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Arts & Culture

EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN: Wallis Simpson

American socialite Wallis Simpson became Duchess of Windsor in June 1937 after her marriage to Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor. (Agency reference 2639219)
Courtesy of FAYER/ © Hulton Archive/Getty Images (1936)
American socialite Wallis Simpson became Duchess of Windsor in June 1937 after her marriage to Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor. (Agency reference 2639219)

Airs Fri., April 25, 2014 at 9 p.m. & Sun., April 27 at 2 p.m. on KPBS TV

They seemed to have it all – glamour, power, wealth and adoration. Grace Kelly, Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, Indira Gandhi, Madame Chiang Kai-shek... they were worshiped, loved and sometimes even feared by millions the world over. These were the pioneers who showed that a woman could be the equal of any man. But behind the public success, there was so often private heartache and personal tragedy. Featuring archive, interviews and dramatic re-enactment, this series reveals the price these extraordinary women paid for their achievements. Yet in the end, they overcame all adversities to emerge as triumphant, inspirational icons of the 20th century.

"Wallis Simpson"

Brandished a frivolous socialite, a gold digger and even a Nazi-sympathizer, Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American, became embroiled in a deep constitutional crisis when she embarked upon one of the most talked-about marriages of the 20th century. To the horror of the British government and the Royal Family, on 10th December, 1936, King Edward VIII gave up the British throne to marry her.

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As a young lady, Wallis was a die-hard socialite - and lived for the parties, the champagne, the dances and the men. But she made bad choices. Her first husband, Win Spencer, was a dashing American pilot, whose drunken rages left her beaten and abused.

Her second husband, Ernest Simpson, took her to London where she felt bored and isolated - that is, until she broke into the aristocratic social scene. Wallis Simpson soon caught the roving eye of the charismatic playboy and the future King of England, Prince Edward.

With Edward's accession to the throne, the British government and the Church of England were adamant the King could not marry a divorcee. And so, in a move that shocked the nation, Edward VIII abdicated - to marry the woman he loved. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as they were then titled, were forced to live in exile and endure relentless snubs from the Royal Family for the rest of their lives. But, they made the best of it. It was not the life they wanted but hey had each other.

Throughout the Second World War they worked tirelessly for the war effort; they established charitable institutions during their posting to the Bahamas; they created a happy, social life for themselves in Paris in the years that followed, and Wallis became known as one of the world's best dressed women. But, for all that, Wallis Simpson's reputation remained forever tainted - she was the woman who caused a much-loved King to abdicate.

Distributed by BBC Worldwide

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