History

“We are ours now”: that is the message that Edward VIII had engraved on the engagement ring he gave to Wallis Simpson in 1936.

However, his position as king and head of the Church of England prevented him from marrying this elegant American, who was already twice divorced.

The monarch thus made a choice between his duty and the woman he loved passionately: less than a year after his accession to the throne, he abdicated and, having become the Duke of Windsor, married Wallis at the Château de Candé in France, on 3 June 1937.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor went on to live a vibrant love story that was enhanced by a shared passion for jewellery.

Cartier became a privileged participant in this dialogue of love. Journeys, memories of emotions, reconciliations, birthdays and parties: numerous episodes of their lives became the object of a jewellery creation engraved with a message, such as a cigarette-holder encrusted with precious stones, whose design retraces the itinerary of one of their romantic journeys through Europe.

NEXT - The creation

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