George VI issued letters patent in 1937 stating The Duke would continue to hold royal rank, but it was limited to him alone and explicitly denied to his wife and children. Given that, Wallis was never HRH because The Sovereign denied her the right to share her husband's rank.
I am well aware that, through
letters patent, George VI withheld the
HRH style from Wallis Simpson. That's what I was alluding to when I said "She was legally HRH The Duchess of Windsor". With respect to British Peerage, the legal wife of a peer assumes upon marriage, as a courtesy but legally, her husband's titles, rank and style. Although a
letters patent is a legal document, it can be questioned how a duke's legal wife cannot be a duchess by marriage, and an HRH's wife cannot be an HRH (again) by marriage - conditionally of course, that is, for as long as she remains married to him.
The Duke never "instructed" his wife to curtsey or not curtsey. She certainly knew what the proper protocol was and extended the honour to those members of the royal family who were HRH as well. Obviously, she refused to curtsey to The Queen Mother, who played a major role in ensuring The Duchess never became HRH. .
How do you know that he didn't instruct her to do so? All evidence suggests that he did. Wallis was a very opinionated and arrogant
parvenue and she was determined to take revenge. Do you have evidence that she curtseyed to other HRHs, when and where?
Of course, she knew the protocol because she loved it and she was smart, but knowing something is one thing, respecting it is another.
At any rate, the point I was trying to make here is that the Duke, who was also very bitter about the
HRH issue, would never question the British Monarchy as an institution and, knowing her personality, he was anxious to see that she address the sovereign with utmost deference.
The situation with Camilla is completely different and she is married to Charles equally with the right to all of his titles and styles. She chose to be known as The Duchess of Cornwall (which is simply her style), rather than Princess of Wales out of respect to the memory of Princess Diana.
Camilla is married to Charles as equally or as unequally as Mrs. Simpson to the Duke of Windsor insofar as the two ladies' personal status was concerned prior to their royal marriage - both divorced, both commoners. Whichever title she chose to be known by (and this is her prerogative), she is legally
HRH The Princess of Wales.
I apologize since this discussion has no bearing to the thread's title but the remarks are historically very important.
