Duke and Duchess of Windsor (1894-1972) and (1895-1986)

[flying]

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[lashinka2002]

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

What are your thoughts on the lives of this couple?
The abdication crisis, their love, their exile, the relationship with Hitler, and the rumor of the birth of their daughter in 1934.
Any comments on the reasoning behind the forceful abdication, was it really because Wallis was a divorcee or was because they felt Edward VIII was incompetent
Please post information and pics.
Especially about Wallis Simpson.




1. Duke & duchess of Windsor
2. Wallis Simpson 1914
3. Wallis Simpson 1938
4. Wallis' mother Alice Montague

 

[lashinka2002]

Duchess of Windsor quotes

"Forgive me for not writing but this man is exhausting"


"I am so anxious for you not to abdicate and I think the fact that you do is going to put me in the wrong light to the entire world because they will say that I could have prevented it"


"I hate this place. I shall hate it to my grave"


"I look a hundred and weigh 110-you won't love me when you see the wreck England has made me"


"I never make a trip to the United States without visiting a supermarket. To me they are more fascinating than any fashion salon.


"I survived by mastering my own emotions. a kind of private arrangement within oneself-an understanding of the heart and mind-that one's life and purposes are essentially good, and that nothing from outside must be allowed to impair that understanding. I learned that one can live alone"

 

[lashinka2002]

Older Photographs

More Pics

 

[lashinka2002]

Wedding pics





1. June 2, 1937 the week of their wedding
2. First portrait of wedding at the Chateau de Cande in Monts France
3. June 8, 1937 wedding day, the duchess' gown was pale blue to match her eyes & designed by Mainbocher
4. After wedding ceremony At the left is Herman Rogers, who gave the bride away, and at the right is major E.D. Metcalf, who acted as the Duke's best man in both ceremonies. The famous couple is now honeymooning in an Austrian castle.
5. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor gaze from a balcony on their wedding day
6. Duke and Duchess of Windsor aboard SS United States, silver wedding anniversary

 

[lashinka2002]

Edward VIII Born June 23 1894 Died May 28 1972

Wallis Warfield Simpson Born June 19, 1896 Died April 24 1986
Both buried at Frogmore side by side

1. Grave sites
2. Wallis' casket


http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f...Ipi=188554&pt=Wallis+Simpson&ShowCemPhotos=Y&

 

[sara1981]

both not going buried at Royals?

Sara Boyce

 

[Elspeth]

Sara, they were both buried at Windsor after funeral services at St George's Chapel. The Duchess's funeral was private; there was no lying in state and no royal standard on her coffin.

 

[morgaine]

Some more Pics I hope you dont have posted yet!!!

 

[lashinka2002]

Always in exile or on vacation?







1. In New York City
2. Duke & Duchess holding hands
3. Vacationing in Italy 1953
4. In Bermuda 1940
5. Nixon escorts the duchess
6. In their Paris home 1964
7. South of France 1938
8. Duke & Duchess

 

[lashinka2002]

Oh, What an idle life we lead!






1. New Years Eve New York city Dec 31, 1949
2. Paris Lido night club 1955
3. Lido Paris club 1959 on the anniversary of abdication 23 years before
4. Venice Italy at a party they threw
5. top view of people dining at their table at the Waldorf. Duke & duchess at the centre of table leaning over near candles 1951
6. King Edward VIII on vacation in Yugoslavia with Wallis 1936
7. Duke & Duchess
8. At Washington Stage Door Canteen 1943

 

[lashinka2002]

Sad goodbye's...





1. Duchess arrives for husbands funeral
2. Duke's coffin arrives in England
3. Duchess at Buckingham Palace before Edwards funeral
4. Leaving St. Georges Chapel before burial at Frogmore June 5, 1972
5. Same pic as above
6. Wallis Simpson & QEII

 

[lashinka2002]

Edward VIII Quotes

"A boy is holding a girl so very tight in his arms tonight"

"I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love"

"I like going there for golf. America's one vast golf course these days"

"I was shocked and angry with the startling suggestion that I should send from my land, my realm, the woman I intended to marry"

"The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children"

 

[lashinka2002]

What elegant style!





1. Wearing a dress with brocade bodice, in her suite at the Hotel Meurice in Paris. 1937
2. Standing between two armchairs, and wearing elbow-length black satin gloves and a dark taffeta gown with hoop skirt, by Mainbocher. 1947
3. Sitting in an armchair and wearing a cap-sleeved, silk shantung gown by Mainbocher with black satin gloves and a gold necklace with sapphires and rubies. 1947
4. Wearing a sleeveless white dress with patterned skirt, sitting on the grass in the garden of Chateau de Cande.
5. The Duchess of Windsor wearing a dark short-sleeved dress with a printed neck scarf, and sitting before a Chinese screen.
6. Wearing a black dress with white embroidery in front, standing next to a dresser set with a vase of flowers, in a salon at the Chateau de Cande. 1937.
7. Wearing a white dress with painted design on the skirt, standing and holding bundles of flowered twigs in the garden of the Chateau de Cande.
8. Wearing a short-sleeved Vionnet dress and belt, holding a hip-length jacket. 1945.

 

[lashinka2002]

Child of the duke and Duchess?

Has anyone heard of this rumor before?​

This web site claims that there was a daughter born to the duke & duchess in 1934.
Please let me know of your opinions
I attached the home page of the site, if your interested here's the link
http://we3.org/

n December of 1936 King Edward VIII of Great Britain was forced, by elements in the British government, to give up his throne because he intended to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson. They were married six months later.

It was unknown to the world that Edward and Wallis had had a child in June of 1934, and that child was taken from them.

It was not until December of 1995, that their daughter learned her true parents' identity.

In the months that followed resemblances became apparent. Their daughter & her immediate family, spanning three generations, had inherited features from Wallis and Edward, and their families, as can be seen in the accompanying pictures. These likenesses together with the discovery of many hidden clues are evidence that divine intervention was necessary to expose past deeds which have altered the course of history.

Wallis and Edward on vacation in August and September, 1934, shortly after the loss of their child. This photo, and others taken during this vacation depict a somber mood.

 

[Elspeth]

I think that claim has been discussed here before and generally considered to be untrue.

 

[lashinka2002]

Oh, I didn't know. I must have missed that discussion!
It looks to be untrue to me as well.
The photographs seem altered and as far as I knew Wallis was unable to have children due to an abortion gone wrong in her younger years. Please correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[lashinka2002]

King Edward VIII Part 1

Edward VIII (1894-1972) was the eldest son of George V and and Mary of Teck (Queen Mary). He was the greatgrandson of Victoria. Edward was born Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David Windsoron at White Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey. He was known within his family as David. He along with his brothers grew up wearing silor suits and kilts. The images of David and his brothers and sisters were circulated more than any other prince and princess becausing of the developing technology of prinfting photographs in magazines and newspapers and the development of the popular penny postcard. He was perhaps the most popular Prince of Wales in English history--certainly in modern British history. His winning personaslity made him a great favorite with a wide range of the British public. It was given that popularity that his decession to abdicate to mary an American divorce was a great shock to the British people.

Queen Mary
Albert's mother is often criticised for being cold and indifferent to her children. This is an harsh assessment, but she clearly was not affectionate with her children. There were times, especially when her husband was not present that she played a more maternal role.

King George V
His father, who also was not expected to be king, was a harsh disciplinarian who because of his naval background was fanatically punctual. He was particularly severe with his two oldest sons, David (Edward VIII) and Albert. Some have even used the term cruel. Many assessments of his father unfairly assess him in modern terms and not in comparison to other turn of the century fathers. Even so, he does seem to have been unduly harsh and always formal with the children.

Siblings
George V and Queen Mary had 6 children, 5 boys and a girl. They were presented as the model British family. Certainly they did not have the problems the modern English press likes to report with the current royals. They did, of course, have their problems with Edward--eventually resulting in the greatest modern crisis in the monarch. Edward became famous for renouncing the throne to mary a divorced American. His brother Albert who had never been raised to be king, not only inherited the crown, but the great task of leading Britain through the trials of World War II.


Relationship with Parents
David complained that he had a miserable childhood. His major complaints concern his father. David did not get along with this father who was very severe with them. According to some sources Edward was actually terrified of his father. When his brother Bertie (George VI) was born, Edward asked his father where the baby came from. His father answered that he flew in through the window. When Edward asked what happened to his brother's wings, his father answered that he chopped them off. Edward was understandably terrified. As the boys got older, King George's idea of fatherhood was to lecture the boys relentlessly for any imperfections. Their father was also very strict about posture and deportment. Once when he saw David with his hands in the pockets of his sailor suit, ordered all the pockets sewn shut. We have not yet developed information on David's relationship with his mother. The letters between David and his parents have been saved. They are notable for the complete absence of affection. Their parents letters sounded more like an account of state functions that would seem more suitable for the Times. Their father reportedly berated them both because of their poor academic performance. Edward complained that their tutors had never taught him anything. He hated the constant belittlement by his father and did not grieve when he died.

Relationship with Siblings
Bertie was of course very close as child with his older brother David. As older boys they drifted apart. This was in part because as an older boy he refused to always defer to David. It is notable, for example, when David as Prince of Wales made trips around the Empire to help popularize the monarchy and relations with the mother country, the future Lord Mounbatton was chosen as a comanion and not Bertie. He was, however, a frequent visitor to Berie's home after Bertie mairred. He was the Princess Elizabeth's favorite uncle. He would play games with her. Then one day she was to later write, "He stopped coming." We have no information at this time on David's relations with his sister and other brothers.

 

[lashinka2002]

King Edward VIII Part 2

Environment
David and his younger brother Albert, as well as their sister Mary, were born into rather startlingly different circustance. More children were to come, but these three older children grew up in the nursery together and were very close to each other. Their great grandmother Queen Victioria was still alive and continued to live in an evironment of mourning and gloom. This could not have been more drasticaly different than the world of their grand parents the Prince and Princess of Wales who lived in a world of lights and special elegance. Both, but especially the Princess of Wales loved to spoil and dote on the children. Than their was their own parents, Prince George and Princess Mary. Their father believed in a rather plain life and insisted on strict discipline for the children.

Tutor & Education
Edward (David) and Bertie were educated at home by a tutor--apparently not very successfuly. The first school they went to was the Royal Naval College at Osborne. Almost all of the boys there were well used to the give and take of school life. Many had boarded at other schools. David and Bertie were, however, totally un prepared by their home tutoring.

Royal Navy Cadets
The first school the boys attended was the Royal Naval School at Osborne. Neither boy was used to dealing with other children and had quite a hard time of it. They were reportedly relentlessly hazed by the other cadets. Their classmates would rub ink in Edward's blond hair. Once they put Edward VIII in a window seal and pretended to guillotine him by closing the window.

Prince of Wales
David was the first Prince of Wales to be invested in 300 years. It was made into quite an event. At his investiture, he was horrified at the costume he had to wear, knee britches with long white stockings. He complained of what the other cadets would say if they saw him dressed like that.

World War I
Edward served during the First World War, causing much concern to his superiors as he was always trying to get to the front line. He was undoubtedly affected by the War as he sat in a safe staff position while so many were killed. .


Post-war Era
After World War I Edward proved to be an emensely popular Prince of Wales. He travelled extensively throughout the Empire and beyond on epic voyages. He also played hard, socially as well as sportingly, often putting himself recklessly at risk. He became better known and loved than any previous royal figure. He found royal appearances taxing and continued to be constantly criticised by his father. He was enormously popular with the British public. His good looks and charm gave him a charisma lacking in the rest of his family. Much has been written about his politics. Some believe he wanted to play amore active role in politics han was permitted by the unwritten British constitution. He seem like many in the 1930s to have lost faith in democrcy. Among his friends were British Fascist Oswald Mosley. Some even say that he was a NAZI sympethizer. Given his personal polulariuty, these sentiments appear to have caused concern with Prime Minister Baldwin who was all to willing to force his abdication when the opportunity presented itself.

King
Edward was born and bred to be the King of England. He served in France with the army during World War I (1914-18). The courtly Prince of Wales was in the 1930s the world's most eligible bachelor, attracting adoring females wherever he ventured. The press at the time followed his every move. Yet his 20s and 30s passed with no bride. He was popular with the British people, despite his rather capricious life style. He toured areas of Britain such as Wales, hard hit by the Great Depression. Many of his subjects view him as more sympathetic to their plight than th Government. Unmarried still at age 41, he was widely perceived as a charming gadabout, weak-willed and incapable of making up his mind. His grand nephew Prince Edward writes, "It is almost impossible to describe the sense of shock, disbelief and betrayal that swept not just Britain but the rest of the Empire over a matter of weeks when news leaked out of his affair with American diorcee Wallis Simpson.


Abdication
The King of England is head of the Church of England and defender of the faith. Divorce was not approved by the Church. Here Edward was seeking to develop a divorcee about to get a second divorce. Edward had little regard for Prime Minister Baldwin. The Prime Minister feined concern and advised the King to seek the Government's advise. Under the British Constitution, he king is obligated to follow the Governments advise when he requests it. The Government advised aginst the mairrge, leaving Edward no options. Baldwin while stressing divorce as the major issue, is believed this as a pretext for removing Edward who he considered dangerous.


Edward on December 11, 1936, in a radio broadcast that reached millions, the newly proclaimed King announced the unthinkable. I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do, he said, without the help and support of the woman I love. That woman was preceived by many Brits as a domineering, scheeming woman, made worse because she was an American.


Plans for Edward's coronation, upset by the abdication, were left in place for his brother George VI. In May 1936 while riding back from an army parade in Hyde Park, Edward survived an assassination attempt made by an Irish journalist who was angry at the Home Secretary. The would-be killer, George McMahon, pulled out a gun, which came loose during a struggle with police and fell under the King's horse. The police retrieved the gun and Edward kept on riding.

Marriage
Edward married Wallis in 1937 at Chateau de Cande, Monts, France. Wallis was shunned by the royal family creating great bitterness between Edward and hif family. Financial squables caused further difficulties. He was 43 years old at the time of the mairrage.

World War II
Edward caused further controversy when he visited NAZI Germany and was warmly received by Hitler, Goering, and other NAZI luminaries. The NAZIs courted European royalty in an effort to establish their credibility. Edward's behavior in France with the Army and after fleeing to Spain when France fell caused further controversy. Charges that he was sympathetic to the NAZIs and considering NAZI attempts to set him up as puppet king have never been proven, but some evidence certinly raises eyebrows. His behavior in Spain after the fall of France certainly is difficult to explain. It even angered Churchill who has supported him. One historian goes as far as to accuse him of treason, claiming he passed information on the French defenses to a German spy, Charles Eugene Bedaux. The evidence, however, is hardly conclusive for such an allrgation. Historians continue, however, to debate the episode. The general consensus is that Edward was a dilatante, but not a traitor.

The Duke of Windsor
Although his wildly romantic declaration cost Edward his job and his country, for the King it seemed an even exchange. "She promised to bring into my life somethingthat wasn't there", he explained in his 1951 autobiography. "I was convinced that with her I'd be a more creative and more useful person." Others saw the relationship differently. She was a dominant type, says author Gore Vidal, "and he, having been beaten up by nannies and governesses all his life, needed a strong woman to bawl him out".


There were no known children. Mrs. Simpson because of an abortion could not have children. Some believe that Edward himself may have been infertile because od a severe illness contracted at Osbourne while he was a cadet.
Edward was known as the Duke of Windsor after his abdication. He published his autobiography, A King's Story" in 1951. The Duke was the subject of a 1965 documentary, A King's Story. The Duke died in 1972 at the age of 78 from natural causes. He is buried at Windsor, Berkshire.

 

[lashinka2002]

More Duchess of Windsor Quotes

"If everyone looks at me when I enter a room,
my husband can feel proud of me. That's my chief responsibility."

"Clothes should be so simple and unobtrusive as to seem unimportant."

"Mine is a simple story. It is the story of an ordinary life that became extraordinary."

"I'm not a beautiful woman. I'm nothing to look at,
so the only thing I can do is dress better than anyone else."

"I have always had the courage for the new things that life sometimes offers."

"A woman's life can really be a succession of lives, each revolving around some emotionally compelling situation or challenge, and each marked off by some intense experience."

"For a gallant spirit there can never be defeat."

"Never explain, never complain."​

​

 

[lashinka2002]

Duchess of Windsor's nickname

"That Woman!"

 

[lashinka2002]

Duchess of Windsor biography Part 1

The love story of the century began as a favor between two friends. In January of 1934, Lady Thelma Furness, mistress of the Prince of Wales - and future Edward VIII - was traveling to New York on a most serious matter. Her sister, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt was trying to retain custody of her ten year-old daughter, Little Gloria, from her rich and powerful sister in-law Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Before taking her leave, Thelma lunched at the Ritz with her new friend, Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American-born divorcée married to a prosperous, but dull, shipping magnate. Thelma asked her friend, "Look after the little man. See that he does not get into any mischief." Such a request was akin to asking a lion to tend the sheep and its course changed history. Thelma returned ten months later to find that the Prince cut her off from the court and fell in love with Simpson. On December 11, 1936, only ten months after becoming King Edward VIII, he abdicated, forsaking crown and kingdom for the woman he loved.

Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, born in 1894 was raised to continue his family's thousand year-old business - that is, maintaining the throne of the newly renamed House of Windsor. In large part to anti-German sentiment during World War I, the name was changed from Coburg-Saxe-Gotha. Raised to be king, Edward was a modern gentleman stuck in an ancient profession. While his forebears kept the mystery of royalty behind baize doors, David as he was affectionately known, was seen in public. Whether it was touring the coalmines of Manchester or the nightclubs of the West End, the Prince of Wales was the golden haired royal that epitomized the new era and would carry the dwindling Empire forward. His parents, King George V and Queen Mary disapproved of this way of living and hoped their eldest son would hurry up and marry instead of being seen out, out, out. The press, while respectful, monitored his romances with an array of women, including Freda Dudley Ward and the aforementioned Lady Furness. But one day a storm named Wallis blew into the town.

Bessie Wallis Montague Warfield was not terribly attractive but made up for that in being clever. Born in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania to the respectable, but impoverished Warfield family of Baltimore in 1896, Wallis' father died when she was a toddler and her mother took in borders. Living in reduced circumstances, the child was still a bit spoiled where it was alleged her first words were not "Ma Ma" but "Me, Me." The young Wallis had a craving for high society early on, supposedly naming her dollies Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Vanderbilt. Fortunately, there was her wealthy Uncle Sol to ensure that she had a proper upbringing. Wallis' clothing and education were provided for by Sol but a fight about her coming out party, which didn't happen and her early imperiousness distanced him and Wallis was cut out of his estate altogether when he later died.

Craving a better way of life, she set her sights on the dashing aviator Lt. Earl Winfield and married him 1916. Almost immediately the marriage was a disaster. He claimed to be from a rich Lake Forest, Illinois family but Wallis was decidedly disappointed when she learned he was from a lesser suburb of Chicago. Plus it was discovered that he was an alcoholic. A string of unfortunate discoveries like these caused Wallis to divorce her dashing Lieutenant.

After divorce number one, Wallis and a friend traveled to Peking where she supposedly learned many secrets of the boudoir, including one trick involving ping-pong balls that particularly delighted the Prince of Wales later on. Upon her return to the United States, Wallis met and married American-born Englishman Ernest Simpson. A wealthy businessman with an entrée into British society, Wallis had found her calling. She enjoyed the moneyed titles and the drawing room gossip. It was at one of those smart-set parties that the Simpson's were introduced to the future king. Very quickly, Ernest, Wallis, and Edward became a trio. Much to the distress of the royal family, rumors were afloat that accommodations for Mrs. Simpson but not her husband had been made at Fort Belvedere, the prince's country getaway. The King often fought with Edward about this most dubious alliance.

Ignoring the obvious, Prince Edward was having a grand affair with a married woman. Untouchable and loved by millions he could do as he pleased and did. Meanwhile, his father, King George V was sinking towards his end. On January 20, 1936 the Kings' devoted footman hastened the King's death with an injection of morphine and cocaine so that the news would make the morning headlines rather than the less impressive afternoon news.

Although he was enormously popular with the working public, the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and Edwards courtiers were floored by this casual attitude toward his new responsibilities, shirking important duties to spend more time with vulgar American. Although the royal family was royally pissed off about "that woman", Edward insisted on marrying her. Finally, the powers behind the throne issued a warning that if Edward VIII married the American divorcee without their consent, he would be forced to abdicate the throne. And he did.

 

[lashinka2002]

Duchess of Windsor biography Part 2

On December 11, 1936, Edward VIII officially abdicated the throne to his brother, George, Duke of York, (to be George VI) proclaiming to the people of Britain, "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love." Edward and Simpson had to remain apart until her divorce was legal, and on June 3, 1937, they were finally married just outside of Tours, France, in a ceremony attended by no one from the royal family. Wallis wore Mainbocher and the title of Diva Number One for the next fifty years.

After the marriage, the British royal family bestowed the now estranged Edward with the title, His Royal Highness, Duke of Windsor, but to further emphasize their bitter disapproval of Wallis, they withheld the title of "Royal Highness" from his duchess. Queen Elizabeth (later to add the Queen Mother to her name) despised this flashy woman who pushed her simple husband and loving family to the throne and did everything within her power to ensure the American was afforded no royal courtesies. It later prompted Wallis to say of England, "I hate this place. I shall hate it to my grave."

Further distancing him from the royal family, the Duke and Duchess met Hitler in 1937, with both expressing pro-German sentiments and risking Britain's involvement in the coming war. They traveled to the United States and began speaking out about the war, disturbing the tenuous string of diplomacy. This was more than the royal family could take and sent the couple off in 1940 to the Bahamas where the Duke was made Governor and Commander in Chief. Apparently the royal family knew more than they cared to tell the public as it wasn't revealed until 2003 that Wallis' Nazi sympathies were the real tipping point in the abdication crisis and not her divorces as had been widely believed.

Disappointed and miserable in the Caribbean heat, Wallis flew to New York frequently to have her hair done and attend round after round of lunches in her honor. Their friend in the Bahamas, Sir Harry Oakes, was murdered there and the tinge of scandal began following the Windsor's. After the war, the couple moved to Paris where they rented an estate on the grounds of the Tulleries from the City of Paris for four dollars a month. There, the Windsor's held court and traveled the globe ceaselessly, wherever there was an estate to vacation on or a yacht to sail, the Windsor's could be found.

Childless, ("The Duke is not heir-conditioned.") the couple made children of their pug dogs, feeding them from silver bowls. The humans lived just as lavishly. They dressed for dinner every night of their lives, had the footmen wear scarlet and gold livery, their servants matched the lettuce leaves of their salads and individually prepared the bathroom tissue into squares so their employers wouldn't have to tear the roll themselves. Banished from England and off the lucrative Civil List, the couple moved in international social circles where they were perceived as the top rank of the assembled plumage.

Their notoriety took a plunge during the 1950's when the couple befriended Woolworth five-and-dime heir Jimmy Donahue, the son of Jessie Woolworth Donahue and first cousin of Barbara Hutton. The younger man was handsome, socially prominent and rich - criteria the Windsor's considered before involving themselves with newcomers. Fully estranged from his brother, George VI, the Windsor's needed someone rich to help finance their alluring lifestyle. David, calling his wife "my romance," afforded her every opportunity and tolerated the younger man, but Wallis engaged him to the point where they were quite inseparable. At one point the friendship took on sexual overtones and almost caused the Windsor's to divorce, even though Donahue was a notorious homosexual. Had a divorce occurred, it would have been deemed "the greatest betrayal in history." After several years on the circuit, Donahue overstepped his bounds with the Windsor's, often insulting them publicly. One night after a drunken revelry, Jimmy kicked the Duchess in the shin, causing her to bleed. The Duke ordered Jimmy out of their room and out of their lives, although later stories were told that Jimmy wasn't taking proper care of his hygiene and ate too much garlic, causing him to have offensive breath.

The couple divided their time between Paris and whoever invited them to their estate/plantation/yacht/gala/bridge party. Wallis was revered for many years as the imprimatur of high society although she merely led its cold, decaying hand out of the drawing room and onto the society pages, further antagonizing a pointless existence. The last word in chic, she was a perennial on the Best Dressed Lists and her pug dogs were entered in the Westminster Dog Show but rarely did she lend her name to important charitable events. She was fascinating as an object of mystery but the curtain had been drawing close for years. The couple's aura of glamour was tarnished by having been everywhere and seen by everyone for the price of dinner.

In 1956 she wrote her memoirs, "The Heart Has Its Reasons," around the time the Duke wrote his own, "A King's Story." Both elevated their love story to a new audience but having spent a lifetime accomplishing nothing, their importance diminished.

Wallis never gained acceptance by the royal family until after the Duke's death in 1972, when Queen Elizabeth II invited her to stay at Buckingham Palace. She spent the next fourteen years living alone in Paris in poor health until her death on April 24, 1986. In 1936 she was called, "the most romantic figure of all times," she later confessed to a friend, "You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance."

Biography written by Blair Schulman

 

[lashinka2002]

Little things to know about the Duchess...

One of her allies during the abdication crisis was staunch monarchist Winston Churchill - perhaps because his mother was American too. One anecdote recalls a lunch he enjoyed with playwright Noel Coward in which Churchill said:"Why shouldn't he marry his cutie?" To which Coward replied: "Because England doesn't want a Queen Cutie!"

One of her allies during the abdication crisis was staunch monarchist Winston Churchill - perhaps because his mother was American too. One anecdote recalls a lunch he enjoyed with playwright Noel Coward in which Churchill said:"Why shouldn't he marry his cutie?" To which Coward replied: "Because England doesn't want a Queen Cutie!"

The Duke loved to shower her with one-of-a-kind jewelry. So great was his love, in fact, that he stated in his will his wish to have those jewels removed from their settings after Wallis's death, lest her pieces be collected and worn by lesser women. That was the only wish of his that Wallis seems to have countermanded. The terms of her will stated that her jewels were to be auctioned off for the benefit of the Pasteur Institute. That auction, held in 1987, produced 50 million dollars for AIDS research.

There is a persistent underground rumor in certain social circles that the Duchess of Windsor was really a man.

Her main interests were housekeeping, dancing and walking with her pugs.

The 1998 nine-day auction of property from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's former Paris home - owned by Harrods' boss Mohamed Al Fayed - raised more than £14m for charities. A piece of their wedding cake fetched $28,600.

Winston Churchill called the Duke of Windsor's love for her 'one of the great loves of history.'

She caused a furore in 1937 when she was seen as a guest of Hitler.

Accompanied her husband to Britain in 1966 for the unveiling of a commemorative plaque to Queen Mary, the woman that hated her most.

At Edward's funeral she was allowed to stay only one night at Buckingham Palace before journeying back to Paris and obscurity.

One of her allies during the abdication crisis was staunch monarchist Winston Churchill - perhaps because his mother was American too. One anecdote recalls a lunch he enjoyed with playwright Noel Coward in which Churchill said:"Why shouldn't he marry his cutie?" To which Coward replied: "Because England doesn't want a Queen Cutie!"

 

[lashinka2002]

Some personal information

Here's a link
http://demo.treeshare.com/individual.php?pid=I2434&ged=Royal_Family.ged

 

[Idriel]

Hello Lashinka!
Interesting subject indeed.
It is very interesting that everyone talk about the love story of the century, because those who were very close to the couple always doubted that Wallis was in love with the Duke (who in return worshipped her). It was a strange relationship, David being a charming but immature young man and Wallis being a dominating, severe and obsessive woman. It is obvious through her weddings and lifestyle before she met David that she was obsessed by money and status. She was a remarkably smart and subtle woman who knew how to obtain what she wanted. She was devastated when David abdicated because she wanted to be Queen. I think that why she had this friendship with Hitler; not because she approved his politic, but because he promised her to restore David as King. David notoriously admired the social politic of Hitler, the way he helped the working class (David was a socialist, which is one of the reason the establishment wanted him to abdicate). I don't think he was antisemitic.
He was a very loved Prince and King and most Britons were extremely sad to see him abdicate. It was really a plot from the conservative people on power at the time.
As for their life after the abdication, it was exemplary of dignity and elegance. I think Wallis understood she could not elevate herself much higher and just chose to play her role at the perfection and stand by her man. I don't think she ever truly loved him but she made him happy and for that she has my respect.

 

[EmpressRouge]

A quote by the Duchess of Windsor: "You can never be too rich or too thin."

And Givenchy made the Duchess' black gown in 48 hrs in time for the Duke's funeral.

 

[EmpressRouge]

Did anyone watch the Masterpiece Theatre telefilm (on PBS in the USA) Bertie & Elizabeth about the George VI and Queen Mum's marriage? In it, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (espically the Duchess) are portrayed very negatively. Russell Baker (host) acklowedged it at the end of the program. He said the British viewed them as selfish people who put personal pleasure before duty, whereas Americans see it as poignant story of star-crossed lovers. Any thoughts?

 

[Idriel]

He said the British viewed them as selfish people who put personal pleasure before duty, whereas Americans see it as poignant story of star-crossed lovers. Any thoughts?

The truth lies between

 

[Elspeth]

The British have been fed decades of propaganda about how perfect Bertie and Elizabeth were and what monsters Edward and Wallis were; it isn't until fairly recently that books and articles sympathetic to the Duke and Duchess have really started to appear. The Queen Mother has always been portrayed in the media as a sweet and harmless national granny figure, whereas the truth appears to be somewhat less sugar-coated. As Idriel said, the truth is almost certainly somewhere between the two extremes, but in Britain one side has been free to present its version and the other side hasn't.