died. For much of their later life, Wallis and Edward were served by their valet and footman Sydney Johnson. Widowhood Upon Edward's death from throat cancer in 1972, Wallis traveled to the United Kingdom to attend his funeral, staying at Buckingham Palace during her visit. Wallis became increasingly frail and eventually succumbed to dementia, living the final years of her life as a recluse, supported by both her husband's estate and an allowance from the Queen. She suffered several falls and broke her hip twice. After Edward's death, Wallis's French lawyer, Suzanne Blum, assumed power of attorney. Blum sold items belonging to the Duchess to her own friends at lower than market value and was accused of exploiting her client in Caroline Blackwood's The Last of the Duchess, written in 1980 but not published until 1995, after Blum's death. Later, royal biographer Hugo Vickers called Blum a "Satanic figure ... wearing the mantle of good intention to disguise her inner malevolence". In 1980, Wallis lost her ability to speak. Towards the end, she was bedridden and did not receive any visitors, apart from her doctor and nurses. Death Wallis died on April 24, 1986, at her home in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, at the age of 89. Her funeral was held on April 29 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, attended by her two surviving sisters-in-law – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester – and other members of the royal family. The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince and Princess of Wales attended both the funeral ceremony and the burial. The Princess of Wales said afterwards that it was the only time she had seen the Queen weep. Wallis was buried next to Edward in the Royal Burial Ground near Windsor Castle, as "Wallis, Duchess of Windsor". Prior to an agreement with Queen Elizabeth II in the 1960s, Wallis and Edward had previously planned for a burial in a purchased cemetery plot at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, where Wallis's father was interred. In recognition of the help France gave to the Windsors in providing them with a home, and in lieu of death duties, Wallis's collection of Louis XVI style furniture, some porcelain, and paintings were made over to the French state. The British royal family received no major bequests. Most of her estate went to the Pasteur Institute medical research