This Week in History: A King Abdicates

On December 10, 1936, Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom abdicated the throne.

Born on June 23, 1894, as Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David (jeez, what a mouth full), was the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of  York, later King George V and Queen Mary.

He was born during the reign of his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. On his 16th birthday he was created Prince of Wales. This came seven weeks after his father succeeded as king. 

During his younger years, Edward served the British Army in WWI.

When his father passed away in 1936, Edward became the second monarch of the House of Windsor. I'm sure I'll have something on the installation of the House of Windsor at some point - but not today.

Edwards VIII's short reign was a tumultuous one. He developed a reputation for his disregard of court protocol and constitutional conventions. 

Just one month into his reign, King Edward caused a constitutional crisis when he proposed to Wallis Simpson - an American who was in the process of divorcing her second husband (the first also ended in divorce). 

The powers that be opposed the marriage. The argument was that a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was a "politically and socially unacceptable" prospect for queen consort. Also, at this time, the Church of England (which Edward was head of as King) disapproved of remarriage after divorce if the former spouse was still living.

It became clear to Edward that he could not marry Wallis and remain King. So, after a reign of 326, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne.

With his abdication, his brother became King George VI. King George's daughter Elizabeth would later become Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history at the time of her death in 2022.

After his decision to renounce hit crown, Edward would become Duke of Windsor - a title created for him. He and Wallis Simpson married in France in 1937, just a few months after the exchange of power.

Rumors began circulating that the newly titled duke was a Nazi sympathizer. These rumors were even more believed after he and Wallis toured Nazi Germany. 

During WWII, Edward was stationed in France with the British Military Mission. After, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. 

After the war, he returned to France where he lived our the rest of his life. He and Wallis remained married until his death in 1972. 

Newspaper article from London, 1936 announcing Edward VIII's abdication.