Behind the scenes: a friend puts an unQueenly thought into Mrs. Simpson's mind

Thursday 19th November 1936

Behind the Scenes

Stanley Baldwin had hoped that the King's visit to Wales would put "Kingly thoughts" in his mind, implicitly displacing ones of an unsuitable marriage. In the King's absence one of his friends was trying to put unQueenly thoughts in Mrs. Simpson's mind. Over lunch at Claridges Hotel Esmond Harmsworth suggested to her the idea of a morganatic marriage, in which she did not become Queen, as a middle way that would duck government objections. Harmsworth knew that the idea would be disagreeable to the King and recognized that only Mrs. Simpson would be able to persuade him of its merits.