1936 : Edward VIII abdicates
After ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII becomes the first
English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne. He chose to
abdicate after the British government, public, and the Church of
England condemned his decision to marry the American divorcée Wallis
Warfield Simpson. On the evening of December 11, he gave a radio
address in which he explained, "I have found it impossible to carry on
the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge the duties of
king, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman
I love." On December 12, his younger brother, the duke of York, was
proclaimed King George VI.
Edward, born in 1896, was the eldest son of King George V, who became
the British sovereign in 1910. Still unmarried as he approached his
40th birthday, he socialized with the fashionable London society of
the day. By 1934, he had fallen deeply in love with American socialite
Wallis Warfield Simpson, who was married to Ernest Simpson, an
English-American businessman who lived with Mrs. Simpson near London.
Wallis, who was born in Pennsylvania, had previously married and
divorced a U.S. Navy pilot. The royal family disapproved of Edward's
married mistress, but by 1936 the prince was intent on marrying Mrs.
Simpson. Before he could discuss this intention with his father,
George V died, in January 1936, and Edward was proclaimed king.
The new king proved popular with his subjects, and his coronation was
scheduled for May 1937. His affair with Mrs. Simpson was reported in
American and continental European newspapers, but due to a gentlemen's
agreement between the British press and the government, the affair was
kept out of British newspapers. On October 27, 1936, Mrs. Simpson
obtained a preliminary decree of divorce, presumably with the intent
of marrying the king, which precipitated a major scandal. To the
Church of England and most British politicians, an American woman
twice divorced was unacceptable as a prospective British queen.
Winston Churchill, then a Conservative backbencher, was the only
notable politician to support Edward.
Despite the seemingly united front against him, Edward could not be
dissuaded. He proposed a morganatic marriage, in which Wallis would be
granted no rights of rank or property, but on December 2, Prime
Minister Stanley Baldwin rejected the suggestion as impractical. The
next day, the scandal broke on the front pages of British newspapers
and was discussed openly in Parliament. With no resolution possible,
the king renounced the throne on December 10. The next day, Parliament
approved the abdication instrument, and Edward VIII's reign came to an
end. The new king, George VI, made his older brother the duke of
Windsor. On June 3, 1937, the duke of Windsor and Wallis Warfield
married at the Château de Cande in France's Loire Valley.
For the next two years, the duke and duchess lived primarily in France
but visited other European countries, including Germany, where the
duke was honored by Nazi officials in October 1937 and met with Adolf
Hitler. After the outbreak of World War II, the duke accepted a
position as liaison officer with the French. In June 1940, France fell
to the Nazis, and Edward and Wallis went to Spain. During this period,
the Nazis concocted a scheme to kidnap Edward with the intention of
returning him to the British throne as a puppet king. George VI, like
his prime minister, Winston Churchill, was adamantly opposed to any
peace with Nazi Germany. Unaware of the Nazi kidnapping plot but
conscious of Edward's pre-war Nazi sympathies, Churchill hastily
offered Edward the governorship of the Bahamas in the West Indies. The
duke and duchess set sail from Lisbon on August 1, 1940, narrowly
escaping a Nazi SS team sent to seize them.
In 1945, the duke resigned his post, and the couple moved back to
France. They lived mainly in Paris, and Edward made a few visits to
England, such as to attend the funerals of King George VI in 1952 and
his mother, Queen Mary, in 1953. It was not until 1967 that the duke
and duchess were invited by the royal family to attend an official
public ceremony, the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to Queen Mary.
Edward died in Paris in 1972 but was buried at Frogmore, on the
grounds of Windsor Castle. In 1986, Wallis died and was buried at his
side.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1936 : Edward VIII abdicates
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=5591
1946 : UNICEF founded
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5592
1994 : Yeltsin orders Russian forces into Chechnya
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7108
#########################################
After ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII becomes the first
English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne. He chose to
abdicate after the British government, public, and the Church of
England condemned his decision to marry the American divorcée Wallis
Warfield Simpson. On the evening of December 11, he gave a radio
address in which he explained, "I have found it impossible to carry on
the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge the duties of
king, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman
I love." On December 12, his younger brother, the duke of York, was
proclaimed King George VI.
Edward, born in 1896, was the eldest son of King George V, who became
the British sovereign in 1910. Still unmarried as he approached his
40th birthday, he socialized with the fashionable London society of
the day. By 1934, he had fallen deeply in love with American socialite
Wallis Warfield Simpson, who was married to Ernest Simpson, an
English-American businessman who lived with Mrs. Simpson near London.
Wallis, who was born in Pennsylvania, had previously married and
divorced a U.S. Navy pilot. The royal family disapproved of Edward's
married mistress, but by 1936 the prince was intent on marrying Mrs.
Simpson. Before he could discuss this intention with his father,
George V died, in January 1936, and Edward was proclaimed king.
The new king proved popular with his subjects, and his coronation was
scheduled for May 1937. His affair with Mrs. Simpson was reported in
American and continental European newspapers, but due to a gentlemen's
agreement between the British press and the government, the affair was
kept out of British newspapers. On October 27, 1936, Mrs. Simpson
obtained a preliminary decree of divorce, presumably with the intent
of marrying the king, which precipitated a major scandal. To the
Church of England and most British politicians, an American woman
twice divorced was unacceptable as a prospective British queen.
Winston Churchill, then a Conservative backbencher, was the only
notable politician to support Edward.
Despite the seemingly united front against him, Edward could not be
dissuaded. He proposed a morganatic marriage, in which Wallis would be
granted no rights of rank or property, but on December 2, Prime
Minister Stanley Baldwin rejected the suggestion as impractical. The
next day, the scandal broke on the front pages of British newspapers
and was discussed openly in Parliament. With no resolution possible,
the king renounced the throne on December 10. The next day, Parliament
approved the abdication instrument, and Edward VIII's reign came to an
end. The new king, George VI, made his older brother the duke of
Windsor. On June 3, 1937, the duke of Windsor and Wallis Warfield
married at the Château de Cande in France's Loire Valley.
For the next two years, the duke and duchess lived primarily in France
but visited other European countries, including Germany, where the
duke was honored by Nazi officials in October 1937 and met with Adolf
Hitler. After the outbreak of World War II, the duke accepted a
position as liaison officer with the French. In June 1940, France fell
to the Nazis, and Edward and Wallis went to Spain. During this period,
the Nazis concocted a scheme to kidnap Edward with the intention of
returning him to the British throne as a puppet king. George VI, like
his prime minister, Winston Churchill, was adamantly opposed to any
peace with Nazi Germany. Unaware of the Nazi kidnapping plot but
conscious of Edward's pre-war Nazi sympathies, Churchill hastily
offered Edward the governorship of the Bahamas in the West Indies. The
duke and duchess set sail from Lisbon on August 1, 1940, narrowly
escaping a Nazi SS team sent to seize them.
In 1945, the duke resigned his post, and the couple moved back to
France. They lived mainly in Paris, and Edward made a few visits to
England, such as to attend the funerals of King George VI in 1952 and
his mother, Queen Mary, in 1953. It was not until 1967 that the duke
and duchess were invited by the royal family to attend an official
public ceremony, the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to Queen Mary.
Edward died in Paris in 1972 but was buried at Frogmore, on the
grounds of Windsor Castle. In 1986, Wallis died and was buried at his
side.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1936 : Edward VIII abdicates
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=5591
1946 : UNICEF founded
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5592
1994 : Yeltsin orders Russian forces into Chechnya
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7108
#########################################
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