Wallis, Duchess of Windsor

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (June 19 1896–April 24, 1986), formerly Wallis Simpson, was the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom. The King's desire to marry Wallis, an American and twice divorced, caused a constitutional crisis in the United Kingdom, which ultimately led to his abdication.

Later life

The British Royal Family never accepted the Duchess and would not receive her formally, although the former king sometimes met his mother and a brother after his abdication. It is believed that Queen Elizabeth, Edward?s sister-in-law, remained bitter towards Wallis for her role in bringing her husband to the throne.

Related Topics:
British Royal Family - Abdication - Queen Elizabeth

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The couple lived in Neuilly near Paris for most of the remainder of their lives. They were neighbours and soon became close friends of Oswald and Diana Mosley. They had no children, though the Duchess had been briefly a stepmother by her marriage to Ernest Simpson, who had a daughter by his first wife.

Related Topics:
Neuilly - Paris - Oswald - Diana Mosley

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1965 the Duke and Duchess visited London. They were visited by the Queen, Princess Marina and also the Princess Royal. Within a week the Princess Royal was dead.

Related Topics:
1965 - Princess Marina - Princess Royal

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1967 they joined the Royal Family for the centenary of Queen Mary's birth. The last occasion they were in England together was the funeral of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent in 1968.

Related Topics:
1967 - Queen Mary - Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent - 1968

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Upon the Duke's death from cancer in 1972, the increasingly senile and frail Duchess travelled to England to attend his funeral, staying at Buckingham Palace during her visit.

Related Topics:
1972 - Buckingham Palace

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Duchess lived the remainder of her life as a recluse, a bed-ridden invalid fed by tubes. She was due to receive the Queen Mother in October 1976; instead, she received flowers from her. On the card, in the Queen Mother's handwriting, were the words "IN FRIENDSHIP, ELIZABETH."

Related Topics:
The Queen Mother - 1976

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Duchess of Windsor died on 24 April 1986 in Paris. She is buried next to Edward behind the Royal Mausoleum in Windsor Castle's Home Park. Her tombstone simply reads "Wallis, His Wife". Her funeral was attended by her surviving sisters-in-law Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and Princess Alice.

Related Topics:
24 April - 1986 - Royal Mausoleum - Windsor Castle - Tombstone - Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother - Princess Alice

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~