Wissenswertes

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 911-912. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.

Her autobiography "The Heart Has Its Reasons" was ghostwritten by Charles Murphy.

It's a very common myth that she wasn't allowed to marry the King (Edward VIII) was because she was an American. It was entirely because she was a divorcee, which would have created a constitutional crisis as the British monarch is the supreme governor of the Church of England, which did not recognize divorced persons at the time.

Shortly before her marriage to Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, his brother King George VI issued letters patent granting Edward the style of "High Royal Highness", but specifically excluded his wife and any children that might be born from sharing the style -- usually the wife of a British prince automatically shares her husband's styles and titles. Wallis' denial of a "Royal Highness" style became a point of contention between the brothers, and Edward would sometimes call his brother daily, asking for a royal style for Wallis.