The Woman He Loved on AllMovie

As indicated by the title, The Woman He Loved is the story of the romance between Britain's King Edward VII (Anthony Andrews) and American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson (Jane Seymour). Forbidden by the Church of England and Royal Protocol to wed Mrs. Simpson, Edward abdicates in 1936, spending the rest of his life with his beloved Wallis as the world's most visible non-paying guest. Told in flashback (Wallis, preparing for Edward's funeral in 1972, reflects on their life together), this made-for-TV movie manages to sidestep the pricklier aspects of Edward's post-monarch existence, notably his heavy drinking, his flirtation with Nazism his attempts to avoid military service during World War II. Olivia De Havilland, Julie Harris, Robert Hardy, Lucy Gutteridge and Phyllis Calvert are among the familiar faces dotting the supporting cast. The Woman He Loved was first telecast April 3, 1988.