The Duke of Windsor Conspiracy

The British King Who Betrayed His Country

To students of British contemporary history, 1936 is known as The Year of the Three Kings. In January, the reigning monarch, George V died, to be replaced by his eldest son, Edward. In December of that year, Edward abdicated in favor of his younger brother, who became King George VI. On relinquishing his position, Edward was given the title, The Duke of Windsor.

Before he succeeded to the throne, Edward was known as the Playboy prince, and liked nothing more than holidaying in foreign resorts, being seen at all the best places, and was generally known as 'A Man About Town'. He was well-liked and often acted as an unofficial ambassador, promoting Britain's interests abroad. He was particularly welcome in the United States, perhaps due to his easy charm and flamboyant lifestyle.

Edward, however, had a darker side. He was an ardent admirer of Adolf Hitler and Nazism, and an anti-Semite, often blaming all the world's probems on the Jews. His experiences, albeit limited, of trench warfare in the Great War, made him a lifelong pacifist, and dedicated to preventing another conflict on such a massive scale. When Hitler came to power, and all the way through the 1930s, Edward preached a constant cry of appeasement, and was often at odds with many in his own government, especially his friend, Winston Churchill.

Despite the disapproval of the British government, Edward and Wallis even visited Germany in 1937 and had a secret audience with Hitler. One can only speculate what might have been discussed at this meeting.

As the Second World War was coming to an end, and Allied forces closed in on Berlin, a cache of documents was found in the town of Marburg in Germany. Some of these papers purport to contain correspondence between Edward and Hitler in which the dictator promises that he will re-install The Duke of Windsor as king once he has conquered Britain. As these files were suppressed on the orders of Winston Churchill, and have never been released, no one can say for certain what damning indictments they may contain.

Closely inspired by actual events, this novel explores what might have happened if Edward had returned to Germany at the height of WWII to ally himself to the Nazi regime to be used as a willing pawn by Hitler to service his own selfish ends.

The Duke of Windsor Conspiracy will be released by Black Rose Writing in April 2024

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