Becoming a jewel again... the palace where Edward VIII lived with his wife Wallis Simpson in exile before it was trashed by disgraced tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed
Daily MailOnce, these rooms were the glittering home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Bois de Boulogne Villa, France.The Villa where Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson lived Inside the home of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor at Bois de Boulogne near Paris, France 1974 After the Windsors passed away, it was taken over by the now disgraced Mohamed al Fayed as he built up his empire of Harrods, the Paris Ritz hotel and Fulham Football Club The princess left after the briefest of inspections. The ex-King of England Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson lived in enforced exile, awaiting in vain for the call to return to the land he once ruled The former Egyptian street trader wanted to show the world he was a king, too. He boasted he’d spent millions of pounds refurbishing the imposing stone mansion Fayed sold the entire contents of the house at a Sotheby’s New York sale - raking in $23 million for 40,000 items, making a whopping profit on his original outlay The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, with her pug dogs at her home Now, though, Villa Windsor is rising from the ashes, taken over by the respected French conservation organisation Fondation Mansart which preserves and promotes national heritage. The hallway to the villa, formerly used as Paris residence of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor Now, though, Villa Windsor is rising from the ashes, taken over by the respected French conservation organisation Fondation Mansart which preserves and promotes national heritage The villa is due to reopen and will be the focus of world attention for those still captivated by the story of a king who gave away his throne for ‘the woman I love’ After a multi-million restoration project, the house is due to re-open next summer as a museum, exhibition and event centre It will be the focus of world attention for those still captivated by the story of a king who gave away his throne for ‘the woman I love’.
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