Royal Wives at War

It's been 80 years since the "Abdication Crisis" of 1936 so it's not surprising that we would be viewing a retrospective on this subject. In a nutshell, the reigning monarch of Britain, namely Edward VIII, abdicated the throne because of opposition to his proposed marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American who was twice-divorced. Two women who waged a personal "battle royale" behind the scenes are featured as we see a series of segments and monologues in which Gina McKee (The Forsyte Saga) as Wallis and Emma Davies as Elizabeth the Dutchess of York, later Queen consort and longtime Queen Mother. At the time of the episode with Wallis, Elizabeth was a popular and charming member of the Royal Family with a husband and daughter who were next in line to the throne. Elizabeth felt that Wallis was manipulating Edward and that she was totally inappropriate for the role of Queen to the reigning monarch. In a number of scenes she showed her deep dislike for Wallis who she was quick to put in her place. The TV movie uses a format where Royal biographer Andrew Morton talks to two authorities on the conflict between the two women. The transition from TV drama to round-table discussion helped to inform contemporary viewers on the dynamics of the relationship and the roots of the conflict. I thought the movie was quite successful in attempting to dissect the the personalities of the two women through the acting of Davies and McKee as well as the discussion with Andrew Morton.