It was a love that led a king to abdicate.

Just months after his accession to the throne in 1936, Edward VIII proposed to the American divorcee Wallis Simpson and caused a constitutional crisis.

Now the Sussex house where the then Prince of Wales is believed to have romanced Mrs Simpson has gone on sale for almost £2.7million – complete with a heart-shaped garden he planted with roses, azaleas and rhododendrons.

The house’s link with Edward and Mrs Simpson is mentioned by estate agent Savills in the particulars of Wenbans, the 15th century Grade II* listed country house near Wadhurst in East Sussex, along with its eight bedrooms, a timber-framed great hall with minstrel’s gallery and vaulted ceiling, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, tennis court, coach house and five acres of gardens.

It also includes a flat off the hall that was reportedly used by the prince as a romantic getaway.

The house was owned by Lord George Cholmondeley, one of the prince’s inner circle of friends, and it was in the 1920s that he is reported to have given him the use of the flat off the great hall.

It had one bedroom, a drawing room and a bathroom, and it was here that Edward would reportedly bring his girlfriends during the 1920s and where he would later enjoy trysts with Mrs Simpson.

There are stories that once Edward was on his way to Wenbans when his car was driven into a ditch and local people helped pull it out.

"Nobody knew who was visiting," local man Lionel Gadd, who once worked at Wenbans, has been quoted as saying. "But one foggy night, the prince drove his car into a ditch and some of the locals from Wadhurst came to help out. The secret was out. After that, people kept a look-out for the prince and his dolly birds."

A notorious womaniser, Edward had relationships with a series of married women including Lady Furness, who was married to British peer Viscount Furness and whose twin sister was the mother of Gloria Vanderbilt, and who introduced him to Wallis Simpson.

Anne Sebba, the author of a 2011 biography of Wallis Simpson called That Woman: The Duchess of Windsor and the Scandal That Brought Down a King, said: “I suspect it is quite true that Edward would have taken Wallis to Wenbans, but I can’t produce definitive evidence.

“Lord Cholmondeley would never have talked about it because he was part of Edward’s inner circle and the press would not have reported on it as they were far more deferential towards the monarchy then and were entirely self-censored. But the house is only an hour’s drive from London, and if Lord Cholmondeley and Edward were friendly enough for Edward to have taken the Cholmondeley villa Le Roc on the Riviera in 1935, I’m sure it is true that he would have given Edward the apartment at the house in Sussex.”

When Edward and Mrs Simpson were introduced by Lady Furness in 1931, Mrs Simpson, already divorced once, was still married to her second husband Ernest Simpson. The couple would go on to meet the prince at several house parties, and later Mrs Simpson was presented at court.

It wasn’t until 1934, while Lady Furness was visiting New York City, that it’s alleged Mrs Simpson and Edward became lovers.

“During those early times, he did try to hide her away and not make her obvious,” said Ms Sebba. “But by taking her to the home of Lord Cholmondeley, it fooled Mrs Simpson into thinking that if she was accepted by Edward’s inner circle, she would be accepted by society. She never understood the British mentality though.”

Vic Fatah, the current owner of Wenbans, bought the house in 1984 and believes the apartment by visited by Edward and Mrs Simpson. “Lord Cholmondeley added the flat on the end of the hall and I think it was for Edward and Wallis because it was in the part of the house that was furthest away from the rest of it to give privacy.

"It would have been a perfect place for a secret hideaway.

“I'm told Edward laid a heart-shaped garden outside the library. It is still there – although it looks a bit wonky. I think Edward and Wallis would sit there writing each other love letters. And I think they just wanted to get away from the paparazzi.

“I’m pretty sure they came down here together but I’ve no firm evidence.”

In 1936, two years into the affair between Edward and Mrs Simpson, King George V died, and Edward became king. He was determined to marry Mrs Simpson but Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin advised him it would be opposed by the Church of England and the British public would never accept Mrs Simpson as queen.

Just a few months into his reign, in December 1936, the new king abdicated, announcing his decision to a shocked world in a radio broadcast when he said: "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love."

His brother, now on the throne as George VI, bestowed on Edward the title of the Duke of Windsor and he and Mrs Simpson were married the following year, after her second divorce was finalised. They spent the rest of their lives in exile.

Wenbans, built on the site of a medieval hunting lodge possibly owned by King John, is described by Savills as having “the feel of a small country estate”. The eight-bedroom house, its exterior walls a mixture of weatherboarding and tiles, features a reception hall with exposed timbers and a series of reception rooms including a drawing room with a beamed ceiling and inglenook fireplace, a dining room, a study and a library with an arched stone fireplace.

An oak beamed walkway leads to the Great Hall with an impressive inglenook fireplace and minstrel’s gallery. There’s accommodation for an au pair or housekeeper, and a separate coach house, which was once a garage with a flat above, is now a two-bedroom house with a sitting room, family room, kitchen and bathroom. The grounds include a lawned garden, a vegetable garden and an orchard.

Mr Fatah, the now-retired founder of travel company Sunmed, and his wife Lyn are selling Wenbans to downsize now their children have left home.

They spent 10 years renovating it, as well as repairing the roof following a fire in 2012. “When we bought it, it looked like nothing had been done to it since the 1950s and we renovated it in keeping with its era,” said Mr Fatah, who is 68. “The rooms of the flat haven’t been renovated, apart from a broken beam and rotten floorboard being replaced.

“We keep gym equipment in one room and another is used for storage.”

“It will be a real wrench to leave the house,” he added. “It’s a comfortable, healing house and has been a big part of our lives.”

For details, visit Savills at savills.com