Duchess of Windsor Jewellery

[branchg]

I remember the Queen's visit to the Windsors shortly before the Duke's death. It's a shame that they were estranged for so long, because he seems to have been a favorite with the York girls when they were young.

According to many royal biographers, the Queen was not really estranged from the Duke, especially after his visit to London in 1965 for an eye operation. Once there, she paid a personal visit to him and the Duchess at the Clinic and again at their hotel. Privately, she also invited the Duke for tea at Buckingham Palace and they walked in the gardens together for hours, getting to know each other better.

After this visit, the Queen approved the Duke's request that he and Wallis be allowed funeral services at St. George's Chapel with burial at Frogmore. She also planned the ceremony honoring Queen Mary at Marlborough House in 1967 to ensure the Duke and Duchess could attend, which marked the first time they publicly joined the rest of the royal family for a royal event.

Unfortunately, the Queen did not accept advice from Adeane and other members of the Household to issue letters patent granting the dignity of Royal Highness to Wallis before the 1967 ceremony as a final act of reconciliation. The opposition of the Queen Mother was strong and she felt it had to remain as is.

 

[Panther2000]

? is Walllis buried with the Duke?


Just wanted to know. Did she get a royal Funeral & Bruial?

 

[wymanda]

? is Walllis buried with the Duke?
Just wanted to know. & Did she get a royal Funeral & Bruial?

Yes, the Duke & Duchess are buried together at Frogmore. The Duchess's funeral was held at St Georges Chapel. It was quite low key but the Queen & the rest of the immediate family did attend.

 

[Warren]

The Funeral

Is Walllis buried with the Duke?
Did she get a Royal Funeral & Buriall?

Yes, she is buried next to the Duke in the Royal Family's private grounds at Frogmore, Windsor.
The funeral:
The Lord Chamberlain flew to Paris to escort her body home and the Duke of Gloucester met them at the airport for the journey to Windsor. At Windsor the castle was closed to the public and a guard of honour saluted.

There was a private service in St George's Chapel attended by 175 people including most of the Royal Family, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, the American Ambassador, and Princess Ann-Mari von Bismarck. The coffin was flanked by the Military Knights of Windsor in scarlet and gold uniforms. The coffin lay in the same position and place of honour as King George V, King George VI, Queen Mary and the Duke of Windsor. At the end of the service the coffin was taken in full procession to where she was buried beside the Duke.

source: Wallis, Secret Lives of the Duchess of Windsor by Charles Higham 1988
.

 

[lashinka2002]

She also left jewels to Marie-Christine. I didn't know she had left anything else to any of the other royal ladies but I know Marie-Christine was told never to wear the jewels HG left her in front of EIIR or QM.

Do you know who told Marie-christine not to wear the jewls that the duchess left her and why? As a gift she should be able to do as she pleases with them and that includes wearing them. Do you think maybe we'll see them on Lady Gabriella one day?

 

[Warren]

Do you know who told Marie-Christine not to wear the jewls that the Duchess left her and why?

I believe this advice was whispered to Prince Michael. No doubt to protect the Queen Mother's sensibilities. Apparently Princess Michael has only worn the Duchess's jewels while visiting the United States and France.
.

 

[Elspeth]

I think there was some talk about the Duchess giving the Prince of Wales Feathers brooch (the one bought by Elizabeth Taylor at auction) to Princess Michael as a wedding present, and the Princess being told that it wouldn't ever be appropriate for her to wear it, so it wasn't accepted.

Wish I could remember where I read some of these things.

 

[Princess BellyFlop]

Sad considering that it came originally from the Duke himself.

 

[james]

http://pro.corbis.com/images/AADS00...a-c079b229a31c}

Princess Michael wearing the Cartier "Cherries" brooch given to her by the Duchess of Windsor as a wedding gift whilst the Princess honeymooned in Paris with her husband in July 1978.The brooch compromises numerous cabochon rubies; uncut emeralds and brilliant diamonds and was worn by the Duchess of Windsor in the 1950's and 60's as a pendant on a large gold chain. Princess Michael recieved other pieces from the Duchess on the same visit including huge cabochon emerald earrings (below) due to the close relationship Prince Michael established with the Windsors in the 1960's.
http://pro.corbis.com/images/000036...e-daab2f440c21}

 

[qui mal y pense]

Didn't the Duke Retain his "Prince of Wales" estates in England and their income? I'm sure they also received hotel rooms etc. gratis from their well connected American friends.

 

[Elspeth]

Once he became king he no longer had access to the Duchy of Cornwall income, which is for the eldest son of the king, not the king himself. He did retain ownership of Sandringham and Balmoral, which were owned privately by George V and which he inherited, but he sold them to his brother George VI when he abdicated.

 

[BMOlivera]

Duchess' Pearls

Calvin Klein purchased the pearls worn by the Duchess in the first post for his then-wife, Kelly. Historic and exquisite pearls.

 

[Gita]

Stunning

The Duchess of Windsor had many brilliant jewels. Thank you for posting the photographs. She had a lot more jewels than I knew about.

 

[Wallis]

Does anyone have a picture of the Duchess of Windsor's crucifix bracelet? It was my all time favorite. Who bought it at auction in Geneva? Although she was greatly flawed (Nazism, man-eater), I loved her sense of style and her desire to enjoy life.

 

[Trudie]

I thought the Windsors owned the villa in France. As for the jewels for such a small woman she certainly carried those huge baubles well. She always looked elegant.

 

[Avalon]

WALLIS GEMS FETCH £120K

TWO pieces of jewellery given to Wallis Simpson by King Edward VIII have gone under the hammer for nearly £120,000.

 

[constance]

The Windsor's legendary Canary Diamonds by Harry Winston.

Windsor Jewels - Wallis Simpson die Schätze der Herzogin von Windsor

Too Fabulous!!!

 

[auntie]

I must say, I am glad she never became the Queen, our Queen (and the Queen's mom to some extent) is much more ethical, hardworking etc. Wallis fans will probably slam me, but I don't think she would have had such loved Edward so much if he wasn't royal, she was a married woman whilst having first an affair with him, with all due respect, get divorced and then carry on with whomever you want.

 

[Saturn]

I think there was some talk about the Duchess giving the Prince of Wales Feathers brooch (the one bought by Elizabeth Taylor at auction) to Princess Michael as a wedding present, and the Princess being told that it wouldn't ever be appropriate for her to wear it, so it wasn't accepted.

I read in another post that the present Prince of Wales tried to buy back the feathers brooch at action, but finally Elizabeth Taylor got it.

If I was Elizabeth Taylor I would leave the brooch to the Prince of Wales.

 

[Prince of Chota]

I must say, I am glad she never became the Queen, our Queen (and the Queen's mom to some extent) is much more ethical, hardworking etc. Wallis fans will probably slam me, but I don't think she would have had such loved Edward so much if he wasn't royal, she was a married woman whilst having first an affair with him, with all due respect, get divorced and then carry on with whomever you want.

I agree. Even observers such as photographer Cecil Beaton made the observation that she "tried hard to love him but was certainly not in love with him"...he supposedly relied on her a great deal, though. It's her lifestyle (along with the Duke's) that I find inappropriate for royalty: too much of the jet-set, celebrity circuit for a former king and his wife. They didn't seem to have much of the work-ethic that the royal family has been so proud of over the last century.

 

[sirhon11234]

Yes, she is buried next to the Duke in the Royal Family's private grounds at Frogmore, Windsor.
The funeral:
The Lord Chamberlain flew to Paris to escort her body home and the Duke of Gloucester met them at the airport for the journey to Windsor. At Windsor the castle was closed to the public and a guard of honour saluted.

There was a private service in St George's Chapel attended by 175 people including most of the Royal Family, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, the American Ambassador, and Princess Ann-Mari von Bismarck. The coffin was flanked by the Military Knights of Windsor in scarlet and gold uniforms. The coffin lay in the same position and place of honour as King George V, King George VI, Queen Mary and the Duke of Windsor. At the end of the service the coffin was taken in full procession to where she was buried beside the Duke.

source: Wallis, Secret Lives of the Duchess of Windsor by Charles Higham 1988
.

I remember that The Queen Mother and The Prince and Princess of Wales were present at the funeral. Wallis wasn't buried under a royal standard like Princess Diana, The Queen Mother or Margaret or Alice.

 

[Elspeth]

No, she was an outcast to the end. Personally I'm glad she left her jewels to be auctioned on behalf of the Pasteur Institute rather than leaving them to the British royal family after the way she'd been treated by them all her married life. However, I do think she might have left Queen Mary's pearl necklace to the Queen. That one, unlike most of her jewels, had a genuine royal provenance.

 

[RubyPrincess168]

Some pieces of her jewelry I like. Some pieces I find way too gaudy. But I didn't know she was given any jewelry from Queen Mary, or that she left any jewelry to other members of the royal family. Any ideas what she left to the Duchess of Kent or Princess Alexandra? It'd be interesting if the pearl necklace given to Wallis by QM was given to Camilla by QEII.

 

[wymanda]

I think she gave a set of earings to Princess Michael as a wedding present but I think everything else, including QM's pearls, was auctioned.

 

[branchg]

Princess Michael received emerald earrings, a ruby brooch set with matching earrings and a diamond ring as gifts from The Duchess during a visit to Paris in 1976.

The Duchess left a few other pieces to Princess Alexandra, The Duchess of Kent and Princess Michael in her will. Everything else was auctioned off.

The Cartier pearl necklace was given to The Duke shortly before Queen Mary died, an indirect way of acknowledging his wife despite her adamant refusal to receive her. It is believed the necklace was created using old pearls sometime in the 1920's.

 

[Brooklyn]

The queen should grant Wallis, Duchess of Windsor the style of HRH as a way of finally putting the past behind once and for all.

 

[jcbcode99]

I disagree--Wallis Simpson caused a complete uproar in the British Monarchy. She was not in love with the Duke of Windsor--she was in love with the idea of becoming Queen and when she didn't get to achieve that goal, he was so utterly in love with her that he gave up his throne and what real option did she have after that? She had to marry him or she would have really lost all of her social standing (and to Wallis, that was what life was all about). I think she was deplorable, and that he was weak. So glad that he abdicated because King George VI and Queen Elizabeth really and truly proved themselves to be assets to England during WWII when they refused to leave London--as compared to the Duke and Duchess who were sent to the Bahamas because of their relationship with Hitler. I could go on and on, but this post is really just too long as it is and we're supposed to be talking about jewelry anyway.
That being said--LOVE the canary diamonds--truly stunning. As for the PoW feather brooch--I don't think that Charles bid on it. There are several at his disposal, and I think (maybe I'm wrong, can't find the info right now) that Edward had that made for Wallis so it really has no historical relevance to Prince Charles.
I do like the pieces which Princess Michael has in her possession. She has a lot of style and wears them beautifully.

 

[branchg]

Well, the King is the one who caused a complete uproar by insisting he must marry her even though everyone was opposed to it. Once it was clear the British public would not support marriage, Wallis wanted to move on with her life and keep him on the throne.

The issue of the HRH has been discussed many times, but she certainly had the right to carry her husband's titles and rank upon marriage.

 

[auntie]

Can you imagine how she would adorned herself if she would have been Queen? Gosh with the British Crown Jewels!

 

[jcbcode99]

No, she really did not have the right to have the HRH because a letters patent was issued which denied her that right. And, yes, Wallis wanted to keep him on the throne because she wanted to occupy the one right next to it. Once she realized what she had caused, she wanted to move on, but at that point there was no moving on. She was stuck in a situation she had created.
While I may not care for Wallis and the way everything "went down" I cannot deny that the lady had style! No doubt she would have looked stunning in the royal pieces--but I'm glad she didn't get the chance. The Queen Mother looked lovely in those gems.