The Royal Family’s Cautious Approach: Lessons from the Duke of Windsor’s Exile

The Duke of Windsor’s Cautionary Tale

Draw­ing par­al­lels between the past and the present, colum­nist Christo­pher Wil­son sug­gests that Prince Har­ry’s efforts to reha­bil­i­tate him­self and return to roy­al life may face sig­nif­i­cant obsta­cles, much like the strug­gles faced by the Duke of Wind­sor decades ago.

Exiled but Seeking Redemption

In Octo­ber 1970, the young Prince of Wales, lat­er to become King Charles III, made a sur­prise vis­it to his great-uncle, the for­mer King Edward VIII, who had been liv­ing in exile in Paris after abdi­cat­ing the throne in 1936 to mar­ry Wal­lis Simpson. 

The ex-king and his wife were des­per­ate to win back their regal sta­tus, but the vis­it did not lead to their redemption.

The Enduring Rift

Just as the Duke of Wind­sor nev­er regained for­give­ness from the “Firm,” Wil­son fears that Prince Har­ry and his wife, Meghan Markle, may face a sim­i­lar fate. 

The deep ani­mos­i­ty between the Wind­sors and the Roy­al Fam­i­ly, par­tic­u­lar­ly the Queen Moth­er and Queen Eliz­a­beth II, proved too great to over­come, even with Charles’ efforts at reconciliation.

The Fragile Royal Landscape

Today, the Roy­al Fam­i­ly is in a frag­ile state, with the seri­ous ill­ness­es of both King Charles and the Princess of Wales. Wil­son sug­gests that William, as the heir to the throne, is unlike­ly to wel­come Har­ry’s return, as it could “hit all of them like a wreck­ing ball.”

Unforgivable Allegations

The colum­nist notes that the poi­so­nous alle­ga­tions of racism made by Meghan Markle dur­ing her Oprah Win­frey inter­view, and ampli­fied by Har­ry in his auto­bi­og­ra­phy “Spare,” have cre­at­ed a deep rift that may prove impos­si­ble to heal, ren­der­ing any poten­tial return to roy­al life high­ly unlikely.

Cautious Optimism or Sealed Doors?

While King Charles may be will­ing to con­sid­er a rec­on­cil­i­a­tion, the firm stance of the heir, William, pos­es a sig­nif­i­cant obstacle. 

As Wil­son con­cludes, the palace doors may remain firm­ly shut for Prince Har­ry, just as they did for the Duke of Wind­sor, despite his efforts at rehabilitation.