Wallis Simpson 'was behind' £17m jewel robbery: The explosive clues that link Duchess of Sussex to the theft of her own jewellery are revealed in book

Geneva, nary alien to nan super-rich, had ne'er seen thing for illustration it. Touted arsenic nan top auction of nan 20th century, galore of nan world's wealthiest and astir glamorous group had gathered successful a immense circus shelter successful nan grounds of nan Beau Rivage Hotel for a chance to bid connected nan Duchess of Windsor's fabulous jewellery collection.

The champion restaurants and hotels were full. Caviar, truffles and foie gras were successful short supply. The awesome champagne houses were releasing restricted vintages astatine ridiculous prices to make a killing.

Crammed into nan tent, connected nan shores of Lake Geneva, were 1,500 guests. Another 700 watched connected closed-circuit TV successful nan ballroom. Plain-clothes detectives, successful rented meal jackets and ballgowns, tried to blend in.

Sotheby's, nan venerable English auction house, was offering 306 tons to nan highest bidders, including nan Duchess's favourite flamingo brooch – nan bird's plumes group pinch emeralds, rubies and sapphires – and her huge, Mughal emerald engagement ring.

This was a chance not conscionable to person a brilliant-cut gem bracelet aliases emerald-studded earrings, but to bargain a portion of history – a portion of nan greatest, astir scandalous and enduring emotion matter of modern times.

King Edward VIII's infatuation pinch Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee, was truthful all-consuming he had fixed up nan throne for her successful 1936. Both earlier their matrimony and during their years of exile he had showered her pinch jewellery, including a day gift of a Burmese ruby and gem necklace (which would fetch £2million). Many pieces were inscribed pinch pet names aliases small emotion notes.

The waste caused a sensation. When nan postulation was shown successful Manhattan, nan crowds were specified that nan constabulary had to beryllium called. It was estimated Sotheby's made £600,000 moreover earlier Nicholas Rayner, nan auction house's jewellery expert, raised his gavel.

What was Rayner, a suave Old Etonian, reasoning that time successful April 1987 arsenic he threaded his measurement done nan crowd and bounded up nan steps of nan auctioneer's rostrum?

It was nan biggest time of his master life. But he would know, of course, that nan backmost communicative to nan Duchess of Windsor's jewellery postulation wasn't astatine each arsenic romanticist arsenic galore of nan bidders fondly imagined. Rather, it was a messy, murky business, beset by rumours of theft, deceit and underhand dealing – and a mysterious burglary that looked very overmuch for illustration an wrong job.

Perhaps nan truth that nan pieces concerned had been successful nan Duchess's possession astatine nan clip of her decease was capable to suffice them arsenic genuinely hers arsenic acold arsenic Sotheby's was concerned – but unanswered questions remain, moreover today.

Edward, nan eldest boy of George V, first met Wallis Simpson, past 35, astatine a statement fixed by his past mistress, Thelma, Viscountess Furness, successful 1931.

Their matter raised eyebrows successful precocious nine and hackles wrong nan Royal Family. Edward's mother, Queen Mary, soon became alarmed by stories astir nan sparkling Mrs Simpson, who 'dripped successful caller jewels and clothes'.

Mrs Simpson surely did for illustration her jewellery: erstwhile asked really she selected which pieces to wear, she replied brusquely: 'A fool would cognize that pinch tweeds aliases different daytime apparel 1 wears golden and pinch evening apparel 1 wears platinum.'

Queen Mary was assured by her son's circle that nan jewels were paste. But her small heart proved correct.

When George V fell ill, and suspecting her bad boy boy mightiness soon beryllium King, she was horrified to observe that Edward had talented nan American female £50,000 worthy of jewels astatine Christmas and a further £60,000 worthy a week later to observe nan New Year – those figures would beryllium £2.9million and £3.5million today.

If Edward had wanted to support Mrs Simpson arsenic his mistress, that mightiness person been acceptable. But he was wished to wed her. She sought a divorcement from businessman Ernest Simpson, her 2nd husband.

In January 1936, what had been a origin for disapproval turned into a situation erstwhile George V died. Wallis obtained her decree nisi successful October of that twelvemonth and Edward made it clear his scheme had not changed – he wanted her to beryllium his wife, moreover successful nan look of staunch guidance from nan British establishment. Divorcees were not allowed to remarry successful religion and Edward was now caput of nan Church of England.

His matrimony to Mrs Simpson could not – would not – beryllium sanctioned by elder clergy.

Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin warned nan King that nan British nationalist would not judge nan imaginable of a twice-divorced American female arsenic their Queen. Edward could not beryllium dissuaded, saying he was prepared to abdicate if nan authorities continued to reason his marriage.

Under mounting unit to springiness up nan relationship, Edward tried to reason for morganatic matrimony (marriage betwixt group of unequal societal rank), successful which he could still beryllium King but she would beryllium simply his consort. But this thought was vetoed by nan Cabinet Office.

Eleven months aft nan decease of his father, Edward abdicated, telling nan federation that he could not transportation retired his kingly duties 'without nan thief and support of nan female I love'.

He was exiled from Britain arsenic portion of nan abdication agreement. He would beryllium known arsenic nan Duke of Windsor and only allowed to return pinch nan support of nan monarch – his brother, now George VI and later, his niece, Elizabeth II. He and Wallis settled successful Paris.

He did not time off empty-handed. Furious astatine having been near palaces but nary rate successful his father's will (the King assumed nan income from nan Duchy of Cornwall would beryllium sufficient) location were lengthy negotiations arsenic to his upkeep.

Rumour had it that successful summation to nan woody he struck, Edward near for life successful exile pinch a hessian container successful his pocket, filled pinch uncut emeralds, sapphires and loose diamonds purloined from nan royal vaults astatine Windsor.

Certainly, nan caller Duke and Duchess's French location was stacked pinch treasures from royal palaces that Edward had stashed away: Dunhill cigaret boxes, crystal glassware, Cartier clocks, Aubusson carpets, Hermes photograph frames and nan finest linens.

Both Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels lent nan Duchess jewellery to deterioration to nationalist events successful nan 1950s, successful speech for nan sanction of nan jewellery location being leaked to nan press. A erstwhile servant later said: 'Rarely was thing handed back.'

If Edward had helped himself to gemstones from nan royal vaults, location were plentifulness to take from, acknowledgment to nan insane generosity of nan colonies of nan erstwhile British empire. 

On conscionable 1 travel to India successful 1875, Queen Victoria's boy Albert was fixed truthful galore gifts that a vessel had to beryllium commissioned to bring location nan loot. Some made its measurement into nan Royal Collection – but astir vanished into nan family strongroom astatine Osborne House connected nan Isle of Wight.

Among nan gifts were a ten-piece golden meal service, a ample double bedstead of coagulated metallic pinch a canopy and a monolithic golden crown hung pinch limpid emerald drops.

But 3 weighty trunks of uncut gems represented nan main wealth of nan tour.

James Allingham, successful his book Five Months With The Prince In India, wrote that diamonds 'seem to beryllium arsenic plentiful successful India arsenic blackberries successful England'.

Suzy Menkes, successful The Royal Jewels, attempted an inventory, drafting connected modern accounts. She reckoned nan haul included a gem necklace pinch 2 ample emerald pendants, a brace of gem bracelets, a pearl necklace pinch emeralds, a necklace of 14 ample diamonds group disconnected by emeralds, pearls and ruby drops, a crown made of diamonds and pearls pinch emerald drops and a ruby necklace – among galore others.

According to Menkes, these awesome Indian jewels person ne'er been worn successful nationalist by immoderate monarch aliases consort arsenic they were primitively presented. Most likely, they were prised retired of their taste settings and reset – aliases stored successful 1 of nan Windsors' galore strongrooms.

Remarkably, location has been nary audit of an English monarch's individual possessions, aliases so those designated crown possessions, since Henry VIII, successful 1547. Royal wills are sealed, truthful it is intolerable to cognize what is passed down.

In nan aftermath of nan Russian Revolution, Queen Mary snapped up 3 Faberge eggs for a song. When nan King's aunt, Maria Feodorovna, died successful 1928, nan contents of her jewel container were sent to Windsor. 'Some beautiful things,' nan King wrote successful his diary. 

An adjutant gave a much elaborate description: 'Ropes of nan astir awesome pearls were taken out, each graduated, nan largest being nan size of a large cherry. Cabochon emeralds and ample rubies and sapphires were laid out.'

So nan vaults were overflowing pinch diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, platinum, golden and metallic by nan clip Wallis Simpson came along.

The nighttime her divorcement was approved, Edward pulled a Cartier container from his meal jacket, containing an engagement ringing made from a immense Mughal emerald surrounded by diamonds.

Wedding gifts poured in, among them an inscribed golden container from Hitler.

But, for each their wealthiness and grandeur, nan Windsors could beryllium careless, arsenic evidenced by an bonzer crime that occurred successful October 1946, 10 years aft nan abdication.

The Duke and Duchess were connected a little sojourn to Britain, staying astatine Ednam Lodge, nan Berkshire location of nan Earl and Countess of Dudley. The Dudleys were decamping to Claridge's successful London but were connected manus to shake hands their guests. After dinner, Laura, Countess of Dudley, claimed that Wallis gave her a peek astatine nan jewellery she had brought, housed successful 1 of 3 identical trunks.

The trunk was truthful large that nan Countess prevailed connected Wallis to shop it successful nan burglar-alarmed beardown room wherever nan family metallic was kept. Wallis declined, laughing that she ever kept her 'babies' nether her maid's bed.

In her autobiography, Laughter From A Cloud, nan Countess said nan Duchess's jewel container had contained 'a awesome galore uncut emeralds, which I judge belonged to Queen Alexandra'.

Scotland Yard's consequent lawsuit record challenges this claim, but a precise inventory of nan jewellery nan Duchess brought pinch her has ne'er been issued. A fewer days later, nan Windsors travelled to London to dine pinch nan Dudleys. At Ednam, astatine 5.30pm nan evening doorbell rang, calling nan 16 members of unit and nan detective guarding nan location to their evening meal, successful nan unit eating room.

Meanwhile, for immoderate unfathomable (and to my mind highly suspicious) reason, nan Duchess had ordered her maid to move nan trunk containing her jewellery boxes into nan Duchess's bedroom, wherever it was rested successful beforehand of nan fireplace.

The maid made her measurement to nan unit dinner. When she returned to nan Duchess's room astatine astir 7pm, nan trunk had been crudely prised open. Pieces of jewellery laic scattered astir nan room for illustration confetti and immoderate individual jewellery boxes were missing.

Several unmatched earrings were recovered by an eagle-eyed caddie, scattered astir adjacent Sunningdale play course.

Anomalies (as noted by Scotland Yard and consequent amateur sleuths) began piling up from nan commencement of nan investigation.

How was it that astatine nan clip of nan burglary nary of nan servants saw aliases heard thing and nary of nan dogs barked?

The animals either knew nan culprits aliases were not there. It turned retired nan caput housemaid was retired stepping astatine slightest 1 (and possibly two) of nan dogs during nan clip nan burglary was committed. Why wasn't nan housemaid astatine nan unit meal?

The thief aliases thieves knew wherever to go, entering via an upstairs unfastened model a short locomotion from nan Duchess's bedroom, wherever nan locked (or was it, successful fact?) jewellery trunk conveniently rested successful beforehand of nan fire.

Two important items escaped nan robbery. The Duchess was wearing a Cartier brooch made of rubies and sapphires forming nan couple's intertwined initials 'W' and 'E', which nan Duke had fixed her during nan abdication crisis.

It had go an important awesome of their national and it was either fortunate that she was wearing it or, arsenic immoderate pinch a jaundiced position maintained, it had been antecedently arranged to reside connected her lapel and not successful nan trunk astatine Ednam Lodge.

Another brooch (brand new) had been delivered by Cartier that very morning, a jewelled vertebrate of paradise pinch a ample 65-carat sapphire forming nan bird's bosom and astatine slightest 350 mini diamonds, created utilizing gems successful nan Windsors' collection. Bizarrely, nan Duke had hidden it nether a vase for safekeeping earlier they went out.

Later nan Duke said that he knew Cartier shouldn't person delivered nan brooch (valued astatine nan clip astatine £20,000 – worthy £700,000 today) erstwhile they did. And, later, nan Windsors claimed it was besides portion of nan stolen cache of jewellery.

Perhaps nan biggest contention concerns what precisely was stolen and their existent versus their insured values. Most historians work together that astir 10 important pieces were taken and ne'er recovered. News reports astatine nan clip sensationally estimated nan stolen jewellery was worthy nan bully information fig of £500,000 (more than £17million today). 

The befuddled Duke, reacting to violative rumours that he had instigated nan full robbery himself, told journalists nan nonaccomplishment was worthy only a paltry £20,000. This is simply a unusual assertion, considering nan caller Cartier vertebrate of paradise was worthy £20,000 connected its own.

The Duke's evasive behaviour and misleading comments did small to dispel nan belief that nan Windsors were someway complicit successful what was an 'inside job'.

The stolen jewels were officially insured for £400,000 (£14million today) and included a platinum and gem bracelet pinch six ample aquamarines, a golden ringing group pinch a aureate sapphire and a brace of gem and sapphire earrings.

The insurers paid up promptly, agreeing that each nan mislaid pieces should beryllium replaced and nan caller postulation insured for £800,000.

One authority who was convinced of nan Windsors' duplicity and fraud was Leslie Field, writer of The Queen's Jewels: The Personal Collection of Elizabeth II, written pinch nan co-operation of nan Royal Household. 

She emphatically told nan Duchess of Windsor's biographer Charles Higham: 'I judge nan Duchess of Windsor defrauded nan insurers by overstating nan numbers and identifications of nan jewels which had been disposed of. At slightest 30 items she named arsenic being stolen turned up successful nan Sotheby's catalogue astatine Geneva successful April 1987 and were sold for precocious prices.

'She intelligibly could ne'er deterioration those jewels again aft she and her hubby had collected nan insurance. They had from nan opening been successful a strongbox successful Paris and remained there.'

A twelvemonth aft nan robbery, nan Duke and Duchess provided Cartier pinch a ample amount of loose stones, including amethysts, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires and rubies, which were incorporated into caller settings. Then, successful nan 1960s, they deposited astatine Cartier a further 5 'cloudy heavy green' emeralds and a ample amount of diamonds that were utilized to create a fabulous necklace.

Of course, aft nan security settlement, location was plentifulness of rate to bargain caller jewels and revamp aged settings. This would person been a clever ploy to blur a perceived fraud based, arsenic it was, connected nan perfectly earthy and plausible desire of a fashionable woman to support up to day pinch nan latest trends.

Either way, some Edward and Wallis remained tight-lipped until their deaths; Edward successful 1974 and Wallis successful 1986. To galore people's surprise, successful her will Wallis had made France's Pasteur Institute, a starring aesculapian investigation centre, nan beneficiary of immoderate money raised by nan waste of her jewellery, possibly arsenic a motion of acknowledgment to nan state which had fixed her and Edward a home.

When nan clip came for auction, connected April 2, 1987, nan first round, starting astatine 9pm Geneva time, lasted 4 hours. Lot 1, a ruby and sapphire beaded clip, sold for illustration lightning to Alexander Acevedo, an American creation dealer. Laurence Graff, nan London jeweller, paid £823,000 for nan Great Mughal emerald engagement ring.

Two bejewelled panthers, a brooch and a bracelet made by Cartier successful nan 1950s were bought by Andrew Lloyd Webber arsenic a gift for his wife, opera prima Sarah Brightman.

Elizabeth Taylor phoned from poolside astatine her Los Angeles location to bargain a gem clip successful nan style of nan plumes and crown of nan Prince of Wales. It costs her £490,000 – she wanted it arsenic a memento of nan relationship pinch nan Windsors she had shared pinch nan man she joined twice, Richard Burton.

The pre-sale estimates of £5.5million weren't simply smashed, they were obliterated. In all, nan waste raked successful much than £39million, which went, arsenic Wallis decreed, to nan Pasteur Institute.

These were astonishing sums of money, but what were these rich | group really buying – originals, copies aliases royal booty? Only nan Duchess knew nan answer, and she had taken nan concealed to her grave.

Adapted from The King's Loot by Richard Wallace, published by History Press connected July 25. Copyright © Richard Wallace 2024.To bid a transcript for £20.69 spell to mailshop.co.uk/books or telephone 0203 176 2937. Offer valid until August 10, UK p&p is free connected orders complete £25.