 After the king abdicated on 11 December 1936 and became the Duke of Windsor, Metcalfe was best man at his wedding in France to Wallis Simpson on 3 June 1937.Metcalf served as equerry to the Duke of Windsor from 1939 in Paris and Antibes until the German invasion of France in 1940 prompted the Windsors' evacuation and, later, the Duke's appointment to govern the Bahamas.Fruity's loyalty was not rewarded by the Duke - Windsor fled Paris in May 1940 following the German invasion, leaving Fruity to find his own way home back to England.