Meghan & Mrs Simpson The Wedding Wallis Never Had

Unlike her divorced predecessor, the former suits star marrying her prince is something to celebrate.

This all could have been hers. The crowds of adoring citizens, the regal ceremony, the grand frock – the whole right royal fairytale. But in the space of just 80 years, the fortunes of two divorced American women, both of whom happened to fall in love with a British prince, couldn’t be more different.

Of course, there are inevitable comparisons between Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, the woman who forever changed the British line of succession, and Meghan Markle, the woman who has just re-written history.

When Prince Harry and Meghan’s engagement was announced last year, most of the United Kingdom and the world, celebrated – a far cry from the constitutional crisis that ensued when King Edward VIII made clear his intention to marry the woman he loved, and the less-than-positive reaction of the British people.

“It was a very, very significant moment,” says author Andrew Morton, who wrote the biography Wallis in Love, as well as the now infamous Diana: Her True Story, and the recent biography on Meghan herself.

While times, cultures and attitudes have moved on since 1936, when Edward was refused permission by the leaders of the Commonwealth to marry Wallis as she was twice divorced, Andrew says the key difference between the two American ladies lies in their motivations.