Final Years and Legacy (1972–1986)

After the Duke’s funeral, Wallis returned to their Paris home, the Villa Windsor, where she continued to live but in increasing seclusion.

While she had once been a celebrated hostess, entertaining royalty, celebrities, and politicians, her social life dwindled significantly. Many of her closest friends had passed away, and her relationship with the British royal family remained distant.

Wallis suffered a series of health setbacks throughout the 1970s. She developed dementia, which worsened over time, leaving her confused and vulnerable. She also became physically frail, eventually bedridden and unable to speak coherently. During these years, her affairs were largely controlled by her lawyer and former butler, Suzanne Blum, who restricted access to Wallis and reportedly mismanaged her finances. Allegations of mistreatment surfaced, with claims that Wallis was isolated from the outside world, even from friends who wished to visit her.

Death and Funeral

On April 24, 1986, Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, passed away at the age of 89 in Paris. Her body was flown to England, where she was laid to rest alongside the Duke of Windsor at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, near Windsor Castle. The funeral was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, and other senior royals—a final acknowledgment of the woman who had once shaken the monarchy. However, she remained an outsider in death, buried in a plot simply marked “Wallis, Duchess of Windsor”, without the royal styling she was legally entitled to.

Legacy

One of the most significant aspects of Wallis’s legacy was the historic Sotheby’s auction of her jewelry collection in April 1987. The sale, held in Geneva, was one of the most famous and lucrative jewelry auctions of the 20th century. The collection, featuring pieces from Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and other renowned designers, was valued for both its craftsmanship and its history. Many pieces bore personal engravings from Edward, reflecting their enduring love story. The auction raised over $50 million, with proceeds going to the Pasteur Institute, a medical research organization in France, in accordance with Wallis’s wishes. The event cemented Wallis’s reputation as a style icon, with collectors and celebrities—including Elizabeth Taylor—bidding for pieces associated with the famous love affair that changed British history.

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, remains one of the most controversial and enigmatic figures in royal history. Though she was never officially accepted into the British royal family, her influence endured. She redefined the role of a royal consort—not through duty and service, but through personal independence, scandal, and style.

Her legacy lives on in fashion, with her impeccable style continuing to inspire designers. Her life story—marked by ambition, love, and exile—has been the subject of numerous books, films, and historical analyses. Whether seen as a romantic heroine or a social climber, Wallis Simpson remains an unforgettable figure whose impact on the British monarchy is still felt today.