Simpson has been dead for nearly 26 years; her ex-king husband, the Duke of Windsor, has been gone for nearly 40. Neither had a good end but their story lives on as one of the most reproduced of royal sagas on stage and screen for most of the 20th century. Now, 75 years after the abdication crisis, Madonna's movie, “W.E.” helps shift the image of Simpson from the mannish-but-chic party crasher at the palace to a more ambivalent figure, by turns despised, traduced, envied and pitied even by her critics.
“W.E.” starts in the year 1998, when Manhattan is abuzz with anticipation about the upcoming auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. But the auction is far more than a diversion for Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), a transplanted Southerner trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage. Transfixed by the exquisite artifacts of the Windsors' lives, Wally becomes obsessed with the love story of Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough), the chic, charismatic American who captured the heart of King Edward VIII (James D'Arcy). As she learns more about the sacrifices Wallis made in choosing to be with Edward, Wally finds the courage to follow her own heart and create her own happiness.
