa 1942. The Duke of Windsor served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1940 to 1945 — Photo by Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.

Wallis Simpson, born Bessie Wallis Warfield, became a central figure in one of the 20th century’s most dramatic royal events. Her early life in Pennsylvania and Maryland set the stage for a journey marked by high society connections and scandalous romances. Twice-divorced, she infamously captivated King Edward VIII, leading to his abdication in 1936.

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Table of Contents: Early Life / First Marriage / Second Marriage / Meeting Prince Edward / Becoming Lovers / Checkmate to the King / Marrying Edward / Life during WWII / Post War Life / Later Years

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“My story is simple, or at least that’s what I like to think: it’s the story of an ordinary life that became extraordinary.”

— Wallis Simpson

With these words Bessie Wallis Warfield defined a life that may seem like a fairy tale, but that was not without bitterness: as she repeated several times over the years, it was very “difficult to live the greatest love story of the century.”

Early Life

Wallis Simpson, was born Bessie Wallis Warfield on June 19th, 1896, in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania.

She was the only child of Teackle Wallis Warfield and Alice Montague. Her father was the fifth and youngest son of Henry Mactier Warfield, a prominent merchant, described as “one of the best known and personally one of the most popular citizens of Baltimore”, who also ran for mayor in 1875.

Wallis father died of tuberculosis on November 15th, 1896. For her first few years, Wallis and her mother were dependent upon the financial support of her father’s wealthy bachelor brother Solomon Davies Warfield — who was a successful businessman and president of the Continental Trust Company in Baltimore.

Wallis attended the prestigious Oldfields School, an exclusive girls’ boarding school in Glencoe, Maryland. Known for her social skills and charm, Wallis thrived in this environment.

She was aware of not being a particularly good-looking girl and hardened by the adversities of life (particularly the premature death of her father and, consequently, the scarce financial possibilities), Wallis soon dedicated herself to honing the two major weapons at her disposal: her style (“I’m not very good to see, the least I can do is dress better than anyone else”) and social skills (“when you are invited to a party you have the moral duty to be funny”).