The wife of the former king, Edward VIII, spent her final years as a “prisoner” in her “slum” of a bedroom. Wallis Simpson was an American socialite who met the then-Prince of Wales, Edward, while married to her second husband. After his ascension to the throne in 1936, she divorced her husband to be with him.

However, the King’s desire to marry a woman with two ex-husbands who were still living was considered a constitutional crisis and led to his abdication less than a year later in 1936. This forced Edward’s younger brother and Queen Elizabeth’s father, George VI, onto the throne. Wallis was reportedly blamed by the family for creating a rift between the brothers that never healed. The pair married, and King George gave them the Duchy of Windsor. In the 1950s, the French authorities offered them a house in Paris, where they lived the rest of their lives.

Wallis reportedly had mocking nicknames for certain members of her husband’s family, referring to George’s wife, Elizabeth, as ‘Cookie’ (a reference to her weight) and to the then-Princess Elizabeth as ‘Shirley Temple’ (a reference to her squat figure and curly hair).

The pair were also accused of being sympathetic to the Nazis, having made a high-profile visit to Germany where they met Adolf Hitler two years before the breakout of the Second World War. Hitler reportedly said that Wallis would have “made a good queen”.

After the Duke of Windsor died in 1972 of throat cancer, Wallis became increasingly frail and had dementia. She was supported by her husband’s estate and an allowance from Queen Elizabeth.

Wallis lived her final years in Paris as a recluse, not receiving any visitors apart from her doctors and nurses. During this time, she lost her ability to speak, had several falls, and broke her hip twice.

She was reportedly taken advantage of by her lawyer, who had power of attorney over her. The lawyer, Suzanne Blum, isolated her, fired her staff and sold her belongings for less than their worth. She was called a "Satanic figure" by royal biographer Hugo Vickers.

The Duchess of Windsor died in 1986 at the age of 89 from bronchial pneumonia. Her funeral was held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle and her name was not said once.

Much of the Royal Family attended including the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who later said it was the only time she saw her mother-in-law cry.

Wallis was buried next to her husband Edward in the Royal Burial Ground at Windsor, near Frogmore Cottage.