70. His Love Never Forgot Him
The former Mrs. Wallis Simpson outlived her infamous royal lover by over a decade, but she chose to be with him when the end of her life came, too. After living out the remainder of her years as a recluse, she passed at the age of 89 in 1986. As per her last wishes, attendants buried her next to Edward on the Royal Burial Grounds at Windsor Castle.
71. His Wife Two-Timed Him With A Villain
While Edward and Wallis were getting friendly with Germany, Simpson’s penchant for infidelity reared its ugly head. According to FBI reports from the 1930s, Wallis started an affair with German officer Joachim von Ribbentrop. If we're to believe the whispers, she also kept his signed photograph on her bedside table. But that wasn’t the only way Ribbentrop humiliated Edward…
The Woman He Loved (1988 TV Movie), CBS
72. He Was A Cuckold
Apparently, Ribbentrop also sent Wallis a disturbing “gift.” Reportedly, after their tryst was over, he would send 17 carnations to Simpson’s home each day. Why 17? It was the number of times that the two had slept together during their affair. Yep, the gesture was a creepy way for Ribbentrop to remind Simpson—and Edward—about their time together.
73. His Wife Loved Someone Else
Despite their dark pasts and infidelities, we still tend to see King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson as a love story for the ages. Well, even that has holes in it. According to the man who ghost-wrote her memoirs, Wallis actually admitted that a childhood friend, Herman Rogers, was the true love of her life, though she made the writer swear never to print the confession.
The Woman He Loved (1988 TV Movie), CBS
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74. He Made An Unforgivable Comment
Edward’s reaction to the death of his youngest brother, Prince John, put a rank taste in people’s mouths. John, who was 11 years younger, passed in January 1919 from a severe seizure at just 13 years old. Edward’s response was so disturbing, it’s impossible to forget. He referred to John’s passing as “little more than a regrettable nuisance.” And that wasn’t all.
75. He Didn’t Know How To Deal With Grief
When Edward heard of John’s tragic fate, one of his first responses was to complain about John to his mistress at the time. As he wrote to her, "This poor boy had become more of an animal than anything else." Edward was also so savage to his mother about her loss that he later apologized for being “a cold-hearted and unsympathetic swine.”
