The Windsor Affair

Royal palace intrigue animates this intelligent novel from Benjamin (The Swans of Fifth Avenue). When King Edward VIII abdicates the throne of England in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, his decision elicits intense resentment from his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who subsequently rises to Queen Consort while her husband, Bertie, becomes King George VI. Elizabeth also harbors ill will toward Wallis, whom she dubs That Woman, and determines to prevent Wallis from receiving the designation of her royal highness. As WWII nears, Elizabeth rues David (as the former King Edward is now known) and Wallis’s carefree travels across Europe and his apparent affinity for Hitler. During the London Blitz, Elizabeth and Bertie face the danger of German bombs and support those who lose their homes to the blasts. Wallis dislikes Elizabeth as well, believing that Elizabeth has been instrumental in having the couple exiled to the Bahamas, where David serves as governor, and that she’s behind Bertie’s decision to withhold funds David requested. Benjamin capably combines fact with fiction to detail private conversations between the characters and their innermost thoughts, as Elizabeth and Wallis seek to preserve their own interests while supporting their respective husbands. Those who can’t get enough of the British royal family will be riveted. Agent: Stacey Testa, Writers House. (June)