"Mine is a simple story. It is the story of an ordinary life that became extraordinary". So said the woman that had the allure to force the King of England to abdicate and almost destroy the British monarchy.
An American socialite, Wallis Warfield Simpson (already married twice and still in her second marriage) became the mistress of Edward the Prince of Wales. Two years later after assuming the throne he caused a constitutional crisis by insisting that he marry his mistress. Things have changed in Britain, but at the time it was legally and morally unacceptable for a monarch to associate with a married or divorced woman....thus "to marry the woman I love" he abdicated the throne in favor of his younger brother who became George VI.
George immediately gave his brother the title of Duke of Windsor and two months later when he married Simpson, she became the Duchess of Windsor...although the monarchy forbade that she ever be called "her royal highness". When Princess Diana divorced Charles she was also stripped of "her royal highness" title (a position her future king son promises to reverse).
Although the Duke could travel to England at will, his wife was banished from British soil by the monarchy. The couple made a primary residence in Paris, but traveled extensively through Europe and America. The Duchess was a most desired dinner or lunch guest thus never suffered obscurity. However, the Duke was incredibly private (he was also one of the best dressed men in the world) and preferred to stay home playing cards. A critic of the Duchess called her "the world's best dressed housewife". The couple also faced criticism for visiting Germany and Hitler often, thus branding them Nazi sympathizers.
The Duchess had impeccable taste in clothing and visited most of the major fashion houses of the time. Her wardrobe was legend. However, her major fashion legacy was her unbelievable jewelry collection. The Duke enjoyed showering her with fabulous jewels (some that actually belonged to the British Royal Family and are still in dispute to this day).
The Duchess was allowed to return to England for her husband's funeral where she made some peace with the Queen Mother. As she aged she became quite frail and perhaps suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Queen Elizabeth II granted her a pension so that she could remain in her Paris home and even called her "a friend".
After her death, the majority of her estate went to the Pasteur Institute. However, her jewelry collection was put up for auction and netted over forty five million dollars.
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