In a statement (via THR), Rossellini said, “I am absolutely thrilled to join the incomparable Joan Collins and the brilliant Mike Newell in bringing this extraordinary story back to life. Louise Fennell’s script allows us to delve into the complex and devastating relationship between these two iconic women, the profound impact they had on one another and their lasting mark on history.”
Wallis Simpson was an American divorcée who fell in love with King Edward VIII; he ultimately abdicated the British throne in order to marry her, causing a huge scandal and massive upheaval in the royal family. (The crown passed to his younger brother George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth II.) The couple went on to live a life in relative exile (and stoked suspicions of being Nazi sympathizers after a visit to Germany and meeting with Adolf Hitler) until Edward’s death from throat cancer in 1972. Simpson retreated even further into seclusion and suffered from dementia in the final years of her life. Living in Paris largely off of an allowance from Queen Elizabeth, her lawyer Blum assumed power of attorney and began to sell Wallis’ possessions to friends at below market value. Wallis died in 1986 at the age of 89; Blum has been accused of exploiting her in the last years of Wallis’ life.
Collins has been attached to the project for some time, telling The Guardian in 2023, “It’s the true story of the last years of the Duchess of Windsor after the Duke dies. She was abused by this woman who took her over and took away her objects, her money, and left her practically destitute.” She added, “You see her first of all when she’s full of pep and she’s got her young acolytes around her, then bit by bit she is destroyed by circumstances. It’s a very good script and it’s a great part for me. I’ve always been fascinated by Wallis, because I think she was unfairly treated.”
