Skip to main contentSkip to footer

See exclusive photos of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson

The photos were hidden away for over 70 years...

edwardviii 3
Share this:

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's relationship is being featured in the Channel 4 documentary, The Queen's Lost Family, which takes a look at personal photos, letters and diaries from the royal family between 1920 and the end of World War Two. The documentary is covering topics such as the abdication of Edward in order for him to marry Wallis - who had been divorced. And back in 2015, HELLO! revealed in a world exclusive the existence of three photo albums which gave a unique insight into the couple's relationship - which has been deemed the greatest love story of the 20th century. The albums had been hidden away from public view for over 70 years and belonged to Edward. The first set of photos show a young, carefree Edward as the Prince of Wales. Put together by the former King himself, the album contains intimate and playful photographs of the couple in the early stages of their romance in his beloved English home Fort Belvedere, on the Windsor Estate.

edwardviii 3

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in the 1930s

In the second album, Edward is photographed during his brief 10 months in 1936 as King of England, on a stunning cruise around the Mediterranean with Wallis - who was still married at the time. In the third album, we see more candid photos of Edward and Wallis after his 1936 abdication, enjoying their first years of married life.

MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle take baby Archie to France

edwardviii 2

Their love story is one of the greatest

READ: The Queen's joined by Lady Louise Windsor and the Countess of Wessex at church

The albums were given to the Duke's gardener, Henri Gay, and Henri not only shares the albums but also his memories of the couple: "I had a close working relationship with the Duke. "We shared a passion for gardening and nature that cut across the difference in our social backgrounds." Frenchman Henri, who worked as head gardener for seven years at Le Moulin de la Tuilerie, the couple's country retreat just south-west of Paris, added: "They were never apart,. They seemed very happy together."