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Perhaps the most controversial royal couple in living history, King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson were no strangers to the finer things in life.
Their draw to glamour was reflected in Ms Simpson’s extensive jewellery collection – complete with rubies, diamonds and a huge emerald engagement ring given to her by Edward as he abdicated the throne to marry her.
So, one can only imagine the upset caused to the couple when just ten years later, so many of their precious jewels were ripped from them by thieves.
The heist occurred while the pair on a trip to Britain in 1946, where they were staying at the Earl and Countess of Dudley’s Berkshire home.
While the couples were dining at Claridges in London during their trip from their new home in France, disaster struck.
Trunks of precious stones were taken, with most never found. At the time these were valued at £500,000 – now worth around £17 million.
Thankfully, couple received an insurance payout and Ms Simpson was able to rebuild her extravagant jewellery collection until her death in 1986.
Scotland Yard investigated the robbery, but rumours began to swirl that it had maybe not been so much of an unfortunate event, but instead an inside job.
A new book by journalist Richard Wallace has delved into this dark theory, suggesting the couple could well have been complicit in the burglary.
In an extract The King’s Loot published in the MailOnline, Wallace describes the mysterious circumstances in which the jewels vanished.
When Edward and Ms Simpson had arrived at Ednam Lodge, their hosts recalled the Duchess showing off three trunks of jewellery in which the Countess of Dudley believed to have “belonged to Queen Alexandra”.
Ms Simpson had reportedly refused an offer to store them in an alarmed strongroom, saying she would rather keep them with her.
However as the party dined in London several days later, her bedroom was broken into and the trunks ransacked.
Questions soon arose from the police investigation, such as how had no one seen the intruder or how the thief had known where to look.
The head housemaid had taken the dogs out for a walk at the time of the crime. A suspicious coincidence seeing as she would normally be present at dinnertime.
It was also noted that the thieves conveniently broke into the house via an upstairs bedroom which was metres from Ms Simpson’s room.
Perhaps most alarmingly, was that one of the two items spared from the robbery – a Cartier brooch delivered just that morning – was later claimed by the duke to have been part of the stolen goods.
Edward also told journalists at the time that only £20,000 worth of items had been stolen – a vast underestimation.
The pair received their £400,000 insurance payout and soon sought to get a large quantity of gems put into new settings just a year later.
Edward notoriously showered Ms Simpson in jewels both before and after he abdicated the throne in order to marry her, and she continued to build her famed collection’s until she passed away.
Wallace’s book begins by painting a vivid picture of a Sotheby’s auction held a year after Ms Simpson’s death where her jewellery was being sold.
Leslie Field, author another novel of The Queen‘s Jewels: The Personal Collection of Elizabeth II, is mentioned by Wallace as a key authority convinced by the conspiracy.
“I believe the Duchess of Windsor defrauded the insurers by overstating the numbers and identifications of the jewels which had been disposed of,” she said, adding that at least 30 items supposedly stolen had turned up in the Sotheby’s catalogue.
Known to be one of the most highly anticipated auctions in history, more than £39 million was spent by the highest of bidders – including Andrew Lloyd Webber and Elizabeth Taylor.
Many wanted more than just the sparkling jewels themselves, but a slice of the murky history behind them – linked to the most scandalous love affair of the time.
The proceeds were all donated to France’s Pasteur Institute, a leading medical research centre, at Ms Simpson’s request.
However, Wallace notes that the real stories behind the coveted jewels are only known to Ms Simpson herself.
The King’s Loot will be released on August 8 2024, you can preorder here.
