Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones Split

[icyfroth]

Michael Douglas is reportedly preparing to announce he has ended his 13-year marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Splitsville for Michael Douglas And Catherine Zeta-Jones

"Michael is going to announce the split soon," an insider allegedly told the publication. "Catherine is fighting to save the marriage but he's had it."

Michael and Catherine, 43, have not been pictured together in public for four months.

His spokesperson refused to confirm or deny the claims, saying simply: "I won't talk about that."

Rumours the couple's marriage is on the rocks have been swirling for months.

What a shame I thought they were rock-solid

[*pepe]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

In fact England was probably well rid of him. He was a selfish, immature playboy and  would have made a lousy King.  And Queen Wallis? I don't think so!.

Margaret was. treated abominably and I suspect having to give up Peter Townsend probably destroyed her life.

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he was't a very good playboy - a proper playboy would have toyed with her heart, kept her on the side and had the throne as well.

I think his choice showed maturity and character.

[polksaladallie]

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@*pepe wrote:

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he was't a very good playboy - a proper playboy would have toyed with her heart, kept her on the side and had the throne as well.

I think his choice showed maturity and character.

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Surely you know it wasn't his choice?

[the_great_she_elephant]

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@*pepe wrote:

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

In fact England was probably well rid of him. He was a selfish, immature playboy and  would have made a lousy King.  And Queen Wallis? I don't think so!.

Margaret was. treated abominably and I suspect having to give up Peter Townsend probably destroyed her life.

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he was't a very good playboy - a proper playboy would have toyed with her heart, kept her on the side and had the throne as well.

I think his choice showed maturity and character.

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In fact he was rather a weak man. He was infatuated with Wallis and she had him well and truly under her thumb. She had no real understanding of how things worked in England, and believed right up to the last minute that the government would relent and allow them to marry.

[polksaladallie]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

In fact he was rather a weak man. He was infatuated with Wallis and she had him well and truly under her thumb. She had no real understanding of how things worked in England, and believed right up to the last minute that the government would relent and allow them to marry.

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You are right, Elephant.  There is a strong rumour that he was (extremely) not very well endowed, and she was the only woman who didn't reject him, because she wanted to be queen.  And he was very friendly with Hitler, so there was no way he would have been accepted.

[cherry*135]

Surely you know it wasn't his choice?

His choice to marry Wallis and abdicate - are you meaning.. that Wallis made the choice for him/forced him to do that, polks.?

About Wallis & the Duke and their pro-German leanings.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated an investigation on Mrs. Simpson when President Roosevelt expressed concern over the political leanings of the Windsors. This investigation suggested that their pro-German leanings were stronger than previously thought.

This investigation, based on a combination of surveillance, informants and hearsay, alleged that the Windsors, especially the duchess, had been passing secrets to the Nazis to wreck the Allies' war effort, primarily through Ribbentrop, who was said to be Mrs. Simpson's lover. Ribbentrop was the ambassador to the Court of St. James's at the time of the abdication prior to becoming Foreign Minister. Ribbentrop himself tried to curry Edward's favor by using the Duke of Coburg, Edward's cousin and Nazi party member as an emissary, the latter brazenly attending the funeral of George V in his SA uniform.

Moreover, there was a memorandum by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that the British government had known for some time that Mrs. Simpson had pro-German sympathies. This, among other reasons, made her so obnoxious to the government that they would not permit the King to marry her.

[polksaladallie]

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@am*3 wrote:

Surely you know it wasn't his choice?

His choice to marry Wallis and abdicate - are you meaning.. that Wallis made the choice for him/forced him to do that, polks.?

About Wallis & the Duke and their pro-German leanings.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated an investigation on Mrs. Simpson when President Roosevelt expressed concern over the political leanings of the Windsors. This investigation suggested that their pro-German leanings were stronger than previously thought.

This investigation, based on a combination of surveillance, informants and hearsay, alleged that the Windsors, especially the duchess, had been passing secrets to the Nazis to wreck the Allies' war effort, primarily through Ribbentrop, who was said to be Mrs. Simpson's lover. Ribbentrop was the ambassador to the Court of St. James's at the time of the abdication prior to becoming Foreign Minister. Ribbentrop himself tried to curry Edward's favor by using the Duke of Coburg, Edward's cousin and Nazi party member as an emissary, the latter brazenly attending the funeral of George V in his SA uniform.

Moreover, there was a memorandum by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that the British government had known for some time that Mrs. Simpson had pro-German sympathies. This, among other reasons, made her so obnoxious to the government that they would not permit the King to marry her.

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The government and The Firm would not allow him to take the throne.

[the_great_she_elephant]

The government and The Firm would not allow him to take the throne.

It wasn't so much a case of 'would' not as 'could' not .  There is not the same separation of Church and State in England  as there is here, and-  thanks to Henry VIII-  the ruling monarch is not only the head of state but also head of the church i.e. the Church of England. In the 1930s public opinion was far more conservative than it is today, and  the Church Of England while not actually forbidding divorce certainly frowned upon it very heavily. It would have been virtually impossible for the Government to accept a divorcee as Queen of England.

Edward might have settled for (and may even have suggested) a morganatic  marriage - though this could have caused a  huge constitutional wragle had any children been born  the marriage - but I suspect Wallis, with her eyes fixed on the crown,  simply couldn't understand the problem and, as I said before, was convinced to the very end that they would be allowed to marry.

[i-once-was-bump]

Well, thanks everyone for the history lesson but I really need this explained, please.

I thought the fact that Michael made public the fact that his throat cancer was caused by his  prdeliction for giving  was a very brave thing to say. Must have been pretty embarrassing for his wife though.

I have no idea what that is about, so what did cause his throat cancer?

[the_great_she_elephant]

8x8+5 might be a clue.

[mugssy65]

More likely to be the cigars he used to smoke I would say?