That woman.

Madonna's film about Wallis Simpson does not seem to have gone down too well with the critics.  Titled "W.E." (an in-joke - it's a sort of monogram of Wallis and Edward and they were often referred to as "the royal we") it seeks to tell the story of their relationship from her point of view.  She is often held solely responsible for the Abdication Crisis, and Edward is seen as just a weak man under her spell, but every indication is that that outcome was not what she sought at all.  When Edward abdicated, few people gave their relationship more than a few months, but the fact that they married and stayed together - often in somewhat socially demeaning circumstances - for the rest of their lives, seems to indicate that they had some genuine long-lasting feeling for each other.  The general consensus today seems to be that she did this country a huge favour by ridding us of a very personable but potentially disastrous King.  Our house was split - my Dad was scathing about Edward and Wallis - particularly Edward, whom he saw as in complete dereliction of his duty.  I think my Mum on the other hand thought the whole thing rather romantic.