The former King Edward VIII and Wallis, Duchess of Windsor are thought by many to have one of the 20th century's "greatest love stories," but an ex-member of their staff thought differently.
"He was in love with her 100 percent of the time." Alan Fisher, who worked as the pair's butler from 1954-1960, spilled. She was in no way in love with him. So many of her actions spelled it out so violently. Of course, she had a façade she kept up publicly."
"There must have been moments when she looked at him and thought of all that might have been," the former royal aide, who died in 2006, added. "It must have made her extremely bitter."
The 1978 unpublished memoirs of Fisher, a man who ascended from the slums of Manchester to become one of the world's most esteemed butlers, are set to be auctioned. This manuscript will be available for sale on June 4 through Rare Book Auctions, with an expected value of £3,000 to £5,000. The auction will also feature a previously unseen photograph of Edward in royal attire alongside Wallis.
The former servant would later go on to work for Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1980s, and even stated that the British royals couldn't compare to the lavishness of Edward and Wallis' household.
The Duke of Windsor famously renounced the British Crown on December 11, 1936, to marry "the woman I love," as he stated in his resignation speech. He would become the only British monarch in 1,200 years to voluntarily surrender his throne.
Members of the British government became further dismayed by the proposed marriage between the two throughout that year after being passed intelligence that Simpson might be an agent of Nazi Germany. (She certainly was pro-Nazi.)
As the scandal unfolded, the then-Princess Elizabeth's parents, then the Duke and Duchess of York — who would see their lives forever altered by the outcome of Edward's standoff with the government — watched in dismay. Finally, on December 10, 1936, Edward bowed to the inevitable fact that he could not keep both the throne and his beloved and signed a declaration of abdication. His younger brother became King George VI the following day, immediately upon Edward giving royal assent to the Act of Parliament finalizing his abdication.
Later that day, he addressed the British people in a BBC radio broadcast, stating that he could not do his job "as I would have wished" without the support of "the woman I love" and announcing that he was surrendering the throne. His reign had lasted just 327 days.
Prince Edward died on May 28, 1972, at 77, while living in exile from Britain in Paris, France. His wife went on to pass away at the age of 89 on April 24, 1986. Both are buried in the Frogmore Burial Ground near the mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
GBN reported on Fisher's memoirs.