The Wallis Tie

In the Madrid bureau in the late 1970s through to the '80s, I believe there hung a horribly naff tie on the coat stand which was called the Wallis Tie, after the remarkable Dicky Wallis. The story goes that he was refused entry to the hospital during the Franco death-watch because he wasn’t wearing a tie. So he went to a shop and purchased one with, I believe, a hula dancer design or something similar. This ties in (ouch) with a book I’m about to complete on the history of Madrid, so it would be amusing to confirm the anecdote, if it’s true. Thanks in advance for your help. ■