The forgotten year in China that shaped Wallis Simpson

The Duchess of Windsor's time in east Asia is the subject of a new book by Paul French, who explores her abusive first marriage and the rumours of scandal in the ‘China Dossier’

- Paul French

The story of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, has been told many times. It's part of the national consciousness, of British mythology. A twice-divorced American who became the mistress of the Prince of Wales. When the prince became King

Edward VIII, he was faced with the choice: forsake Wallis or marry her. End the relationship, and he could continue as a king-emperor. Marry her, and he must abdicate. He chose the latter, throwing the monarchy and the country into crisis. His brother became King George VI while the Duke and Duchess of Windsor went into a half-century of exile. Wallis died in 1986 at 89, still a divisively controversial figure.

However, there is one aspect of her life that, while much gossiped about, has never been seriously researched - the year she spent in China. Between September 1924 and September 1925, Wallis sojourned in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing (then called Peking). Why she went to China, what she really got up to there and how it shaped her life are little understood or appreciated.