Inside King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's $10 million French country manor
It was where King Edward VIII spent his weekends with wife Wallis Simpson after abdicating the British throne. Now, the French former country home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor has been listed on the market for £5.6 million, or about $10.36 million.
The couple bought Le Moulin de la Tuilerie in 1952, about 15 years after Edward abdicated the throne to marry Simpson and become the Duke of Windsor. Located by the Chevreuse Forest half an hour away from Paris, the estate spans 26 acres and includes six separate properties, a polo pitch and landscaped grounds.
The Duchess once described the house as “our only real home”, where they entertained guests such as Maria Callas, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Sir Cecil Beaton.
During the 20 years of their ownership, the estate also underwent major renovations led by French interior designer Stéphane Boudin, who went on to restore and redecorate the White House in the US for the Kennedys.
After the Duke’s death in 1972, the ownership went to a Lebanese doctor. According to Tatler, the buildings were also made available for holiday through the Landmark Trust.
Nevertheless, the Duke and Duchess’s imprint in the residence still remains. The Times reported that the estate still houses a piece of art commissioned by the Duchess, which reads: “I am not the miller’s daughter. But I have been through the mill.”
Scroll through the gallery above to see inside King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's French country manor.