What do Meghan Markle and Wallis Simpson have in common? Both American women changed British royal history by marrying Prince Harry and King Edward VIII, causing rifts with William and King George

Oct 8 , 2022

Meghan Markle and Wallis Simpson both changed the course of British royal history by marrying into the family, but do they have anything else in common? Photos: Yousuf Karsh, @misanharriman/Instagram

Markle, a Suits actress, and Simpson, a late American socialite, both married British royals and caused controversies – so what else do they have in common?

The two divorcees met their spouses, Prince Harry and then-King Edward VIII, through mutual friends – and the ensuing romances created family tensions and global infamy

The American women who changed the course of the British royal family. That’s the mammoth influence Wallis Simpson and Meghan Markle have had on the Windsors. Simpson was married to King Edward VIII who abdicated the throne so that he could be with his wife. The marriage was frowned upon as Wallis – an American socialite – had been married and divorced twice before.

The Duke of Windsor, King Edward VIII, and the duchess, Mrs Wallis Simpson, just before their wedding, in 1937. Photo: Archive

As head of the Church of England, it was deemed unacceptable that Edward marry Wallis.

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, speak with onlookers as they arrive for their visit to represent the 6th Invictus Games 2023, in Düsseldorf, Germany, on September 6. Photo: EPA-EFE

Markle, 41, also American and divorced, was accepted into the royal family. But the British press hounded her and when Harry wanted to take a step back from royal life, he too faced a decision: his love or his duty to the crown? He chose love.

So how similar are these two women who have shaped history and changed the narrative of British culture for decades to come? They may be generations apart, with Simpson passing away nearly four decades ago in 1986, but they’ve got plenty in common.

Here’s how Simpson and Markle’s lives run in tandem.

The introduction

Wallis Simpson and Prince Edward stayed together until his death in 1972. Photo: @goddessof/Instagram

It’s widely held that both couples met through a mutual friend. Edward was introduced to Simpson at a weekend party hosted by Lady Furness in 1931. Simpson was there with her then husband, Ernest, per The History Press. Fast forward to Harry and Meghan and the lovebirds also met through a mutual friend.

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