Queen Elizabeth denied this Royal Family member their dying wish

One of thebiggest scandals of the 20th century in the British Royal Family is probably the love story between the former King Edward VIII and the American Wallis Simpson. As Bunte reports, Edward ascended to the throne after the death of his father, King George V, in 1936. At the time, he was 'socially interested and worldly.'

Everything for love

However, in December 1936, only a few months after ascending the throne, Edward abdicated. The reason: He decides against the crown and for the love of the already twice-divorced Wallis Simpson.

'This decision plunged the royal family into a long-lasting, deep crisis,' as stated by Bunte. Edward and his wife Wallis then lived in exile in France, as Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Queen refused his last wish

Edward's successor was then his brother King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. When the latter visited her uncle Edward in Paris shortly before his death in 1972, he had one last wish, as reported by Bunte:

His beloved Wallis should finally receive the title 'HRH' ('Her Royal Highness'),

Queen Elizabeth refused this wish. He broke down afterwards because it 'broke his heart' reports a former nurse Julie Alexander in the documentary The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, currently airing on ITVX.

Julie Alexander said:

She said no, even on that sad day. It was, you know, breaking his heart, I think. That's what he wanted... that title for her. Not having that title for his wife was a slap in his face.'

No title for Edward's great love

In 1972, Edward died of throat cancer, but before that, Alexander says he took great care to always look well-groomed and wear clothes that covered his intravenous tubes.

The Duke was very, very concerned about his appearance but he insisted that he'd be sitting up in a chair, not in bed, and wearing clothes to hide any tubes.

However, Edward's last wish was denied to him: Wallis Simpson never received the title of Her Royal Highness. Even during the Queen's last visit, she had to deny her uncle his wish.

The monarchy was facing a crisis due to the King's quick abdication, so one would have to understand the late Queen. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, showed understanding of the Queen's decision in the documentary. The archbishop explained that Edward had 'put his marriage before the monarchy.'

This article was translated from Ohmymag DE.

Sources used:

Bunte: 'She allegedly denied King Edward VIII his last wish'

ntv: 'When Edward VIII no longer wanted to be king'

Daily Mail: 'Queen Elizabeth II 'broke Edward VIII's heart' when she denied his 'dying wish' to grant Wallis Simpson HRH title, Duke of Windsor's nurse claims'