Revealed: The secret deal for Wallis Simpson to leave Edward

Despite being told that a marriage between the head of the Church of England and a divorcee would precipitate a constitutional crisis, the king was confident he could have his cake and eat it – “you’ll be Queen, Empress of India, the whole bag of tricks” he promised Wallis. And so in Wilson’s papers we see the first signs of the wheels falling off… December 5, 1936 The secretary of state for air, Lord Swinton, suddenly alerts Downing Street that Edward has ordered two air planes of the King’s Flight to be prepared for take-off – destination Zurich. In recent days, as part of his power-play, Edward has demanded from Baldwin the right to broadcast an appeal for the public’s support – he would declare his love for Wallis and tell his subjects he wanted to marry her. Harry Flory, its European news manager, had cabled his stringer in Zurich to stand by for Edward’s clandestine arrival.