The Magnetic Pull of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

Theirs was a love story that, on the surface, looks undeniably romantic, and it was. But, it was also complicated. It was a marriage that ended in a one-of-a-kind upset and inevitable exile for the couple involved. But, despite the dramatics that ensued after Wallis Simpson and Prince Edward's affair, his abdication, and their eventual marriage and life abroad, Simpson was a beacon of style and glamour, which was an undeniable part of her allure and the press's constant coverage of them.

Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896 in Pennsylvania, Wallis Simpson's own parents had a marriage that was disapproved of by their families. She, after her father passed, lived with her mother in Baltimore in somewhat dire conditions before going to the most prestigious girls' finishing school in Maryland, paid for by her uncle. From her youth onward, Simpson was known for her entrancing personality and flirtatious ways. She may not have been the most beautiful girl in the room, but she knew how to captivate an audience with her wit and quick speech.

After her uncle refused to pay for a coming-out party, she moved south and met a navy pilot to whom she was married to for a decade (and divorced once he became abusive). After a stint in what is now Beijing, Simpson married the American-Brit Ernest Simpson, with whom she moved to London for a fresh start. Once there, the couple was solely focused on climbing the social ladder and moved in the elite circles of British society, eventually meeting Prince Edward. The prince, who went by David among his close friends, became enamored with Wallis, despite having several other mistresses at the time. An affair ensued (of which Ernest was aware and even approved of for a time) but eventually turned serious for the prince. He refused to complete his duty to his country as king without Wallis as his wife, who was now twice-divorced and unsuitable in the royal family's eyes to be queen. In December of 1936, Edward abdicated the throne in a national speech that Wallis listened to over a crackly radio while in hiding.

The couple married in France in 1937 with few friends and no members of the royal family in attendance. The pair spent the rest of their lives living on the mainland of Europe, traveling and entertaining at their home base in France. A rise to the top was curtailed by an abdication and all the vitriol that that decision brought with it, and one has to wonder if it was what they thought it would be. But, despite the drama, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor have remained one of the most famous love stories on this side of history and the Duchess's personal style, in dress and entertaining and socializing, has remained as perhaps her most beguiling legacy.