Funeral of the Duchess of Windsor, 1986

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The Queen was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Princess Anne among 16-members of the Royal Family for the Funeral of the Duchess of Windsor at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on this day in 1986, followed by the burial beside the Duke in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore. Not once was the Duchess’ name mentioned during the 28-minute long service, which began with “I am the Resurrection and the Life”, followed by psalm 90, a blessing and a prayer read by the Dean of Windsor, and several hymns and prayers before the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounced a final blessing and prayer.

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History of Royal Women

4 thoughts on “Funeral of the Duchess of Windsor, 1986

  1. What a sad end to a sad and traumatic era in British Royalty. I have to say that not mentioning her name even after death was a mean-spirited thing to do, and I’m afraid I know who was behind that decision. The Queen Mother was an implacable enemy. In reality, I think the Duchess of Windsor probably did the British nation a favor by marrying the former King, thus getting him out of the way. It seems the consensus of historians is that King Edward VIII was a Nazi sympathizer, which would have been quite problematic for the country back in those perilous days before the war. I’m not a fan of the Duchess, but I think that if only for that favor they should have mentioned her name. However, I think the Duke would have been pleased to see that all the senior royals attended the services. At least there’s that.

    1. She was rather unfair with the duchess. She blamed her for having burdened her family with the crown and its responsibilities, which is rather hypocritical, because it’s clear that she thoroughly enjoyed being the Queen. She even refused to pass down the Crown Jewels to her own daughter when the time came.

  2. Notice the picture of the Queen Mother smiling. No one else is. Then look at the vicars eyes directed at the Queen Mother.
    Interesting given her known dislike of the duchess.

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