Early Life. Wallis Simpson published her memoirs in 1956, reportedly editing and rewriting her own history to portray herself in a more flattering light. The Duke (1894 - 1972) and Duchess (1896 - 1986) of Windsor, (formerly Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson) at their home, the Villa La Croe in Cap D'Antibes, Cannes in … She dismissed Sir Godfrey Morley, the British lawyer who had handled the Duke's affairs and his last will, after persuading the confused Duchess that he was trying to get his hands on her money. No-one, apart from the baron, had seen the duchess in recent months. Wallis Simpson Loved Another Man — and Left the Duke of Windsor Alone on His Death Bed The woman who famously led Edward VIII to abdicate the … While in Paris in autumn 1978, I heard that the Duchess had lost use of her hands and feet and had to be carried from her bed to a clinical couch. Since Caroline’s life had been threatened and no-one had seen the Duchess for some time surely the police should have been informed. Wallis was of course, the Duchess of Windsor. Her funeral was held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Chapel before being buried next to Edward in the Royal Burial Ground as Wallis, Duchess of Windsor. After that day, Blum did exactly as she pleased. In 1931, Edward (then the Prince of Wales) fell in love with Wallis Simpson, an American socialite. Learn more about this strange and bizarre story. The Duchess could not sign because her hands were twisted with rheumatoid arthritis, so Blum sent the clerk to the Duchess's room to gain her verbal assent. Later Life and Death The Duke of Windsor died of cancer in 1972, and Wallis reportedly had a breakdown at his funeral. Feb. 9, 2012— -- Wallis Simpson has been demonized for decades as the Baltimore divorcee who scandalized Britain by luring Edward VIII, the Prince of Wales, from his short tenure on the throne. But the Duchess would pay heavily for her scorn. The lawyer had several theories that she wished to promulgate. Her funeral was held at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, attended by her two surviving sisters-in-law – the Queen Mother and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester – and other members of the royal family. But it also needed some copy so journalist Caroline Blackwood to write the piece. Wallis Simpson was a tragic figure trapped by marriage and exploited by her lawyer, finds Frances Wilson, as she delves into the richly detailed biography by Hugo Vickers, Behind Closed Doors. In 1981 a senior doctor at the American Hospital told me the Duchess was in a pitiable state. They showed the duchess in her bedroom in a vegetative state. She was unconscious and the thing he found to be even more horrific was that her skin was wrinkled and so dark that she looked like ‘a prune’. And King Edward VII's relationship with Wallis Simpson includes positive blind love. The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince and Princess of Wales attended both the funeral ceremony and the burial. Our handshakes were perfunctory. The bedclothes became tattered. ', The ambassador concluded: 'She was perfectly compos mentis but it was as though living was a big task and could only be coped with for short intervals at a time.'. Wallis left Win and eventually divorced him in December 1927. Through friends, Wallis met Edward, Prince of Wales in 1931 and the two saw each other semi-regularly at social occasions. In 1986, Mohamed Al Fayed acquired the lease on the house and in 1998 he sold some of the remaining contents at auction in New York. Father Odo said that von Ribbentrop “sent Wallis Simpson 17 carnations every day. ... With the death of George V on January 20, 1936, the call to duty arrived for Edward. After the Duchess's two secretaries left her employment in 1975 and 1978, Blum was able to control the situation as she wished. In 1916 she married Lt. Earl Winfield ("Win") Spencer, a pilot for the U.S. Navy. While on honeymoon with her third husband, the man who had been King Edward VIII, now the Duke of Windsor, Wallis Simpson … Edward, however, had all the power and moolah of the monarchy behind him. © Hugo Vickers. What secret weapon, bullying tactics or threat he used we’ll never know but he was allowed a mere glimpse of the duchess in her home. The lawyer had complete control. Sometimes, when in pain, she pleaded with nurses, hoping 'the Good Lord would take her away'. And even then, he only glimpsed a shrivelled (almost mummified), motionless creature. Then Caroline was asked a question that chilled her to the bone. The Duchess's doctor, Jean Thin, received watches and a gold box, despite the fact he believed that the Duchess's mind was rapidly deteriorating and it would soon be incapable of making any decisions. Blum had once merely been an adviser, summoned when required. Her funeral was held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Chapel before being buried next to Edward in the Royal Burial Ground as Wallis, Duchess of Windsor. He later wrote: 'Her hands, which caught the eye immediately, were badly contorted in shape, and paralysed. In a scene that undermines the myth that the marriage was ‘the greatest love affair in the world’, the former Edward VIII tearfully told Wallis Simpson, the divorcee for whom he gave up the throne in 1936, to break off her relationship with a wealthy playboy. The Dean found the house depressing, the Duke's regimental drums gathering dust, sad relics 'under brooding stillness', the garden with its 'memories of lavish summer evenings' now 'weeds, crab grass and ghosts'. Mother realizes her 'dream' of becoming surrogate by carrying her brother's baby after his wife was told... AirPup! While he was a popular monarch, on October 27 Mrs Simpson … They commissioned society photographer Lord Snowdon to travel to Paris as this would be a largely visual article. The truth behind the Wallis myths. Now the relationship had been twisted to her utter advantage. King Edward VIII first met Wallis Simpson in 1931, back when he was Prince of Wales, and she was still married. What happened to the Duchess's millions there remains unclear. He lost his older brother, Edward VIII when he abdicated and moved to France with Wallis Simpson and his younger brother, Prince George, Duke of Kent when he died in a military air crash. After the Duchess returned from hospital, the staff were told that she had to be kept in the upstairs rooms. Instead she was destined to live a pathetic existence for the next ten years, virtually unable to move and later unable to speak. After World War I, Win began to drink heavily and became abusive. They entertained Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich and Maria Callas, while fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley and his wife Diana were neighbours. The Duchess of Windsor was permanently confined to her powder blue bedroom overlooking the lawns of her house in Paris. Designers vied to dress her. The relationship between the two lasted for 35 years, until the death of King Edward VIII in 1972. The second was more credible: that the Duchess had not wanted to marry the Duke and had certainly not forced him to abdicate. The Windsors also purchased the cosier Mill at Gif-sur-Yvette outside Paris, while in New York, they rented a spacious apartment on the 37th floor of the Waldorf Towers. Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson Windsor was born in 1896 to a distinguished family. To order your copy for £20.99 with free p&p, call the Review Bookstore on 08 5 155 0730 or visit www.MailLife. With no family to advise her, the Duchess relied heavily on Blum. King Edward VIII first met Wallis Simpson in 1931, back when he was Prince of Wales, and she was still married. Following her involvement with the Prince of Wales, he commented: 'I am certain she has more glamour and is of more interest than any public figure. She was often present to hear what was said. Without warning, the frail 81-year-old summoned up an extraordinary burst of energy, turned to her and shouted: 'I HATE YOU!'. The Duke, who reigned for 10 months as King Edward VIII before abdicating, had been ill for some time. Cautiously, Caroline had a further series of meetings and telephone calls with the lawyer. In return, the Duchess signed a codicil to her will leaving items to France's great museums, in gratitude to the City of Paris for providing the house on the Bois. In truth, she was beyond caring. The Duke had done everything for his wife. The Duchess never saw them again. He too had been prevented from seeing her by the old lawyer. At either side of the large entrance gates, lampposts with ducal coronets on them were erected. But the truth turned out to be very strange indeed. Adapted from Behind Closed Doors, by Hugo Vickers, to be published by Hutchinson on April 7 priced £25. Eleven weeks after the Duchess's death, her friend Commandant Paul-Louis Weiller invited me to look around the house. In 'The Crown' season 3, we see the Duke of Windsor, also known as the Former King Edward VIII and Queen Elizabeth's uncle die. Wallis Simpson's 200-piece jewelry collection went on sale on April 3, 1987. Despite the wish for secrecy, rumours of the sales spread in Paris with Blum suspecting the Duchess's staff. Feb. 9, 2012— -- Wallis Simpson has been demonized for decades as the Baltimore divorcee who scandalized Britain by luring Edward VIII, the Prince of Wales, from his short tenure on the throne.