Featured Article Summary #87

Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, and Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, visited Nazi Germany in October 1937, after Edward had abdicated the British throne in 1936 and married Wallis the year before. Although Edward said his trip was for research into social and economic conditions, the tour happened as war threats in Europe were rising, and many feared the Nazis would use his fame for propaganda. His supporters hoped he could act as a peacemaker between Britain and Germany, but the British government opposed the plan and kept diplomatic staff from engaging with the couple. During the visit, the Windsors toured factories, met senior Nazi leaders, and even had private meetings and tea with Adolf Hitler. The British public largely disapproved, and plans for a U.S. tour were later cancelled after American labour groups reacted negatively to Nazi repression in Germany. Historians today often see the trip as showing poor judgment and a disregard for warnings he received. Edward VIII became king after George V died in 1936, and soon announced he wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American. The British government, the Church, and many people strongly objected because she was not considered suitable, and her situation conflicted with Church rules and Edward’s coronation oath; critics believed it would weaken his role as a constitutional monarch. Edward therefore abdicated in December 1936, becoming the Duke of Windsor, and he married Simpson in France in June 1937, after which they set up their main home in Paris. Europe’s political situation was tense in 1937. The Spanish Civil War had pulled in major powers like the Soviet Union, Italy, and Germany, while Germany was rearming and growing more aggressive; in the UK, many expected war even though policy still relied on appeasement, and Baldwin was replaced by Neville Chamberlain in May 1937. Although historians later saw the Windsors’ tour as a poor decision, visiting Hitler was still common and seen by many as normal at the time, with other British and European leaders also meeting him or being hosted by him. George VI was said to be shocked by Edward’s decision to enter European politics at a sensitive time, calling the plan “a bombshell” and angry that Edward had promised to avoid public appearances after his abdication. Many contemporaries were also concerned because a visit to Germany carried bad political meaning; although some tried to stop Edward, the government’s main worries were that he might act indiscreetly or promote his own foreign-policy agenda outside official control. Edward claimed he would go only as an independent observer, and while he spoke about improving working conditions, historians note that his remarks offended people in England because they felt such issues were not the role of the monarchy, and that the statements also helped distract from the attention around his relationship with Simpson. Edward of Windsor strongly admired Germany, knew the language, and likely connected his own background to German culture, which led some contemporaries to believe he was “pro-German” and even moving toward supporting dictators. He and Wallis Simpson were also suspected by some in Britain and monitored by the FBI for possible Nazi sympathies or spying, though Simpson denied this. In the 1930s, Edward justified his stance as a reaction to the horrors of World War I and supported appeasement, seeing Germany as a way to restore close Anglo-German ties and make Simpson a major figure in a state visit, with Germany the only country willing to fit his terms.