Behind Closed Doors

The life of the Duchess of Windsor came to an end in Paris on 24 April 1986. She was almost 90. Many people assumed that she had died years before, since she disappeared from public view for over a decade. Sebastian Faulks wrote in the Sunday Telegraph, ‘She is seen as no more than the star of an old romantic film that most French have forgotten.

’But the world did take note, describing her death as the final curtain on one of the greatest love stories of the twentieth century. The story of the Abdication was retold, embers of the feud between the British Royal Family and the Windsors in exile were fanned once more, and there was increasing speculation about the many historical treasures owned by the Duke and Duchess, in particular her jewels.

Hugo Vickers has followed the unfolding saga of this tragic couple since he was a young man. And, with the help of previously unpublished papers and personal testaments, he now brings a whole new perspective to the story. In particular, Vickers focuses on the last years of the Duchess of Windsor, revealing the cold truth about the ruthless exploitation of a vulnerable old woman by an unscrupulous French lawyer called Suzanne Blum.

Behind Closed Doors is a potent mixture of detective story and revelatory royal history. Hugo Vickers combines meticulous research with an intense fascination with his subject to tell a tale whose dramatic impact has only increased with time.