The Merry Wives of Windsor Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wallis Warfield Simpson

Heir to the British throne, Edward abdicated in 1936 to marry the 'woman I love', who was twice married and soon to be twice divorced, American Wallis Simpson. The Church of England did not recognize marriages to someone who had living ex spouses, so the couple were wed in France. Edward's brother, George VI (subject of the film "The King's Speech") was next in line and took the throne instead. Many scandals followed the Windsors, including suspicions of their being Nazi sympathizers, particularly after a public meeting with Adolf Hitler in 1937, and Wallis being, as she herself had stated, anti-British.

There were also stories of Axis alliances and espionage, even a supposed affair between Wallis and Ribbentrop. Whether or not information was given the enemies of Allied forces is conjecture. Wallis was known to be very intelligent, charismatic and highly ambitious.

In her declining years she gradually lost most of her abilities and was a recluse after the death of the Duke of Windsor in 1972. Wallis died in 1986.

Answer: Wearing a white wedding gown

Alexandrina Victoria wore white at her wedding, which was not the custom of the day but set a trend into the modern age, where it became de rigueur in many cultures. Queen Victoria of Great Britain was the last monarch of the House of Hanover.

After she met her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (from whom the Windsor line springs), for the first time, Victoria was determined to marry him; she proposed to him at a later meeting, and seemed always supremely happy in his company. They had nine children together. When Albert died in 1861 of typhoid fever, Victoria wore mourning for the rest of her long life. She died in 1901, and is remembered as 'the grandmother of Europe'. Among her many descendants are: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of England, King Harald V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain. During WWI, three world leaders bore a close resemblance to one another: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King George V of England and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, especially when all three were bearded. Nicolas and Wilhelm once traded uniforms and had their photo taken together as such. Nicholas was married to Wilhelm's cousin, Alexandra.
Victoria was the first sovereign to reside at Buckingham Palace. Several attempts were made on her life while she was out riding in her carriage over the years, but she continued undaunted and was admired by the British people.
Victoria denied ever saying, "We are not amused", and was known to laugh with gusto when the mood hit her.

Answer: Sophie Rhys-Jones

The two were wed in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. They were both tennis enthusiasts, and had met at an event in 1993, were engaged and married in 1999. They specifically asked for an informal wedding and reception, so there were no ceremonial or military customs involved. Their wedding cake was embellished with a design of two tennis rackets.
The four girls and four boys carrying the bride's train were commoners which was a 'first' for a royal wedding. Their Royal Highnesses were known as the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The bride did promise to obey.

Answer: Lady Diana Spencer

Lady Diana Frances Spencer could trace her lineage back to several powerful and noble families of Europe, among which were the Medici and the Bourbons. Diana and Charles had two sons: Prince William (1982) and Prince Harry (1984). Diana was well known for her style, charisma, compassion and charitable works. In 1996 the couple divorced. Charles had admitted to an ongoing affair. Diana got a hefty settlement but gave up several titles, although she was still considered part of the royal family because her sons were heirs to the throne. Lady Diana was fatally injured in a car accident in 1997.

Answer: Autumn Kelly

Autumn Patricia Kelly was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1978. The couple were wed at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 2008, and presented Queen Elizabeth II with two great grandchildren, Savannah and Isla. Both children enjoy dual citizenship of Canada and the UK. The couple divorced in June 2021.

In order for her husband to remain even a distant successor to the throne, Autumn had to convert from Roman Catholicism to Anglicanism. This is required only of Catholics and dates back to the Act of Settlement (1701). Peter Phillips is the eldest of Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren.

Answer: Sarah Ferguson

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were wed in 1986 at Westminster Abbey. They had two daughters, the Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, who became respectively 6th and 7th in line for the throne, though this continues to change as more children are born into the royal family. 'Fergie', as she is called, was The Duchess of York while she was married to Andrew.

She has since written several children's books and lived a lavish lifestyle, earning herself a reputation for extravagance. She is considered a member of the royal family, but her behavior in some instances has sometimes been considered less than appropriate.

Answer: Princess Anne

Princess Anne won medals in individual and team horse events, as well as competing in the Olympics, the only royal at the time to do so. Anne wed Captain Mark Phillips in 1973 and they divorced in 1992. They had two children, Peter and Zara.
In 1992 Anne married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Lawrence. She was an active member of the royal household and carried out many duties for her mother as well as many on her own, being patron of hundreds of charities and causes. Her first boyfriend was said to have been Andrew Parker-Bowles, who later wed Camilla.

Answer: Elizabeth II

Born in 1926, Elizabeth became the heiress presumptive when it was determined that there would be no male heirs. When King George VI died in 1952, Elizabeth became head of all the Commonwealth Realms, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), South Africa and Pakistan as well as 16 sovereign states.
She married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, formerly of Greece and Denmark in 1947. He was made His Royal Highness Prince of the U.K. a few years after the marriage. They were second and third cousins. Per her instructions, Elizabeth's wedding gown was embroidered with the flowers of all the Commonwealth countries.
Through her reign of more than 60 years, she traveled extensively, more than any other reigning monarch by that time, and took seriously and graciously her many responsibilities. She weathered many changes and her 'annus horribilis' in 1992, which saw the breakup of some royal marriages.

Answer: Princess Margaret Rose

Princess Margaret was educated along with her older sister, Elizabeth, but later felt that she had missed out on a much broader education. When she was born as Princess of York, she was second in line to the throne, but as Queen Elizabeth II had children and her family grew, Margaret's rank moved downward. Margaret's marriage to Anthony Armstrong-Jones lasted from 1960 to 1978. They had two children, David Viscount Linley, and Lady Sarah.
Princess Margaret was very active in representing the royal family and toured round the globe. She supported many worthy causes and was president of the National as well as the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Margaret had been a heavy smoker and suffered from lung problems and strokes before her death.
The usual scandals followed Margaret, with suggestions of affairs with Mick Jagger, Peter Sellers, Robin Douglas-Homes and others. No proof has been advanced.

Answer: Camilla Rosemary Shand

Camilla was born in 1947 and was educated in all the right schools. In 1973 she married Andrew Parker-Bowles, which union lasted until their divorce in 1995. Camilla had two children by her first marriage and five grandchildren.
Camilla and Prince Charles were wed in 2005, and she became The Duchess of Cornwall. She and Charles had had an ongoing romance since they met in 1970.

It was later said that her first husband acknowledged her relationship with Charles and sanctioned it (he had his own mistress whom he later wed). He was the man who "laid down his wife for his country", to quote the scandal sheets.
Much was done to enhance Camilla's somewhat tarnished image in the eyes of the British, and her seeming acceptance by the royal family as well as the titles and honors bestowed on her helped put the right spin on it. She became the Queen of England in September 2022 when Charles assumed the throne as King Charles III upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.