The King's Loot
The Greatest Royal Jewellery Heist in History
Will be published approx. on 9. July 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
978-1-83705-263-9 (ISBN)
Description
'An engaging story' - The Spectator
Geneva, April 1987. The staid Swiss town is awash with limousines, journalists and minor European aristocracy. All the best hotels and restaurants are bursting at the seams. Caviar, truffles and foie gras are in short supply, while champagne is flooding the market at ridiculously high prices.
They are all focused on one place: Sotheby's auction house, which is preparing to host the 'auction of the century' - that of the late Duchess of Windsor's jewellery collection.
But where did this treasure trove come from? And was it ever really the Duchess' at all?
Questions have circulated around the collection's murky provenance since the moment Wallis Simpson stepped onto the scene; now, for the first time, The King's Loot looks to find the answers. Drawing on eyewitness interviews, contemporary accounts and previously unpublished sources, Richard Wallace - who was there at that notorious Swiss auction - delves into the mystery surrounding this hoard.
Geneva, April 1987. The staid Swiss town is awash with limousines, journalists and minor European aristocracy. All the best hotels and restaurants are bursting at the seams. Caviar, truffles and foie gras are in short supply, while champagne is flooding the market at ridiculously high prices.
They are all focused on one place: Sotheby's auction house, which is preparing to host the 'auction of the century' - that of the late Duchess of Windsor's jewellery collection.
But where did this treasure trove come from? And was it ever really the Duchess' at all?
Questions have circulated around the collection's murky provenance since the moment Wallis Simpson stepped onto the scene; now, for the first time, The King's Loot looks to find the answers. Drawing on eyewitness interviews, contemporary accounts and previously unpublished sources, Richard Wallace - who was there at that notorious Swiss auction - delves into the mystery surrounding this hoard.
Reviews / Votes
'In the new book The King's Loot by Richard Wallace, the author tells the tale of the theft of some of the couple's most expensive jewellery pieces, which was rumoured to be an "inside job".' * <i>Daily Express</i> * 'The explosive clues that link Duchess of Windsor to the theft of her own jewellery are revealed in the book.' -- <i>Daily Mail</i> '... the author lends credence to the rumour that the theft was, in fact, an 'inside job'.' * <i>Tatler</i> * 'An engaging story.' -- <i>The Spectator</i>More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Stroud
United Kingdom
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
20 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-83705-263-9 (9781837052639)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Richard Wallace is a journalist and author. Having worked in Australia for the Fairfax newspaper organisation, he was posted to Europe in 1986 to cover the death of the Duchess of Windsor and the subsequent Geneva auction of her jewellery collection the following year. Leaving Fairfax, Richard joined the Independent shortly after its creation in 1986 at the request of eccentric founding editor, Andreas Whittam Smith.