Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson’s former Bahamas home is now on the market, but it comes with a hefty price tag, $8.5 million, or, £6.6 million.
In 1937, after Edward abdicated the British throne so he could marry American socialite Wallis Simpson, he became the Duke of Windsor. Edward was then appointed as the Governor of the Bahamas – a job that would allow him to live and work on the island for five years.
With the Governor’s mansion being refurbished to Simpson’s liking, the couple chose a 15,000-square-foot, private gated residence with the home, being referred to as Sigrist House.
The home occupies four acres on the crest of Prospect Ridge in Cable Beach, Nassau.
Built in the mid-1930s, the home contains 15 bedrooms and 13 full bathrooms that are spread across a four-bedroom suite main residence as well as two four-bedroom guesthouses and a three-bedroom apartment.
Built by British aviation pioneer and movie producer Frederick Sigrist, one can also find expansive patios and high 12-foot ceilings.
For this home, it’s the little features that add up. The Great Room and office are panelled with white mahogany which was hand-selected in Honduras before being taken to England for cutting. As for the four fireplaces, all of them were imported from country homes in Britain and then custom fit for the Bahamas estate.
If the inside features aren’t enough to persuade a bid on the home, the land is filled with tropical gardens, including fruit and coconut trees. A swimming pool and jacuzzi can all be found, all of which have views of the saltwater canals and the Atlantic Ocean.
The American-born Duchess of Windsor died in April of 1986. King Edward VIII gave up the throne after less than a year because his family and Parliament wouldn’t accept Simpson, a two-time divorcee.
The abdication put Edward’s younger brother, George VI, on the throne. When he passed, Queen Elizabeth II became monarch.
The Queen is the U.K.’s longest-reigning monarch. 6 February 2020, officially marked 68 years since she took the throne.
