Queen Elizabeth Reportedly Denied Edward VIII’s Deathbed Wish

"She said no, even on that sad day. It was, you know, breaking his heart, I think."

Queen Elizabeth II didn't grant Edward VIII's deathbed wish, a new docuseries claims.

According to The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, Edward, then Duke of Windsor, requested that the Queen grant his wife, Wallis Simpson, a Her Royal Highness (HRH) title.

Edward famously abdicated the throne in order to marry Wallis, an American divorcée, in 1936, effectively paving the way for Elizabeth to eventually become the monarch.

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While battling throat cancer, Edward was down to about 80 lbs. and wasn't eating, but still tried to maintain appearances by sitting up and getting dressed daily to hide his IV tubes, his former nurse Julie Alexander recalled in The Real Crown (via PEOPLE).

It was when Edward was in this condition that he requested the Queen bestow the royal title on Simpson.

"The Queen said no," Alexander said. "She said no, even on that sad day. It was, you know, breaking his heart, I think. That's what he wanted. That's what he wanted, that title for her. Not having that title for his wife was a slap in his face."

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Ten days after the conversation allegedly took place, Edward died.

A former Archbishop of Canterbury explained that there was some context to the Queen's decision.

"The King chose to put his marriage before the monarchy," George Carey said in The Real Crown. "That forced this crisis upon our nation, upon his brother. We have to understand that background, I think, to understand the Queen."

Of course, there may have been other reasons for the Queen to deny the honor: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor met with Adolf Hitler in Germany in 1937, and many historians claim that Edward and Simpson were outright Nazi sympathizers. In fact, some documents revealed that the couple may have participated in Germany's efforts to overthrow the British monarchy in activities called "Operation Willi."

Next, Find Out Where Queen Elizabeth II Got Her Money and How Much She Was Worth When She Died