And the Biggest Cover-Up in History - The Royals

'That woman' from the perspective of the German connections as WWII began. After all the decades gone by the story fascinates and
attracts us. There is something about the story that draws back and back again...the personal relationships, the luggage! the sheer
magnitude of the drama as it played out on a world stage poised for war, a war that was not going in England's favor.

Very good read. Totally debunks the carefully crafted image of the former king and his "love" and shows them to be the shallow self-absorbed people they really were. I had read in other sources that the former king was a Nazi sympathizer but Andrew Morton shows just how close the former king had gotten to certain members of the German government. And of course, there was the cover-up after the war. Didn't change my low opinion of the former royals, just confirmed it. I recommend this to anyone interested in the British royal family.

I enjoy Andrew Morton's books - always taking the information he doles out with a grain of salt - and this one, "17 Carnations: The Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover-up in History", was no less gossipy than his others. The problem I have with this book is the title.

The lives of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, were, in the end, sad and empty ones. Most biographies of the couple - whether they are written in a positive or negative light - cannot come to any other conclusion. David and Wallis were interesting often in the terms of how they and their actions affected those around them. Whether in their birth families, Wallis's marriages and David's long-time affairs with married women, or their own courtship and marriage, what those two did sent out ripples into the lives of others. That they were basically thoughtless, self-absorbed individuals who made a thoughtless and self-absorbed couple, never seemed to affect their own actions. And that was the crux of the problems.

Okay, what does Andrew Morton claim was the "Biggest Cover-Up in History"? It was the hiding - by the British government and it's allies - of the Windsor's "dalliance" with the Nazis in the 1930's and 1940's. There were reports by government agents on the couple's associations with both the German Nazis and the home-grown ones in Britain during the 1930's and - more seriously - with Axis powers in Spain and Portugal in the early years of WW2. The Duke and Duchess had visited Germany several times, met Hitler, and were close with Joachim von Ribbentrop, German's ambassador to Britain. In fact, the "17 Carnations" in the book's title, allude to von Ribbentrop's - supposed - gifts to Wallis from the days they were - again supposedly - having an affair. There is no proof that Wallis and von Ribbentrop ever had a physical affair so the title of the book loses a bit of its effectiveness.

Andrew Morton also looks at the big, big claim that the Duke of Windsor was "flirting" with Hitler, in the early war years, pretending to go along with the German idea of putting David back on the throne - the one he had abdicated in 1936 - as a "puppet ruler" if the Germans successfully invaded England. That the Duke and Duchess would allow themselves to stay in Spain, rather than go to Lisbon and safety after leaving their French homes, was - supposedly - considered a possibility by both the British government and the Windsors, themselves. This would have been an act of treason, one of more than a few Churchill and his government considered the Windsors of committing, or thinking of committing. I'm not sure anyone quite understood the Duke of Windsor, who remained embittered his whole life after he abdicated for the "woman he loved". He hated his family for not treating Wallis and him in the respectful manner he wished to be treated. Again, neither of them seemed to have any idea of other people's needs. That his abdication had thrust his shy brother into the kingship he clearly didn't want, was obviously not important to David.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor continued their heedless journey into irrelevance, leaving others to pick up the pieces. Some of those pieces were contained in the secret files sought after the war. Were the files found in homes and castles in Germany? Did they exist in the first place. I truthfully couldn't quite tell from Andrew Morton's book what was the truth. We may never know, I suppose. But the one thing Morton does do in his book is tell the sad, empty life of David and Wallis Windsor.

Most of the information contained in the book is 'old hat'. I had expected some new revelations. The origin of the '17 Carnations' is speculative, at best. Half of the book is a warmed-over recap of the tale of the two lovers. The second half is riddled with rumors and speculation. The only interesting feature is the tale of how England tried to subvert the publishing of anything that would affect the monarchy in anything but radiance. Pity!.

This was on the New York Times best sellers list, briefly, and a careless reading by me that it was Andrew Morton, instead of Marton prompted me to order the book. Once received, I realized I had made a mistake, but decided to read the book anyway. It's almost worth the trouble just to find out what "17 Carnations" meant! Wallace (the Duchess of Windsor) will no doubt always be referred to as "that woman," not only by the Royals but by anyone who has an inkling of her, shall one say, sordid past.

I found this book full of details about Edward and Wallis that I did not know about. I found it interesting how the English Royal family wanted nothing to do with Edward once he abdicated. Edward and Wallis seemed to court the attention of Hitler, and Hitler wanted to use Edward to advance his ambitions of controlling all of Europe. It gives one food for thought, what would have happened had Edward chose to stay on the throne rather than abdicating? The book kept my interest until the end.

A pleasure for history wonks! For those seeking historical bombshells, it's a bit of a wade. However, the cultural sense of the time that is layered throughout is a revelation. And it is an apt reminder of the the impact - or potential impact - of individuals on the course of history.

Wallis Simpson did the world a favor by marrying Edward "David" VIII. If he had been allowed to reign, the Nazi take over of Britain would have been complete. And, it would have been an inside job. Forcing the abdication and putting the ethical George VI on the throne ultimately kept England safe from fascism.

I am learning so much with this book. After watching The Crown on Netflix, I wanted to know more about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. This was written many years ago, and the author spoke to those he has quoted. The word choice is challenging, thank you Kindle for your finger touch dictionary. You will not be dissatisfied with this book.

Although I knew the basics of the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and their pro-German stance, this book filled in the spaces for me. I found it very interesting and informative, not just gossipy, but about historical details of WWII. I recommend.

A good biography of the uncrowned king of England and his affiliation with Hitler and Ribbentrope, etc. prior to and during World War II. Definitely not fluff. However, the last part of the book, covering information found more recently was necessary but drawn out more than needed. Interesting information on and analysis of his wife and their relationship.

Interesting, fairly well written but very dry in many places. I'm very familiar with the story and the characters so for me there was nothing terribly revealing. I would recommend only if reader has a strong interest in either the story or the characters.

I am very interested in this period of history, but I did not manage to get through this book - it was a bit too chatty and gossipy for me. Part of the problem may have been reading it in a Kindle version, which did not work well with the "People Magazine" style of the writing, which needed the pictures and other "accessories" to make it work.

knew about the Nazi connection from my British English professor,but not enough.Loved to learn about all of it in this book.No wonder the Royals shifted him off to Bermuda.Anyone else would have been convicted of treason!

Andrew Morton’s 17 Carnations starts at a bit of a disadvantage. Much of the story he’s about to tell has been told many times before by other authors & historians. The Duke and Dutchess of York’s actions and decisions in December of 1936 and throughout WWII have been the subject of countless books, documentaries, TV programs and films. As such the question becomes is there a purpose in yet another book about these two or is this work merely a rehash of events well documented elsewhere. For the first half of the book I felt the answer was no, that Morton was rehashing old material. However, by the second half of the book I began to think differently. Morton uses the first half of the book and well documented events to build a case regarding the character and decisions of the Duke that is necessary to interpret his WWII decisions. Carnations moves away from the typical evil Wallis angle offering perhaps the most layered and detailed exploration of the Duke’s character and by extension his character defects.

For generations fed a steady diet of a king giving up everything for the woman he loved, this book is a nice tonic. Wallis Simpson is, was and likely will always be an easy mark. She was twice divorced, appallingly self-interested, a virtual storm of unlikeable characteristics. However, Morton systematically piece by piece makes the case that Edward was every bit as myopic and self-interested as the Duchess.`

Morton presents the Simpson affair and the Duke’s actions in the 1930’s in a far less romantic light shifting the saga away from the love story to the saga of a man who wanted to cast off the responsibility of the monarchy while retaining the perks of power. A man who while charming and likeable enough clearly had a faulty grasp on Hitler and the Nazi machine. As King Edward was inconsistent about his dispatches, yet believed he alone should determine English policies regarding Hitler. By the middle of the book one begins to feel that Edward being on the throne during WWII would have been dire for the British people and the world at large.

The one weakness of Carnations that while Morton is a capable author he lacks the skill of a historian and thus parts of the book bog down because his writing cannot make the issues come alive. For example the final chapters of the book devolve into a laundry list of archivists trying to stop the royal family from destroying the Duke’s communications with and the Nazi’s communication about the Duke. Morton has dug up some new material but he’s not the best author to categorize that evidence. There is a lack of clarity in those chapters that makes them more cumbersome than illuminating. Still this book is well worth reading and does provide some new information about the Royal family and the Duke and Duchess.

Despite rumors, thought I knew about this "fairy tale" relationship. What woman doesn't want her man to give up everything for her? But, instead, here is a fascinating story of the evil that lies within. Bravo Andrew Morton!

Personaly i was expecting more from andrew morton - and was sort of sorry I bought it .. i would have rather have ordered it from the library but never mind. It is a good read but nothing outstanding and certainly nothing "exclusive" that we havent heard or rumoured along time. It did show how badly Edward and simpson were treated by the royals and how delusional Edward was but again that was nothing new. Its an ok read

Personaly i was expecting more from andrew morton - and was sort of sorry I bought it .. i would have rather have ordered it from the library but never mind. It is a good read but nothing outstanding and certainly nothing "exclusive" that we havent heard or rumoured along time. It did show how badly Edward and simpson were treated by the royals and how delusional Edward was but again that was nothing new. Its an ok read