A Bold and Eye-Opening Reassessment of Wallis Simpson

Anna Pasternak’s The American Duchess is a compelling and meticulously researched biography that challenges the long-held narrative of Wallis Simpson as the ambitious villain of the abdication crisis.

Instead, Pasternak presents a strikingly different interpretation: that Wallis was not the architect of a royal scandal but its greatest victim. What I found most fascinating about this book was its deep dive into Wallis’s true feelings about Edward VIII. Unlike the familiar story of a cunning social climber who lured a king away from his throne, The American Duchess suggests that Wallis was caught in a situation she never fully controlled. She enjoyed Edward’s attention, but never expected his love to turn into obsession, nor did she desire the global infamy that followed.

Pasternak does an exceptional job of peeling back the layers of history to reveal the personal and political motivations behind the abdication. She convincingly argues that Edward was a deeply flawed, emotionally needy man—one whose deficiencies were well-known to his family and government. Rather than abdicating solely for love, Pasternak suggests that Edward was pushed toward exile because those in power saw him as fundamentally unfit to rule. Wallis became a convenient scapegoat, blamed for a crisis that had much deeper roots in the monarchy’s internal struggles.

This book brings a fresh and empathetic perspective to Wallis, portraying her as a woman trapped in a fairy tale gone wrong. Rather than being an opportunist who wanted to be queen, she was a survivor—one who bore the brunt of a king’s abdication while being cast out by a society that needed someone to blame.

For readers interested in royal history, historical scandals, or a more nuanced view of Wallis Simpson, The American Duchess is an essential read. It’s a gripping, well-written, and ultimately tragic reexamination of one of history’s most misunderstood women.