The Queen Mother, formerly known as Queen Elizabeth, sat as King George VI’s consort after the scandalous abdication of his brother Edward. As covered in the Netflix series ‘The Crown’, Edward could not be the ruling monarch and nominal head of Church of England if he married the twice-divorced American Mrs Simpson. He chose life with her over his royal obligations and was given the title of the Duke of Windsor instead. Suddenly thrust into a sovereign role, his brother Albert became George VI and had to adapt quickly with the help of his wife, Elizabeth.

In his 2019 biography of one of the favourite royal designers, ‘Norman Hartnell: The Biography’, Michael Pick revealed how the Queen Mother used fashion to subvert Mrs Simpson’s reputation in the UK.

Mr Pick said: “As a riposte to the enormous publicity surrounding the former King Edward VIII and his marriage to Mrs Simpson, who became ever more famous for her angular chic, the idea of reintroducing the fully romantic crinoline as an adjunct to the new Queen’s image was a masterstroke.

“For Norman, it was pure joy to be able to produce designs of full, feminine dresses on which his favourite embroideries could shine.

“This was better than designing for the theatre, because he was aware of the crucial importance of the British monarchy in the highly charged political atmosphere of the late 1930s.”

Elizabeth was known to not get along with Mrs Simpson. When she was Queen she reportedly insisted that both Edward and Mrs Simpson were exiled to France and supported her husband’s decision not give Mrs Simpson the style, Her Royal Highness.

She was also widely-believed to refer to Mrs Simpson as “that woman”.

Writing in the Daily Mail earlier this year, Michael Thornton revealed that he put this suggestion to the Queen Mother in 1978. She “smiled enigmatically” and said: “A country can only have one King at a time.”

There was speculation at one point that Mrs Simpson would become Queen consort.

After the death of his father, King George V, it was clear Edward would take to the throne without a spouse, so many began to wonder who he might wed.

By the time parliament opened that year, “London was in a state of high anxiety as rumours about him and Mrs Simpson were widely discussed”.

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As Mr Pick pointed out: “Mrs Simpson, as a client of Norman Hartnell, might have become the first Queen Consort to be dressed by Norman.”

The biographer continued to explain why her clothing made a subtle impact on the political situation: “The Queen was renowned for both her charm and tact, and added to her innate intelligence and natural dignity were her formidable diplomatic skills.

“These were well known before she was Queen and a single example will display just what Norman was called upon to live up to.”

The designer continued to “stress both [the Queen’s] soft felinity and small features; anything but the Parisian chic of Mrs Simpson”.

Elizabeth was a consistently popular figure within the Royal Family, renowned for her easy charm and welcoming manner.

She died in 2002, only seven weeks after her daughter Princess Margaret, but continued to carry out her royal duties up until a few months before her death.

Mrs Simpson returns in Series three of ‘The Crown’ to impart some advice to the forlorn Prince Charles, who is stuck in his own romantic dilemma.

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