The Windsor Affair :Novel

New York Times bestselling author Melanie Benjaminrevisits a bitter royal feud in her new book, The Windsor Affair.

Hitting shelves this spring from Delacorte Press, The Windsor Affair is a retelling of the events that led to the Edward VIII’s abdication from the throne in the 1930s, which centered on two women, including his love — American divorcée Wallis Simpson.

The book centers on “Edward David Windsor, heir to the British throne and younger brother Albert, aka Bertie,” the synopsis teases, as well as “Edward’s wife Wallis, an American divorcée, and Bertie’s wife Elizabeth, daughter of Scottish nobility.” The feud between them, it promises is “a rivalry that will last all their lives, make headlines and still fuel gossip pages a century later.”

Per the synopsis, the work of historical fiction “recreates the cataclysmic events that nearly toppled the monarchy and incited the power struggle between Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the queen-to-be, and Wallis Simpson, aka ‘That Woman,’ who fell into a calculated love affair with Prince Edward.”

“Against the backdrop of the Abdication Crisis, World War II, coronations, funerals, births and deaths, these two women maintain a bitter, biting, sharp-tongued feud — until age and the long arm of history bring about a kind of understanding,” the book’s description continues. “For the last communication between these bitter rivals was a simple, surprising message: ‘In friendship, Elizabeth,’ ” it concludes.

Benjamin is also the author of historical novels including The Swans of Fifth Avenue, The Aviator’s Wife and Mistress of the Ritz.