As far as series go, The Crown is most certainly one of those recent titles which we will be seeing over and over again. To compare it to classics such as Friends is maybe too far of a stretch just yet but we’ll see – maybe in twenty years’ time, it’ll be a classic. Watching the British royal family, portrayed by great actors such as Olivia Coleman, live their often stupefying daily lives is a pleasure we didn’t know we needed until we actually got to enjoy it.
We don’t exactly know how we got to be excited about royal intrigues and gala dresses but somewhere along the line of the seasons, it just happened. Suddenly, we find ourselves on the tip of our seat while a dramatic soundtrack joins a very mundane, almost boring event in the lives of Elizabeth II and co.
One of the most controversial events in the lives of the British royal family is perhaps the abdication of the King Edward VIII, who later became known as the Duke of Windsor. After he left the United Kingdom with his Duchess of Windsor, they quickly set up camp in what later became known as Villa Windsor. The stunning property, set in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, had already seen quite a bit of celebrities pass by before their arrival, from the Renault family to Charles de Gaulle. But it was the Windsors who really put the property on the map. After the passing of the Windsors, it was bought by Mohamed Al Fayed, an Egyptian billionaire businessman, who gave it back to the city of Paris 4 years ago.
Así luce por dentro Villa Windsor, la mansión de Al Fayed en Francia pic.twitter.com/Hn4It0S3m8
— ShowMundial (@ShowmundialShow) November 18, 2022
If you’ve dreamt of visiting the place while watching The Crown, you’re in luck. The Council of Paris has now attributed the villa to the Mansart Foundation, allowing for the renovation of the property which has sat empty since 2018. That renovation is estimated to cost several millions of euros but if everything goes well, a museum should open in the villa before the beginning of the Olympics in Paris in 2024. If so, this will be the first time in history for the 14-rooms counting property to be open to the public, as Albéric de Montgolfier, president of the charitable organization Fondation Mansart, told CNN.
One of the main reasons why the city of Paris handed over the Villa Windsor to the Fondation Mansart for a duration of 32 years is the fact that the organization has previously successfully restored the Château de Bagatelle, located just a stone’s throw from Villa Windsor. The museum will portray the history of the property and will be freely accessible, with a café and restaurant on site.
