News about Wallis Simpson

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Harry insists that the US is now his residence but specialist expatriate law firm Blevins Franks warns of the pitfalls: 'HMRC will look for any indication that you see Britain as your homeland and may return one day. Even stating in your will that you wish to be buried in the UK could work against you.' So has Harry stipulated where he will be interred?

She was so ill in her final years that her death was seen as a blessing. One of her closest friends was 'delighted' when told the news of her passing, only wishing it had come sooner. Wallis Simpson , the woman who became the Duchess of Windsor after marrying the man who chose love over duty, died on April 24 1986. She was 89. The American widow of the former King Edward VIII had been beset by illness after her husband's death in 1972 and lived out her final years almost alone in her Paris home, unable to walk or leave a room that had become her world.

Wallis Simpson , the Duchess of Windsor, was frantic with worry. On 16 October 1946, she and her husband the Duke of Windsor - the former Edward VIII - had left Ednam Lodge in Berkshire, where they had been staying with friends,  for dinner at Claridge's hotel in London. In their absence, a daring raid took place at the house, and jewellery of Wallis's that  worth as much as £25,000 (around £1.3 million today) was stolen, never to be recovered. It affected both the Duke and Duchess deeply. Edward later wrote to his brother, King George VI , saying he had discovered 'the bitter and costly way that Great Britain is no longer the secure and law-abiding country it used to be.'

As the Netflix show came to an end last year after six blockbusting seasons, Crown writer Peter Morgan was excited and relieved - as was everyone else. Both of the last two decades were particularly controversial, as the telling of the Queen's reign entangled the modern age and prompted uproar. Morgan said he was done with the Royal family right after the last broadcast, but I guess there has since been a change of heart. According to insiders, the 60-year-old is still interested in two royal tales he may or not have told: Edward VIII's abduction of 1936 to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson; and the tale of Queen Mary, the wife of George V. Morgan is working with one of The Crown's top producers, but it's all informal - no contracts have been signed or agreements have been made.

After the Princess of Wales' touching announcement, it was fitting to learn that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had sent a tender private message to their brother and sister-in-law. writes AN WILSON. Let's all hope that the truce, if one exists, lasts and that Meghan and Harry are eventually accepted into the Royal Family.

Winston Churchill drafted a memo to the prime ministers of the Dominions on July 4th, 1940: 'The Duke of Windsor's activities in recent months have been causing HM and myself extreme anxiety, as his tendencies are well known to be pro-Nazi and he could become a point of intrigue.' As a result, the new Prime Minister had to offer the former king the Governorship of the Bahamas despite not mentioning in his memo that the alternative was a court martial. Well, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were exiled to the Caribbean for the duration of the war.

HARDCASTLE's Sally Bedell Smith, a royal biographer, coresponds with a recent story about Wallis Simpson's extravagance when he was the Bahamas' wartime governor. In a Channel 5 documentary, author Dr. Andrew Lownie reveals that Wallis' hairdresser was flown in from New York. They had flowers flown in from Miami and spent lavishly on wines, which they were able to obtain tax-free,' he said, adding that the Duchess carried 85 pieces of luggage when they travelled to the United States. Meghan fares much more compared to Harry, without question, but he's got the word engraved with the word 'HRH' on his crate.'

Meghan Markle has the same 'narcissistic and control' attributes as Wallis Simpson, although the Duke of Sussex is as poor as King Edward VIII, according to a royal biographer. Sally Bedell Smith (inset), one of the Royal Family's 'approved' biographers, has argued that the Duchess of Sussex is 'domineering' and has'changed the dynamic' between Harry and William. Bedell Smith, who is promoting her new book, which explores how King George VI's saved the monarchy' following the abduction of her older brother Edward in 1936, said there were similarities between the two sets of families. Prince William may have felt a similar sense of 'betrayal' toward Harry, according to the American writer, as their great grandfathers felt toward the Duke of Windsor after he stepped down from the throne. It comes as a rift between the two brothers, which has widened in recent years, seems to be no closer to healing, with the pair appearing separately at the Diana Legacy Awards in London last week.

Prince Edward and his partner Wallis Simpson, who was suspected Nazi sympathiser by Mussolini's totalitarian government, have been offered for the first time. The Italian Embassy in Belgravia, one of London's most expensive areas, was housed from 1923 to 2009 before being turned into a private residence. Count Dino Grandi welcomed celebrities, including Edward Edward Edward, before he became King in 1936, Miss Simpson, Lady Alexandra Curzon, Diana Mitford, 'Fruity' Metcalfe, and former Prime Minister Lloyd George George during this period.

If the Duke of Windsor wanted to portray himself as a king-in-exile at La Croe, the chateau in France where he and his wife had gone to following his abduction. They indulged in self-aggrandizing drama as if in honor of all that King Edward VIII ruled so briefly as he married Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee who was now Duchess, with a staff of 28 and guests of Noel Coward and Winston Churchill. On the huge lawn, a tiny little white table for us four was set.' "The night was unbearably hot, but the Duke was in full Scottish regalia." I had hoped that he was staging a performance of some sort.'

We all wish King Charles will recover from his cancer and rule us for a long time to come. However, he is a 75-year-old man with a serious disease. At the time, rumors about Prince and Princess of Wales are flying around, prompting us to wonder if they are in a position to take over if this desperate task is put upon them. Our hearts go out to them, but they are not in a position to hide the harsh truth about their health from us - although much they may wish to.

Last week, Prince Philip referred to Meghan as 'DoW' - Duchess of Windsor. The selection of Edward VIII and Prince Harry as appropriate consorts warrants some reflection. Neither Megan nor Wallis were removed from traditional royal brides' clothing. They were both successful well-established adults who met their princes as charming, educated teenagers. They were unfazed by the grand British settings in which they abruptly found themselves after scaling the American ladder of achievement. Although their apprehensions shocked more traditional observers, it endeared them to their respective husbands. The fact that neither knew anything about the world in which they had recently stepped seemed to have been for both of them, at least at the beginning, was insignificant. Of course, Megan was given a lot of things that Wallis did not understand. She was welcomed into the family by a grand royal wedding, given the style of Her Royal Highness and the prospect of serving as a senior working royal.

Grace Kelly and Wallis Simpson were dressed in Grace Kelly and Wallis Simpson. Cecil Beaton compared his ingenuity to Picasso's, while Coco Chanel and Christian Dior adored him. 'The King Is Dead!' The Women's Wear Daily newspaper announced his death in 1972. And now, the life of the mysterious Spanish designer, who is regarded as the master of Parisian haute couture, is the subject of a new six-part Disney+ series, simply called Cristóbal Balenciaga. It sheds more light on his personal life than on how much money fashion owes to him. He abhorred logos and immediately recognisable patterns, so there is no Balenciaga equivalent of a Chanel boucle jacket or Lady Dior bag. However, many of the things we take for granted today, such as the funnel neck and cape dress, were his creations. Here is our take on how to get the Balenciaga look on a budget.

Could Prince William be the first monarch in nearly five centuries not to become head of the Church of England when he succeeds to the throne? That is the suggestion in Robert Hardman's touching biography of King Charles, which has been serialized by the Daily Mail in recent days.

With the gazes of many thousands, if not millions, of people when they marry, it's no wonder that royal couples often crave a restful break. Any spare money is worthless. After marrying long-term partner Greg Mallett, Lady Amelia Spencer took a luxurious holiday in the Maldives. This was inspired by her older sister Kitty, who spent more than a month travelling around Europe for her honeymoon. Some have chosen something more private. Balmoral has long been known as a popular destination for those looking to recharge their batteries in the Scottish Highlands. Here are the vibrant first getaways of the royal newlyweds from around the world, from playing Scrabble in the airport lounge to meeting the Pope.

Nicholas Witchell, 70, has been covering the royals since 1998 for the BBC, and he's most well-known for feeling the wrath of the then Prince of Wales in 2005, when Charles was seen calling him 'awful.' Witchell told The Sunday Times precisely what had enraged the future monarch so much ahead of his retirement next year. Prince Charles was a young man who lived in London in 2005. Nicholas Witchell)

It's easy to forget that there was a time - within memory - when the monarchy's very future was put into doubt as we approach King Charles' second Christmas on the throne, his beloved wife Queen Camilla by his side, and the succession is secure. Yet, 87 years ago, Edward VIII, Charles' great uncle Edward VIII, made the shocking declaration that he was abdicating the throne so he could marry the woman he loved: Wallis Simpson, a married American. Edward brought his reign to an end in just 325 days when it became clear that he would not be able to keep king and wed the woman for whom he felt such passion. It was a decision that triggered a constitutional crisis, stunned the world, and sparked a national mourning gap with the royal family that would never recover.

Of all the stories about Napoleon's majestic wife Josephine, one question has titillated the more childish among us: what exactly was the 'zig zag' technique? The couple's love affair was so passionate that it shocked and transfixed French high society in the 18th century. Josephine is far from the only notable female figure in history to be the object of rumour and gossip, though some of it was based on truth and others that was heavily made up. Catherine the Great, a woman who had been known for taking numerous lovers, was crushed to death by a horse she was attempting to have sex with, according to a few of the most controversial - and untrue stories. Wallis Simpson, the second divorced wife of former King Edward III, was also victimized by the poison pen, with others claiming she acquired 'ancient Chinese techniques' in Chinese brothels. She became known for the 'headless man' photographs that emerged at her divorce hearing, where her husband said she had married 88 people.

Peter Morgan, who spoke in California in advance of Netflix's sixth and final series of the show, said the costumes and protocol had seemed strange and alien. "I had to go to the Palace for a reason, but I didn't know anything about it," Morgan, whose father, a German Jew who fled the Nazis for the United Kingdom, said. 'It seems even madder than what we do! There were grown men with spurs, and everybody was dressed in a comedic costume and bowing.

Hundreds of VIPs who remained with them at various locations between 1935 and 1970 were sold in by the two red leather books. Winston Churchill (left), who they welcomed to their French Riviera retreat in 1948, was one of the high-profile guests. Among the other visitors were Prime Minister Antony Eden, Lord Tennyson, and Earl Louis 'Dickie' Mountbatten. Equerry Ulick Alexander, advisor Walter Monckton, and solicitor Albert George Allen stayed with the Windsors during the 1936 absorption crisis. Edward resigned as King after 11 months in order to marry American divorcee Simpson. The first tourist book (inset) is embossed with the word 'The Fort,' the name of Fort Belvedere - Edward's much-loved Windsor home where he signed the abdication papers.

In her latest memoir Behind the Shoulder Pads, the Dynasty actress (left, with Kate Middleton in 2014) 90, explains how she was made a dame by the late queen in recognition of her charitable work. As a result, Joan was invited to participate in the motorcade along the Mall for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 (inset). Members of the Royal Family welcomed the actress down the famous London road in a vintage car with her husband Percy Gibson. Right: During the Trooping the Colour festivities in June, the Prince and Princess of Wales joined Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.

JAN MOIR: Edward VIII's missing memoirs have been revealed, and for the first time we hear Edward VIII's authentic inner voice. And what does that voice sound like?Whiny, romantic, wild, egotistic, a top note of royal petulance underpinned with a faint grasp of reality? Exactly. In other words, a typical Windsor man. 'I was a bachelor, alone and hungry,' he moaned. It sounds like the opening line of a Johnny Cash song, but he was describing how he felt right before meeting Wallis Simpson. After falling for her, he said, 'To live without love would have been intolerable.'

The Duke of Windsor poured out his heart to a ghostwriter long before Harry's tell-all tome. The result was an astonishing account of the affair that shocked the world in his own words.

I first met the Duchess at a mutual friend's house in Melton Mowbray in early January 1931, and he's recalling how, as Prince of Wales, he was introduced to Mrs Simpson, the woman for whom he'd sacrificed the crown.' 'I was immediately impressed by her vivaciousness, humor, and shrewish repartee.' I adored her full honesty. I did not agree with anyone, but I found this rarely, particularly among my British colleagues.' Edward was spilling his secrets - even to an eminent American journalist who had persuaded the former king that, after more than a decade of silence, the time had come for him to tell his side of the affair.