Duchess Of Windsor Analysis

The two documents that will be the focus of this study come from both the Duke of Windsor and his wife, the Duchess of Windsor. The two documents are memoirs detailing the events that took place during the Abdication Crisis of 1936. However, while the events of the crisis had taken place during 1936, the memoirs themselves were not written until several years after the fact. Nevertheless, both memoirs provide great insight into the incident, and are able to tell a more intimate look into events as they from the perspective of the two individuals at the heart of the crisis. With that in consideration, the focus of this document analysis will be towards answering the question: Why did the King have to abdicate? The reasoning presented by each …show more content…
Ultimately, the Duke was presented with a choice between the throne or his marriage, and he chose his love for his wife. The memoir from the Duke of Windsor is a window into a man's struggle with a system that was against him. The manner in which the Duke presents himself in his memoir leaned more towards damage control, with the interest of the greater population in mind. The marriage is an extremely important factor in the reason for his abdication. However, the Duke does not solely attribute the marriage as the reason. Rather, he realizes the system is against him, and the implications that his marriage brings with to it. More importantly, the Duke is aware he has the power to sway the people to fight the system, but he contemplates whether or not it would be beneficial in the end. Within his memoir, he mentions the occurrence of a "King's Party," a group of individuals that were in support of the Duke. Following this, he writes, "Had I made a move to encourage the growth of this movement it might have grown. If I had made an appeal to the public, I might have persuaded a majority, and a large majority at that" (Duke, 384). As it indicates in the quote, the Duke was aware that he the opportunity to amass a large following that …show more content…
Perhaps, given the intended audience for the Duke's memoir, he establishes a certain portrayal for himself. His portrayal has him appearing as a composed figure. For example, he outlines that his actions have been towards maintaining damage control. As a result, the reasoning he provides for his abdication was in consideration for the greater population of Britain. Therefore, he says it was not love, but because it was his duty. However, this portrayal is contrasted within his wife's memoir. Her memoir provides a more intimate look at the Duke, and therefore, displays the toll that the events had truly taken on him. Furthermore, her memoir reveals that plenty of his actions were a result of the love for him wife. For example, when given the choice between abdicating or giving her up, he chose to abdicate. Ultimately, the Duke and Duchess were at odds with a system that was against them. As a result, the Duke was presented with a choice, and he chose his