Mary of Teck's son married an Australian socialite.
Wallis , Duchess of Windsor -LRB- born Bessie Wallis Warfield ; also known by her married names of Wallis Spencer and Wallis Simpson ; 19 June 1896 -- 24 April 1986 -RRB- was an American socialite .. Duchess of Windsor. Duke of Windsor. socialite. socialite. Her third husband , Prince Edward , Duke of Windsor , formerly King Edward VIII , abdicated his throne to marry her .. King Edward VIII. Edward VIII. abdicated his throne. Edward VIII abdication crisis. Duke of Windsor. Duke of Windsor. Wallis 's father died shortly after her birth , and she and her widowed mother were partly supported by their wealthier relatives .. Her first marriage , to U.S. naval officer Win Spencer , was punctuated by periods of separation and eventually ended in divorce .. U.S. naval. United States Navy. Win Spencer. Earl Winfield Spencer, Jr.. In 1934 , during her second marriage , to Ernest Simpson , she allegedly became the mistress of Edward , Prince of Wales .. Ernest Simpson. Ernest Aldrich Simpson. Prince of Wales. Prince of Wales. Two years later , after Edward 's accession as king , Wallis divorced her second husband in order to marry Edward .. The King 's desire to marry a woman who had two living ex-husbands threatened to cause a constitutional crisis in the United Kingdom and the Dominions , and ultimately led to his abdication in December 1936 to marry `` the woman I love '' .. constitutional crisis. constitutional crisis. After abdicating , the former king was created Duke of Windsor by his brother and successor , King George VI .. Duke of Windsor. Duke of Windsor. King George VI. George VI. Edward married Wallis six months later , after which she was formally known as the Duchess of Windsor , without the style `` Her Royal Highness '' .. Duchess of Windsor. Duke of Windsor. style. Style ( manner of address ). She was instead styled as `` Her Grace '' , a style normally reserved for non-royal dukes and duchesses .. style. Style ( manner of address ). Before , during , and after World War II , the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were suspected by many in government and society of being Nazi sympathisers .. Duchess of Windsor. Duke of Windsor. World War II. World War II. Nazi. Nazi Germany. In 1937 , they visited Germany and met Adolf Hitler .. Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler. In 1940 , the Duke was appointed governor of the Bahamas , and the couple moved to the islands until he relinquished the office in 1945 .. governor. Governor of the Bahamas. the Bahamas. the Bahamas. In the 1950s and 1960s , the Duke and Duchess shuttled between Europe and the United States living a life of leisure as society celebrities .. United States. United States. After the Duke 's death in 1972 , the Duchess lived in seclusion and was rarely seen in public .. Her private life has been a source of much speculation , and she remains a controversial figure in British history .