THE BRITISH MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY IN THE 21ST CENTURY Chế độ quân chủ nước Anh được khắc hoạ qua các phương tiện truyền thông (báo chí) trong thế kỷ 21, the Sun, the BBC News, the Daily Mail, case study: The first British Royal family’s abdication King Edward VIII rejected the crown to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman
DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY OF VIETNAM ENGLISH FACULTY *** INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH AND AMERICAN STUDIES MID-TERM ESSAY TOPIC: THE BRITISH MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY IN THE 21ST CENTURY Tutor: Mrs Nguyen Minh Phuong Student name: Le Minh Anh Student ID: TA46C – 061 – 1923 Hanoi, April 2022 THEORETHICAL FRAMEWORK This is a study of how King Edward VIII and his wife, Wallis Simpson, were portrayed in articles by The Sun, BBC News, and The Daily Mail, the three major UK newspapers By giving a case study, using a Critical Discourse Analysis, article from the daily tabloid The Sun, articles from the public service news site BBC News, and articles from the daily middle-market The Daily Mail are analyzed These articles are then examined according to Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, firstly on a textual level, secondly through a layer of discursive practice, and finally through the third dimension, social practice With the help of previous research on the British Monarchy and the British Royal Family, the results of the study are then put into context and explained When analyzing these three famous newspapers and articles related to the love story of Edward and Wallis, it can be seen that the authors' views have similarities, but also complete opposites Most of the articles portray Wallis as a woman who destroys the kingship with the ugliest words and blames her for bringing the king to abdication Some articles criticize the king because he was so obsessed with her that he forgot his duty to the country and his people The few remaining articles have views that are completely opposite to those above The authors who write these articles think that King Edward and Wallis are not at fault; the fault is in the circumstances at that time TABLE OF CONTENT INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………… BACKGROUND …………………………………………………… I Introducing the British media ……………………………………… The Sun …………………………………………………………… The BBC News …………………………………………………… The Daily Mail …………………………………………………… II The British Monarchy under King Edward VIII’s reign ………… THE BRITISH MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY IN THE 21ST CENTURY Case study: The first British Royal family’s abdication - King Edward VIII rejected the crown to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman …………………………………………………… Historical context ………………………………………………… 7 Media attitude toward the first British king renouncing the throne 2.1 The Sun ………………………………………………………… 2.2 The BBC News ………………………………………………… 2.3 The Daily Mail …………………………………………………… 10 Viewers’ reactions to media reports about Britain’s first king's abdication …………………………………………………………… 12 CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………… 14 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………… 18 INTRODUCTION ‘I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to without the help and support of the woman I love.’ (King Edward VIII, 1936)1 On November 12, 1936, for the first time, a British king, Edward VIII, voluntarily abdicated the throne in favor of his younger brother, the Duke of York As mentioned in his quote, the real reason for his abdication was the woman, and she was an American with two husbands, Wallis Warfield Simpson This has shocked the British Royal Family, and foreign newspapers have been writing about this news since the two were dating, now even more excited when it comes to their lives However, at the time, the British newspapers had little coverage of this news, and it was not until recent years, when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were married, that the news of King Edward and Mrs Wallis became more widely known Famous British newspapers, such as the BBC, The Daily Mail, or The Sun newspaper, began to dig up and write about the love story of King Edward and Mrs Wallis, later called The Dunch and Duchess, possibly for comparison with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent love story It's also possible to find new things they haven't discovered in the past or to gauge the relationship between the old king and his wife This article will cover basic information about the newspapers mentioned in this article, namely three newspapers: The Sun, The BBC, and The Daily Mail, and give an overview of the English dynasty during the time of King Edward VIII After that, the article will focus on analyzing how the articles portray the relationship between King Edward and Wallis; providing data on reader feedback; and finally, giving out the conclusion Oxford Refernce, Edward VIII, afterwards Duke of Windsor 1894–1972 British monarch, King of the United Kingdom, 1936 BACKGROUND I Introducing the British media The Sun The tabloid the Sun was founded in 1964 when the daily Daily Herald was republished under the name the Sun Throughout the early years, the journals' primary focus was on how class identification was fading and being replaced by age or phases of family life because people of comparable ages shared more in common than people of the same social class (Bingham & Conboy, 2015, pp 185-186) Additionally, the Sun welcomed a more modern way of life, complete with computers and other technologies After a few difficult years, the paper was relaunched in 1969 with Rupert Murdoch at the helm, catapulting it from relative obscurity to extraordinary popularity This is because the paper began to place a greater emphasis on the working class Additionally, they began to prioritize sex, television viewing, and sports By the late 1970s, the Sun had surpassed the Daily Mirror as the most popular daily newspaper in the United Kingdom (Bingham & Conboy, 2015, pp 186-188) The BBC News The BBC was the world's first established public service broadcaster and has maintained a leading position in the UK media from its inception (Küng-Shankleman, 2000, pp 2-3) Throughout the early years of public service, the BBC and public service were "[ ] primarily oriented towards ‘higher’ goals like reflecting national culture, building national identity, enhancing democratic processes, and educating and informing" (Küng-Shankleman, 2000, p 31) The public service has evolved from a nationalized, protected market to one that has entered the free market and is influenced by external variables such as international financial and economic factors (KüngShankleman, 2000, pp 31-32) When the BBC launched the news website BBC News Online in 1997, the public service and the BBC remained important, as previously defined (Allan & Thorsen, 2011, pp 20-24) Thus, the site was based on three primary tenets: "serving democracy, generating content that has cultural value, and promoting social inclusion" (Curran & Seaton, 2018, p 500) According to Curran and Seaton, BBC News has evolved to become one of the most popular news websites in the world since its inception (2018, p 505) The Daily Mail Alfred Harmsworth, later the 1st Viscount Northcliffe, created The Daily Mail in 1896 (See Northcliffe, Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, Viscount) Its origins date all the way back to the Hull Packet (established in 1787), which combined with the Hull Evening News in 1884 and relocated to London 12 years later to become the Daily Mail In 1902, its circulation surpassed one million, placing it alongside the New York World and the New York Journal as the city's most widely circulated newspapers Although the Mail's circulation declined in the 1970s, it remained one of the best-selling newspapers in the United Kingdom at the turn of the twentieth century The Daily Mail is currently the second most popular newspaper in the United Kingdom Published Monday through Saturday, it has an average daily circulation of 1,134,184 copies as of February 2020 II The British Monarchy under King Edward VIII’s reign A monarchy's Head of State is a king or queen The Monarchy of the United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy This means that, while the Sovereign is the Head of State, an elected Parliament has the authority to create and pass legislation As Head of State, the Monarch carries out constitutional and representational responsibilities that have evolved over the course of a thousand years Along with these State responsibilities, the Monarch serves in a less formal capacity as 'Head of Nation.' The Sovereign serves as a focal point for national identity, unity, and pride; provides a sense of stability and continuity; recognizes accomplishment and excellence on an official level, and promotes the notion of voluntary service In 1936, After Edward's father, King George, died, he ascended the throne to rule the country However, because King Edward was known as a man who preferred the nightlife and lavish parties, flirting and never paying attention to country affairs, in addition to having affairs with divorced American women, the ruler of the neglected throne was removed Reigning for less than a year, he abdicated the throne in favor of his younger brother Albert, who became George VI THE BRITISH MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY IN THE 21ST CENTURY Case study: The first British Royal family’s abdication - King Edward VIII rejected the crown to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman Historical context Edward, born in 1894, was King George V's eldest son and succeeded his father as British ruler in 1910 As he approached his 40th birthday while still unmarried, he interacted with the sophisticated London society of the day By 1934, he had fallen in love with Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American socialite who was married to Ernest Simpson, an English-American businessman who lived with Mrs Simpson near London Wallis, a Pennsylvania native, had previously married and divorced a United States Navy pilot Although the royal family disapproved of Edward's married mistress, the prince was determined to marry Mrs Simpson by 1936 Edward was proclaimed king in January 1936, before he could share this idea with his father The new king quickly gained popularity among his subjects, and his coronation was set for May 1937 His affair with Mrs Simpson was publicized in American and continental European publications but was kept out of British newspapers due to a gentlemen's agreement between the British press and the government Mrs Simpson got a preliminary divorce decree on October 27, 1936, ostensibly in order to marry the king, precipitating a great scandal To the Church of England and the majority of British lawmakers, an American woman who had been divorced twice was unfit to be a future British queen Winston Churchill, a Conservative backbencher at the time, was the only prominent politician who backed Edward Despite what appeared to be a united front against him, Edward was unconvinced He offered a morganatic marriage in which Wallis would have no rank or property rights, but Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin rejected the proposal as impracticable on December The story emerged on the front pages of British newspapers the following day and was debated openly in Parliament On December 10, with no settlement in sight, the king abdicated the throne The following day, Parliament ratified the instrument of abdication, bringing Edward VIII's reign to an end George VI, the new monarch, made his elder brother the Duke of Windsor The Duke of Windsor married Wallis Warfield on June 3, 1937, at the Château de Cande in France's Loire Valley Media attitude toward the first British king renouncing the throne 2.1 The Sun On October 9, 2020, the newspaper "The Sun" published an article outlining eight scandals that rocked the British royal family, one of which involved King Edward VIII and his marriage to a woman named Wallis Simpson The article discusses how their romance began in 1934 and progressed until 1937 when the two married at the Château de Candé; however, none of Edward's family members were there King Edward VIII's decision to marry a woman who had been married twice compelled him to abdicate and the couple married and became Duke and Duchess of Windsor The newspaper labeled Queen Elizabeth VIII's wife, Wallis Simpson, as "the lady who rocked the Royals and plunged the monarchy into crisis."2 2.2 BBC The BBC, a very famous and prestigious British newspaper, also published information about Wallis Simpson to measure Meghan and Harry's recent love affair Right in the title, the article rates the story of Wallis and King Edward VIII as a "hard lesson," and throughout the article, the author describes Simpson as "a cheap adventure," "a lesbian," "a nymphomaniac," "a Nazi spy," "a hermaphrodite," and "a sexual enchantress." These designations immediately give the reader a bad view of Simpson, and one may think of her as a worthless woman with no morals, no dignity, unworthy of a king and a human It destroyed the British monarchy and empire If Meghan is considered a successful woman, then the author of the article talks about how ugly Simpson is: "one was a socialite," "a ghastly woman," "an evil force," or "full of animal cunning."3 In the article "Wallis Simpson's reputation gets a makeover", published in 2021 (as a documentary), different from previous articles, the speaker described Simpson as "enormous in style," "perfectly nice woman," "funny," "elegant,"4 and concludes that she is the victim in this story, not the other way around And when choosing to support Simpson, the article blamed Edward, saying that he was the one to blame for being so obsessed with Simpson that he forced her to marry him In 2006, an article was published for the writer to raise his opinion that King Edward's abdication due to falling in love with a woman who had two husbands was not a failure, but "an addict," and "a touching episode."5 He mirrors their story into The Sun, 2020, Eight Royal scandals that shocked the world from Prince Andrew’s fall from grace to Meghan’s rocky first year as Duchess BBC News, 2020, Wallis Simpson’s hard lessons for Harry and Meghan BBC News, 2011, Wallis Simpson’s reputation ‘gets a makeover’ BBC News, 2006, A shameful failure, or just an addict? the 21st century when people have a more psychological understanding of how far a person can go when under pressure or motivated Therefore, when thinking about the love story of King Edward and Wallis, which led to the abdication, the author advises readers to have a better and more selfless view He cited two people who shared his thoughts at the time: Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler Both of these men accepted King Edward's abdication; Churchill supported it, and Hitler was disappointed but still accepted The Duch and Duchess The author of the article did not consider the addiction of the king to be his fault, but rather the influence of his parents He not only defended the king but also mentioned the king's wife, Wallis Simpson He said that Wallis' proposal to end this love affair so that King Edward could keep his throne was sincere and that a part of her had feelings for Edward, not cold-hearted or bossy like the stereotypes she was labeled with 2.3 The Daily Mail When looking back at the Daily Mail's writings regarding King Edward and his wife, Wallis Simpson, up until today, in 2021, it is clear that this issue has been revisited numerous times, with the primary focus on their relationship In the article "Wallis Simpson dominated the Duke of Windsor and he actually liked it: The secrets of the couple's twisted life in exile - and how tensions between their public duty and private desires triggered the abdication," one can immediately see the newspaper's assessment of The Dunch and The Duchess of Windsor's relationship The author of the post employed the rhetorical question style "how tension" to elicit readers' excitement while also expressing their emotions The author described the two's balancing of official duties and private aspirations as "tension," inferring that it contributed to King Edward's abdication In the article, the writer quoted many negative comments about Ms Wallis Simpson, including some words such as: "bored stiff", "coldness", "irritation", "boredom", "a complicated person cold, mean-spirited, a bully and a sadist," "harsh," "dominating," "often abominably 10 rude"6 Not only that, until King Edward VIII, the Duke was in the last stage of his life, the Duchess' actions were still watched and told by the nurse that she never came to see or kiss her husband good night Besides Wallis Simpson's bad news article, the Daily Mail also featured an article about King Edward's obsession with Mrs Wallis, published in 2017 with the title "How 'needy' King Edward left Wallis Simpson trapped [ ]" While still expressing a negative attitude towards Mrs Wallis by calling her "a gold-digger and seductress," this article emphasizes how infatuated King Edward was with his wife In the article, the writer mentioned "a desperate 11th-hour phone call" from Wallis to beg him not to abdicate, and how Mr Edward was determined to take her as his wife, expressed in the sentence "In fact, experts say that Wallis underestimated just how strongly the King towards her." or "She'd got in too deep, and couldn't get out." The article also mentioned that Ms Wallis considered her husband "a desperately needy child" and that she did not want to spend her life with him Not only was it about Wallis treating King Edward like a child, or that King Edward had an obsession with Wallis, or who abdicated the throne on purpose, another article by the Daily Mail also mentioned that Wallis Simpson secretly loves another man In the article "[ ] Book reveals she was bored by the man who sacrificed his throne for her - and her heart lay elsewhere", the writer revealed that two days before Wallis married King Edward, she had desperately tried to lure Herman into her bed by "her passion for him was no idle fancy"7 She also confessed that Herman was The Daily Mail Online, 2021, Wallis Simpson dominated the Duke of Windsor and he actually liked it: The secrets of the couple's twisted life in exile - and how tensions between their public duty and private desires triggered the abdication The Daily Mail Online, 2018, How Wallis Simpson tried to bed the love of her life two days before she married Edward: Book reveals she was bored by the man who sacrificed his throne for her - and her heart lay elsewhere 11 the only man she loved The article not only details Wallis' feelings but also rates her as "coy, cool, and calculating"8 for her love affair with the king In another article, the writer once again mentioned The Duchess's feelings for Herman Rogers "Had her eye on rich Yale graduate for years before trying to sabotage his wedding to her love rival", "Wallis would have grabbed him and told the Duke to go", "Wallis had come to look on Herman as a form of reserve capital ", "They despised one another,"9 are some descriptions of Wallis and Herman's situation Through those descriptions, the reader can imagine how great Wallis' love is—far greater than her love for her husband However, she not only never got the one she wanted but was stuck for the rest of her life with someone who could have made her Queen but didn't: "Wallis's dream of a grand wedding also came to nothing when the King banned anyone linked to the Royal Family from attending." It can be seen that the journalists of The Daily Mail have spent a lot of time, and perhaps even a lot of effort, trying to find documents about Wallis' private life The details of her feelings for King Edward VIII, for the person she secretly adores, Herman, and for her not becoming Queen have all been extracted for analysis Viewers’ reactions to media reports about Britain’s first king's abdication In the 1930s, when the story of the English king Edward VIII giving up the throne to marry a woman who had passed two husbands as a wife happened, unfortunately, at that time, the mass media was not well-known, making the people's ability to access information in general and newspaper readers, in particular, is limited However, that does not mean that people are unaware of this or that there is no reaction to this abdication At that time, when King Edward decided to marry Wallis and give The Daily Mail Online, 2021, How ‘needy’ King Edward left Wallis Simpson trapped: Documentary claims divorcee was victim of an 'obsessed' monarch desperate to make her his queen – despite her 11th hour call begging him NOT to abdicate The Daily Mail, 2018, Wallis Simpson's one true love and it wasn't Edward VIII: How the Duchess of Windsor had her eye on rich Yale graduate for years before trying to sabotage his wedding to her love rival 12 up the throne and this story was published, readers not only in England but also in other countries (because this news was published more in other newspapers than in the British media did not pay much attention to this issue) were surprised and received this story with different attitudes Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler were two of the people who were in favor of the affair Most newspaper readers, who were influenced by the Sun and the Daily Mail, were against both of them and the whole thing However, due to a recent case similar to the case of King Edward and Wallis— the case of Meghan and Prince Harry—information about the 1936 case was thoroughly dug up Journalists dissect Meghan and Harry to find similarities and differences compared to last year's case, and readers are therefore more excited about the previous case Now, as the mass media has grown much more modern than it was during the time of King Edward VIII, newspaper readers can more easily access newspapers through the world wide web People compare Wallis to Meghan in terms of morality, profession, and personality, and King Edward to Prince Harry in terms of the throne Nowadays, when people have access to more modern technology, and BBC News allows readers to leave comments on (some) of their articles, the reactions or comments of newspaper readers are greatly appreciated raised As in the article discussing the views on the story of King Edward and Wallis, published in 2006, only readers can leave their comments below that article, stating that they agree with the views of King Edward and Wallis Do or don't the writer, and even comment on that writer Some people agree with the journalist's point of view and say that the story of King Edward and Wallis is "a wonderful story of love that not even Hollywood could have come up with." Others think that it is right for the king to abdicate the throne right, or this love story is very romantic However, there were also people who commented that "this article is stupid to the extreme" or directly said that they completely disagreed with the opinion of the writer of that article These comments are made entirely by newspaper readers because they have freedom of speech, and 13 now everyone can voice their opinion, and also because this article is open to all who wish to state their opinion CONCLUSION The aim of this study was to identify different discourses and see how the king, Edward VIII, and Wallis Simpson were constructed in the selected articles from the Sun, BBC News, and the Daily Mial, written about their relationship On a textual level, the Sun uses language to strengthen its story and make it more sensational Wallis Simpson is portrayed as a man who maddened the British royal family at the time and brought the British monarchy into a period of crisis As mentioned above, choosing to use words to describe Wallis as mentioned above makes it more attractive to readers The newspaper will sell better and more readers will be able to access the article In the Daily Mail, which is also a tabloid newspaper, the author uses many strong adjectives to describe King Edward and Wallis Similar to the purpose of the Sun newspaper, the authors of the articles in the Daily Mail also used those words to make the story more scandalous Comparatively, BBC News' commitment to the principles of public broadcasting (Price & Raboy, 2003, p 3)10 is clear when analyzing the lexical choices In terms of discursive practice, the article's representation of Edward and Wallis differs significantly from that of the Sun, the Daily Mail, and BBC News, owing to their disparate histories and journalistic standards For example, one of the four fundamental concepts that BBC News adheres to (Price & Raboy, 2003, p 3) is public service, as evidenced by the portrayal of King Edward and Wallis The primary focus is not on them alone, but on the entire event The article covers a broad range of topics, including historical and statistical information, which adds depth to the article This is in stark contrast to the Sun and Daily Mail stories, which emphasize shorter 10 Price, M., & Raboy, M., 2003, Public service broadcasting in transition: A documentary reader The Hague, Netherlands: Kluwer Law International 14 sentences, rapid news, and bold black headlines driven by scandals and sensationalism (Bingham & Conboy, 2015, pp 1-2) This can be seen throughout the articles, as they use headlines with capital letters and fewer, punchier words to generate headlines that include more scandals and sensations Although the Sun and Daily Mail articles place a heavy emphasis on Edward and Wallis personally, another approach employed by both publications' brands, little information about the events, the history behind the visits, and other fascinating details is presented If they are, they are brevity personified This demonstrates how the two media outlets operate and what they believe is critical to communicating to the public Additionally, BBC News is accessible to every person, not only due to the quick and free access but also due to the simple language utilized They seek to give a safe forum for differing viewpoints, and the reader can form an opinion about the narrative of King Edward and Wallis using the material supplied (Price & Raboy, 2003, p 3) Although this study demonstrates that BBC News provides critical information and appears to be objective, it is important to recognize that a journalist cannot be completely objective (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2007, pp 35–49) and that BBC News has an agenda despite the fact that profit is not their primary objective In contrast, in the Sun and the Daily Mail, it is stated that King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson are husband and wife, and that makes the reader automatically assume that it is obvious, and they won't be able to get rid of the image of King Edward abdicating the throne and Wallis Simpson as the destroyer of the British monarchy The authors of the Sun and the Daily Mail did not allow the reader to form their own opinion on this, instead of imposing that both are guilty on the reader Another dimension of discourse practice is audience involvement, which includes comments and sharing on other platforms, such as social media A large number of the pieces from these three newspapers have been shared on Facebook This demonstrates that the pieces are resonating with the readers The majority of 15 items shared were from BBC News, which may be a result of their commitment to reaching out to every citizen and utilizing simple, accessible language (Price & Raboy, 2003, p 3) Additionally, it demonstrates that BBC News has a high level of reputation and that readers believe their content is trustworthy enough to share For centuries (Royal, n.d.a; Martin, 1992), the media has been instrumental in defining values and conventions in British culture, as well as reinforcing and repeating what it means to be British (Curran & Seaton, 2018, p 412-416; O'Halloran, 2011, p 445-459) Thus, because BBC News, the Sun, and the Daily Mail wield significant media clout, how they present the story of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson has a significant social impact For example, the public relies on the information contained in media stories to construct an image of Simpson However, the public also possesses considerable power and can utilize it to effect change in society Due to the Royal Family's diminished influence in society, they rely on the media to maintain their relationship with the public (The Advertiser, 2011) Thus, how they are portrayed is critical to the monarchy's existence 16 REFERENCES Allan, S., & Thorsen, E (2009) Journalism and public service: The case of BBC News Online In G Meikle & G Redden (Eds.), News Online: Transformations & Continuities (pp 20-37) New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan BBC News (2006) A shameful failure, or just an addict? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6168961.stm BBC News (2011) Wallis Simpson’s reputation ‘gets a makeover’ https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-13112678 BBC News (2020) Wallis Simpson’s hard lessons for Harry and Meghan https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51567105 Bingham, A., & Conboy, M (2015) Tabloid century Oxford, United Kingdom: Peter Lang Ltd, Britanica, Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe Curran, J., & Seaton, J (2018) Power without responsibility: Press, broadcasting and the internet in Britain (8th ed.) Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge Kovach, B., & Rosenstiel, T (2007) The elements of journalism: What newspeople should know and the public should expect (2nd Rev ed.) New York: Three Rivers Press CA Küng-Shankleman, L (2000) Inside the BBC and CNN: Managing media organisations London, United Kingdom: Routledge 17 Martin, J (1992) A very British royal family still clinging to the past The Times Advance online publication http://proxy.library.ju.se/login?url=https://searchproquestcom.proxy.library.ju.se/docview/317866245?accountid=11754 Oxford Reference https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191843730.001.00 01/q-oro-ed5-00003973 Price, M., & Raboy, M (2003) Public service broadcasting in transition: A documentary reader The Hague, Netherlands: Kluwer Law International The Advertiser (2011) Royal wedding in a world with new definitions of power, the royals are forging new ways to maintain their role in modern society majesty for the times Retrieved January 7, 2020, from http://proxy.library.ju.se/login?url=https://searchproquestcom.proxy.library.ju.se/docview/864049950?accountid=1175 The Daily Mail Online (2018) How Wallis Simpson tried to bed the love of her life two days before she married Edward: Book reveals she was bored by the man who sacrificed his throne for her - and her heart lay elsewhere https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5346459/How-Wallis-Simpsonsheart-lay-elsewhere.html The Daily Mail Online (2021) How ‘needy’ King Edward left Wallis Simpson trapped: Documentary claims divorcee was victim of an 'obsessed' monarch desperate to make her his queen – despite her 11th hour call begging him NOT to abdicate https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5100189/How-needyKing-Edward-left-Wallis-Simpson-trapped.html The Daily Mail Online (2021) Wallis Simpson dominated the Duke of Windsor and he actually liked it: The secrets of the couple's twisted life in exile - and how tensions between their public duty and private desires triggered the 18 abdication https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9894103/WallisSimpson-dominated-Duke-Windsor-actually-liked-new-book-claims.html The Daily Mail (2018) Wallis Simpson's one true love and it wasn't Edward VIII: How the Duchess of Windsor had her eye on rich Yale graduate for years before trying to sabotage his wedding to her love rival https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5351349/Wallis-Simpson-triedseduce-man-marrying.html The Sun (2020) Eight Royal scandals that shocked the world from Prince Andrew’s fall from grace to Meghan’s rocky first year as Duchess https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/12888798/royal-scandals-meghan-markleprince-harry-andrew-diana-charles/ 19 ... The Daily Mail …………………………………………………… II The British Monarchy under King Edward VIII’s reign ………… THE BRITISH MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY IN THE 21ST CENTURY Case study: The first British. .. afterwards Duke of Windsor 1894–1972 British monarch, King of the United Kingdom, 1936 BACKGROUND I Introducing the British media The Sun The tabloid the Sun was founded in 1964 when the daily Daily... became George VI THE BRITISH MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY IN THE 21ST CENTURY Case study: The first British Royal family’s abdication - King Edward VIII rejected the crown to marry