Did you know that a former residence of English royalty was hidden away at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne? Villa Windsor, built in 1929, is a private mansion that changed prestigious tenants many times over the last century.
Occupied by Charles de Gaulle after the Second World War, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor took up residence here between 1953 and 1986, when the villa was leased by the City of Paris. After restoration, this incredible estate will soon reveal its secrets to the public, with opening planned for 2025.
The Paris Council voted to award the Villa Windsor to the Fondation Mansart to enable the renovation of this heritage, which is in dire need of a facelift, and which should become a Monument Historique to protect it in the future. This true gem, little known even to the neighborhood, is set to become a museum and take visitors on a journey through centuries of history, by the next edition of Jardin, Jardin.
Fans of The Crown may have caught a glimpse of it in one episode, but Villa Windsor isn't just linked to the royal family. Before the arrival ofEdward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson, it was inhabited by Charles de Gaulle and his wife during the Liberation, who wished to avoid the Elysée Palace. He received Léon Blum, André Malraux and even Jaques Chirac in an office on the first floor, which will be restored from scratch.
The sumptuous Georgian-style residence passed into the hands of the royal family after the abdication of Edward VIII. The latter, appointed Duke of Windsor in 1937, and his wife moved into the villa, which was rented by the city of Paris. With its 14 rooms, the villa acted as a royal residence, where the couple surrounded themselves with some fifteen household staff, housed in the basement, not far from an impressive safe, which at the time must have contained the many jewels that Wallis was so fond of, and a nuclear shelter- you never know!
Grand staircase, painted ceilings, Carrara marble and woodwork, theatrical decor and other decorative elements adorn Villa Windsor. You'll lose yourself in this maze of rooms on three floors, far from the hustle and bustle of Paris, between bedrooms, study, boudoir, dressing room and bathrooms, each decorated in a drastically different way to suit its occupant.
Returned to the capital after the duchess's death in 1986, the residence remains in the royal family's entourage thanks to Mohamed Al-Fayed, father of Lady Diana's companion, who lived mainly on the top floor. He took great care of it, leaving the decor untouched despite a restoration, living in adoration of royalty. In the basement, we come across a duty roster showing that the names of the rooms have never changed.
Another curiosity from this period is an upstairs games room, apparently intended for a child... but which one? A mystery that joins that of the contents of the villa's safes, which have remained locked ever since due to a complex mechanism, and which could contain a small treasure... A burglar tried his hand at it - you can still see the hole he made - but he obviously had to give up halfway through!
In fact, Lady Diana had visited the place with Dodi on the eve of her death under the Pont de l'Alma. Since 2018 and Al-Fayed's departure, the mansion has remained empty and is in need of major renovation work, estimated at several million euros. A home that welcomed the world, even Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles!
Location
Villa Windsor
4 Route du Champ d'Entraînement
75116 Paris 16
