Her Lotus Year: Wallis in Felixstowe

Posted: June 3rd, 2025 | No Comments »

I’ll be speaking at the Felixstowe Book Festival this June 28 (details and tickets here)…. I’m talking about China of course but there is a slightly later link between Wallis and the Suffolk coastal town….

Wallis Simpson, the future Duchess of Windsor and wife of King Edward VIII, stayed in Felixstowe, Suffolk, England, while awaiting her divorce from her second husband, Ernest Simpson, in 1936. She resided at Beach House, a five-bedroom property on the seafront, and later secretly hid at another location, Harvest House. The Felixstowe Times reported on her divorce case, although it did not mention her affair with the King at the time. I’m afraid she didn’t much appreciate the charms of Felixstowe and its seafront – perhaps not surprising given the pressure and media intrusion – but the town hasn’t forgotten her…

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