The Windsor Affair

Viewers of The Crown will love this novel focused on Queen Elizabeth (wife of King George VI) and the infamous Wallis Simpson. The dual-POV story explores each woman’s background and introduction into royal society, plus the events that brought them into each other’s orbits, focusing most intently on King Edward VIII’s abdication of the British throne and its effects on his younger brother, who then became king, and his family. Benjamin (California Golden) depicts the women’s personal journeys—Wallis from power-hungry socialite to has been trapped in an unhappy marriage; Elizabeth from carefree, second-tier royal to shrewd and talented queen. The story continues past the abdication into World War II and beyond, as Elizabeth and her husband become the symbols of a defiant nation at war, securing their places in history, while an exiled Wallis and Edward focus primarily on entertainment and jewels.