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Wallis Warfield Simpson, the twice-divorced Amer-
                                                                      ican for whom the king of England, Edward VIII,
                                                                      would renounce his throne.













































            Twenty-six people were killed and 78   she shared with her second husband,   never to set foot in Britain again
            were dug out of the rubble.        Ernest, at 5 George St., not far from   without the permission of his brother,
                                               Selfridges. A mutual friend had intro-  the new king. After their marriage, the
            A few steps east along Oxford Street   duced them.                    couple lived their lives in exile, mostly
            from the Thistle Marble Arch hotel is                                 in France.
            Selfridges -- the monumental depart-  While the affair with the divorced
            ment store built by American Harry   American was common knowledge    Americans clearly have had a major role
            Gordon Selfridge, whose riches to rags   to those in high society, the general   in shaping London. And one won-
            story is the subject of a popular PBS-TV   British public was kept in the dark for   ders, if the American Wallis Warfield
            mini-series. After serving as a senior   years, even though newspapers abroad   Simpson had not won the heart of King
            executive at Chicago’s Marshall Field &   reported on the romance. Eventually,   Edward VIII, what direction would the
            Co. department store, Selfridge came   Simpson filed for divorce in Britain.   British monarchy have taken?
            to London “to teach Britons to shop.”   She had moved to a four-story fur-
            Nearly forgotten after he squandered   nished house at Cumberland Terrace
            his fortune on gambling and other   near Regent’s Park.               IF YOU GO
            vices, Selfridge today is remembered
            within the sprawling store in a cozy   The liaison was on its way to producing   Benjamin Franklin House museum, the
            lower-level bar called Harry Gordon’s.  a government crisis, with the king told   only remaining house occupied by
                                               by government leaders that marriage   Franklin: www.benjaminfranklinhouse.
            One of the most intriguing Ameri-  was out of the question. By now, the   org
            cans to have lived in London is Wallis   newspapers were all over the story.
            Warfield Simpson, the twice-divorced                                  Grosvenor Square: london.usembassy.
            American for whom the king of En-  Simpson was reviled in the press,   gov/rcgrsvnr.html
            gland, Edward VIII, would renounce his   received threatening letters and wit-
            throne. Memories of her can be found a   nessed angry crowds outside her home.   Athenaeum Hotel: www.athenaeum-
            few blocks north of Oxford Street.  In December 1936, she left England   hotel.com
                                               for France. Days later, with no gov-
            Their love affair began in 1933 when   ernment support for his position, the   VisitBritain: Britain’s national tourism
            the king, then the Prince of Wales,   king abdicated, leaving the throne for   agency with information on all areas:
            would drop in for drinks or dinner   the woman he loved. He was given the   www.visitbritain.com
            at the Bryanston Court apartment   title Duke of Windsor and was ordered


            90    Wine Dine & Travel  Summer 2014
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