King Edward VIII
-
-
5.0 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
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.
Reviews
‘Philip Ziegler is a master of biographical narrative …Seldom has such exhaustive research been made so compellingly readable’ Michael Holroyd
‘Ziegler has told Edward’s story with consummate skill’ Sarah Bradford, Sunday Times
‘Beautifully written and constructed’ Michael Bloch, Sunday Telegraph
‘Ziegler writes with urbanity and generosity but is unflinching in his judgements … an exemplary biography’ Richard Davenport-Hines, Times Literary Supplement
‘A splendid book of impeccable scholarship, admirably written, moving, ironical and at times very amusing …’ Robert Blake, Country Life
‘A book of such compelling interest and frankness that it is difficult to put down … a very fine book’ New York Times Book Review
‘I found Ziegler’s book riveting’ Paul Barker, Listener
‘He writes brilliantly’ Christopher Hudson, Evening Standard
About the author
Philip Ziegler was born in 1929 and educated at Eton and New College, Oxford, where he gained first class honours in Jurisprudence. He then joined the Diplomatic Service and served in Vientiane, Paris, Pretoria and Bogota before joining the publishers William Collins, where he was editorial director for fifteen years. His many books include biographies of William IV, Lady Diana Cooper, Louis Mountbatten and Harold Wilson, as well as the classic history of the Black Death.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Granted unrestricted access to the royal archives at Windsor, Ziegler ( Mountbatten ) in this elegantly written biography offers new material about Edward's years as Prince of Wales, his brief reign, his governorship of the Bahamas and the sad exile as Duke of Windsor. Succeeding to the throne on the death of his father, George V, Edward VIII reigned for less than a year. His abdication was the climax of a crisis precipitated by his announced intention of marrying Wallis Simpson, an American then suing her second husband for divorce. Ziegler presents her in a wholly unfavorable light: ruthless, voracious, shallow, greedy. He is much kinder to Edward, portrayed here as a charming lightweight who lacked discretion and a sense of proportion. Ziegler makes poignantly clear the magnitude of his sacrifice, especially in regard to the breach with the royal family, and the fortitude with which he defended the duchess throughout their 36 years of marriage. In the end, however, the biographer laments: ``There is so much he could have done; he did so little.'' Photos. 55,000 first printing; BOMC alternate.
