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Madonna in bid to play Wallis Simpson

She was the scarlet woman from America; he was the revered King of England, and theirs was a relationship that rocked the kingdom to its foundations. Now the Wallis Simpson story could be set for a big screen makeover – with Madonna in the leading role.

According to unnamed sources, the true-life romantic drama is a labour-of-love project for the 50-year-old singer. Madonna, who recently divorced Guy Ritchie, the British director – and former stepson of Sir Michael Leighton, 11th baronet – is alleged to have identified with the trials of the American divorcee who gatecrashed the British aristocracy. "She is as passionate about it as she was about playing Eva Peron in Evita," a source chirruped to the Sun newspaper.

Edward VIII's relationship with the twice-divorced American socialite sparked what was arguably the biggest royal scandal of the 20th-century. After less than a year on the throne, Edward abdicated in December 1936 in order to marry "the woman I love". The pair later celebrated their new-found freedom by visiting Adolf Hitler in Germany...

Read entire article at Guardian (UK)