Villa Windsor (Château Le Bois) was the Parisian abode of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor from 1953 until they died in 1972 and 1986, respectively. This building is located in the Bois-de-Boulogne near Neuilly-sur-Seine. Originally known as the Château de Madrid, the villa’s story began in the 19th century, though it gained its most notable identity in the latter half of the 20th century when it became associated with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.After reigning for less than a year, King Edward VIII (now the Duke of Windsor) became the first English monarch to abdicate the throne in 1936.
The reason for this dramatic moment in royal history was that he was determined to marry American Wallis Simpson, who had been divorced twice. During World War II, the British government sent the former king to the Bahamas, where he served as governor from 1942 to 1945. As a result, the couple moved into the mansion in 1953, spending the best years of their lives here, apart from traveling worldwide.
Villa Windsor was originally built for politicians, hoteliers, and the mayor of the 16th arrondissement, Henri Lillaz, and his wife, May Becke, in 1929. Situated along the northern perimeter of Bois-de-Boulogne, the building was designed by Roger Bouvard in the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles to replace earlier mansions built in 1858 on the orders of Napoleon III.
The buildings at Champ d’Entraînement were originally summer houses donated to Parks and Gardens Department officials, who were busy developing Bois-de-Boulogne following the example of London’s Hyde Park. All the homes in this part of the city still belong to the city of Paris, and for many years, they were rented to high-ranking officials. Henri Lillaz came to an agreement with the city whereby he leased numbers 4 and 6 along the Champ d’Entraînement route and could demolish both houses to create one property, subject to certain conditions, for example, he must have spent at least 1 million francs, and the construction of a new home should take more than 24 months. The building also had to have a minimum area of 1,150 square pounds and be no more than 40 feet in height.
During World War II, the mansion was handed over to the Nazis and became home to Reichsmarshal Hermann Goering, who used it as a base to add to his already massive collection of looted art. After the city’s liberation in 1944, the French government confiscated the house, and French President Charles de Gaulle lived there for several years before moving to nearby Bagatelle Castle. He chose this building, but the president’s wife, Yvonne, found it too grandiose for her taste and never felt comfortable there, knowing that the last person to live in the mansion was Goering.
How did the estate end up in the hands of the Windsors?
The Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, famously abdicated the throne in December 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. This act of choosing love over duty caused a scandal that reverberated through the British monarchy and the world. The couple was given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Windsor by Edward’s brother and successor, King George VI.
After their scandalous wedding at the Château de Candé, the couple remained in France, where they were granted tax-free status and lived in numerous houses, which were lavishly decorated at great expense. Still, after the outbreak of war, they moved to the Bahamas. Upon their return, the couple led a nomadic life between France and the United States, staying in hotels or with friends.
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