Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, was an American socialite whose relationship with King Edward VIII caused a constitutional crisis in the United Kingdom and ultimately led to his abdication in 1936. Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896, she married twice before meeting Edward in 1931. They fell in love and, despite the objections of the British government and the Church of England, Edward proposed marriage to Wallis in 1936. The ensuing constitutional crisis forced Edward to choose between the throne and Wallis, and he abdicated in order to marry her. The couple lived in exile in France and later in the United States, where they remained until their deaths in 1972 and 1986, respectively. Wallis's role in Edward's abdication has been the subject of much debate and controversy, but she remains a captivating figure in history, remembered for her beauty, style, and determination.
