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Windsors
The Windsors

The Duke and Dutchess of Windsors

The 'other' controversial royal couple of the 20th century

(CNN) -- Just as Diana and Charles were destined to be apart, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were determined to be together. The Windsors are one of the most romantic couples in royal history. King Edward VIII was forced to abdicate the throne in 1936 when he insisted on marrying American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson.

If you have the money, you can own a piece of this fascinating bit of history. Sotheby's will auction off Thursday some 40,000 items from the couple's collection, including the desk upon which the king signed his abdication.

The auction, originally set for Sept. 11-19, 1997 had been delayed due to the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi al Fayed. Dodi's father, Mohamed al Fayed, owns the Windsor's villa in Paris.

If you don't have the extra cash for Windsor baubles, there are some comprehensive books which chronicle the story of the popular king and the woman he was willing to forfeit all to marry.

Book Cover
"The Private World of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor" features 400 full-color illustrations as well as photographs from the private collection of the duke and duchess

Selected books:

"The Private World of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor"
By Hugo Vickers, and Von Der Schulenburg Fritz (Photographer)

Features 400 full-color illustrations as well as photographs from the private collection of the duke and duchess. Mohamed Al Fayed purchased the duchess's Parisian villa after her death in 1986 and allowed Vickers and Fritz access to its contents.

"Duke & Duchess of Windsor Fashion Paper Dolls"
By Tom Tierney

If you're an anglophile, don't be offended. Tierney has produced this sort of book before. Apparently, he sees the Windsors as having style. Tierney has created paper dolls on everything from Lincoln to Carmen Miranda.

"Wallis and Edward Letters 1931-1937:
The Intimate Correspondence of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor"

Edited by Michael Bloch

According to Bloch, the duchess wanted the correspondence from her courtship with the king to be published after her death. Bloch is a former member of her legal team. The letters reveal that Simpson did not want the king to sacrifice his crown for their relationship but it also reveals that they didn't have a "fairy tale romance."

Gossip, conjecture, and accusations shadowed the duke and duchess until their deaths. The following books are their accounts of their relationship.

"The Heart Has Its Reasons"
The Duchess of Windsor

"A King's Story: The Memoirs of HRH"
By the Duke of Windsor


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