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Traitor King

The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor

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Traitor King

By: Andrew Lownie
Narrated by: Andrew Lownie
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About this listen

 FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ENTITLED, 'THE MOST DEVASTATING ROYAL BIOGRAPHY EVER WRITTEN', DAILY MAIL
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A Daily Mail Royal Book of the Year, 2021

'Darkly compelling...hundreds of eye-popping details...Gripping ... damning portrait of the Windsors' Daily Mail 'Book of the Week'

'Briskly written and compulsively readable...' - A.N. Wilson, TLS

'Meticulously researched' - Spectator

'Entertaining... convincing... timely. Urgent reading for royals' - Evening Standard


December 1936. The King of England, Edward VIII, has given up his Crown, foregoing his duty for the love of Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. Their courtship has been dogged by controversy and scandal, but with Edward's abdication, they can live happily ever after. But do they?

In Traitor King, bestselling historian Andrew Lownie draws on hitherto unexplored archives to uncover the dramatic world of the Windsors post-abdication. Lownie reveals a couple obsessed with their status, financially exploiting their position and manipulating the media. Filled with treachery and betrayal, this is a story of an exiled Royal and the Nazi attempts to recruit him to their cause. And of why the Royal family never forgave the Duke for choosing love over duty.©2021 Andrew Lownie (P)2021 Bonnier Books UK Europe Great Britain Politics & Activism Royalty

Critic reviews

"Darkly compelling...hundreds of eye-popping details.... Gripping...damning portrait of the Windsors." (Daily Mail, Book of the Week)

"Briskly written and compulsively readable...." (A.N. Wilson, TLS)

"Meticulously researched." (Spectator)

"Entertaining...convincing...timely. Urgent reading for royals." (Evening Standard)

All stars
Most relevant
An interesting viewpoint of a much written about characterVery readable or listenable,although I would have preferred a professional reading the audio book. Sometimes the author stumbled
Much is made of the German courtship of the Duke but little evidence presented of his replies. Also, little was made of the sheer German ness of our royal family, surely an influence? Another item somewhat neglected was the rift caused by the stinginess of the Duke, and the lies he told regarding his wealth and his brother’s equal stinginess in return. However, the writer does capture what a selfish self centred dull couple they were, and the shallow circle in which they moved. Despite my minor whinges it is an illuminating book. Recommended.

Fascinating story.

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Andrew brilliantly takes the listener on the journey of the post-abdication lives of Wallis and David and you are not left wanting. Very much enjoyed!

Fascinating!

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The author has done a great job researching this very highly controversial subject. The whole course and direction of the second world war and eventually the 20th century rested on the actions of these two people. As the author went on to explain neither was of any great intelligence or capable of serious political thought, vacuous, vain and venal also selfish to the core. Edward was just a pawn and Wallace a willing facilitator in the machinations of others. Ribbentrop was executed after the war and I've always felt it was because he knew too much about Edward and others in the English establishment. It's not too far off the scale to posit that she also was a foreign agent, most likely American Naval Intelligence. Much evidence has been totally removed or buried so deep that we will never know the truth, but the doubt will never go away. The narration was excellent.

Enjoyable and illuminating.

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Interesting story spoilt by the monotonous delivery of the author. Spend some money on hiring someone else to narrate your books. Andrew, don’t be tight!

Poor narration

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I find most stories behind the Royals interesting but this was extremely reveling. Bit disappointed with the performance which I found a bit flat, some times hesitant and on the odd occasion , words mispronounced ( at least in my books).
Overall , a good listen.

Extremely interesting.

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