American socialite and royal consort Wallis Simpson, latterly the Duchess of Windsor was BOTD in 1896. Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, her father died shortly after her birth, and she was raised in Baltimore by her mother and wealthy relatives. In 1916, she married naval pilot Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. The relationship was unsuccessful, and they each pursued affairs with others, eventually divorcing in 1927. She travelled extensively in Europe, China and the Far East in the 1920s. Later in her life, rumours surfaced about her affair with Mussolini’s son-in-law and a botched abortion in Italy and her sexual and criminal escapades in China, probably circulated by her arch-enemy the Queen Mother. She married English shipping executive Ernest Simpson in 1928 and relocated to London, establishing herself as a socialite. In 1931, she was introduced to Edward, Prince of Wales. They began an affair, which continued after Edward’s ascension to the throne in 1936, putting him in conflict with his role as monarch and leader of the Church of England. The resulting scandal made Simpson an overnight celebrity, hailed variously as a romantic heroine and a shameless harlot bent on destroying the monarchy. Later in 1936, Edward abdicated the throne to marry “the woman I love”, requiring them to leave the country. Styled as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, they settled in Paris, living as socialites, amassing Cartier jewellery and exploiting the charity of their celebrity friends. Wallis’ pro-Nazi leanings, including a high profile meeting with Hitler in 1937 and a possible affair with Nazi minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, made her a highly unpopular figure in Britain. The Windsors had an open marriage, pursuing a number of affairs separately and in ménages-a-trois, with Wallis reportedly playing the sadistic top to Edward’s submissive bottom. In his 2012 memoir, Hollywood hustler Scotty Bowers claimed to have slept with the Duke and procured women for Simpson while visiting California. After Edward’s death in 1972, Wallis became increasingly reclusive, living off a stipend from the Royal family. She died in 1986, aged 89. She has been portrayed many times in film and television, notably by Andrea Riseborough in Madonna‘s (terrible) revisionist biopic W.E., by Lia Williams and Geraldine Chaplin in TV series The Crown and by Joan Collins in the forthcoming film The Bitter End.