HRH The Duchess of Windsor

One of the most discussed members of the Royal Family during the 20th century is undeniably the Duchess of Windsor. Many things have been levelled at the Duchess but I think that she was not as bad as she was painted during the 1930's. it is probably easy to say that from the comfort of 2013.

True that HM King Edward VIII gave up his throne for the then Wallis Simpson, but they had a wonderful marriage for 35 years, only ending when the Duke died on May 28 1972. It was only then that the Duchess was accorded the rights of a member of the Royal Family, even though as a junior member.

The one thing that tackled with the use was the status of the Duchess as she has been specifically excluded by the Letters Patent of 1937 of being a Royal Highness. This hurt the Duke beyond measure and however this was decided, it made the Duchess have a different status form that of her husband. A morganatic marriage had been refused at the time of the Abdication, but this is what they ended up with.

The Duke was born a Prince with the style of HRH. When he abdicated, he gave up the throne and the Imperial titles, this simply meant he reverted to his former style and titles. This made, by convention, the Duchess to be styled HRH. Indeed in their homes and in the Dukes presence, the Duchess was known as Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Windsor.

The title issue concerned the Duke for the rest of his life and he always ensured his wife was accorded the same status as himself. This appears to have been result of pettiness from the Court.

The couple would have been an asset to the Royal Family had they been allowed to return to the UK, but this was not allowed and the threat of stopping the Dukes allowance of £25,000 was used to ensure the couple stayed outside the UK.

The Duchess died in April 1986 and was buried next to the Duke at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The funeral service was memorable as it did not mention the name of the Duchess once. Once she was laid beside the Duke, she was reunited and the greatest love story of the 20th century came to an end.

One of the legacies of HRH The Duchess of Windsor was her fabulous jewel collection, each piece chosen for the Duchess by the Duke.

 

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