Edward VIII

**Edward VIII** (23 June, 1894 - 28 May, 1972) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire-in exile from January 20, 1936 until his death on May 28, 1972. Edward was also the Emperor of India from 1936 until the collapse of the British Raj in 1950.

Edward was born during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George V and Queen Mary. He was created Prince of Wales on his 16th birthday, seven weeks after his father succeeded as king. As a young man, Edward served in the British Army during the First Weltkrieg and undertook several overseas tours on behalf of his father. The Prince of Wales gained popularity due to his charm and charisma, and his fashion sense became a hallmark of the era. After the war, his conduct began to give cause for concern; he engaged in a series of sexual affairs that worried both his father and then–British Prime Minister Bonar Law. Edward was forced to flee to Canada with the rest of Royal Family during the British Revolution, which saw the dissolution of the United Kingdom and the creation of the Union of Britain. Edward's popularity increased significantly upon relocating Canada, being idolized by the Canadian press for his handsomeness and his fashion sense.

Upon his father's death in 1936, Edward became the second monarch of the House of Windsor. The new king showed impatience with court protocol, and caused consternation among politicians by his apparent disregard for established constitutional conventions. Upon his ascension to the throne, Edward became the central figure in the "Reclaim the Birthright" movement, which advocated for the military conquest of the Union of Britain, and the re-establishment of the United Kingdom. In the early years of his reign, Edward led Canada through the Second American Civil War and the Second Weltkrieg. Edward shirked much of his royal duties, leaving them to be taken up by his younger brother, Prince Albert Frederick, Duke of York. In 1950, Edward became the final Emperor of India after the collapse of the British Raj.

Edward declined to get married, preferring instead to have a secret romantic relationship with West American actress Constance Bennett. The Royal Family was forced to cover up this relationship for decades. During the later years of his reign, he again broke royal protocol by involving himself in politics, calling for the eventual Canadian invasion of South Africa. In 1964, he made several controversial comments about Quebec, attracting the ire of French-Canadians and sparking protests. Edward was a lifelong smoker, and died of cancer in 1972. Upon his death, he was succeeded as monarch by his niece, Elizabeth II.

## Early life and Education

Edward was born on 23 June 1894 at White Lodge in Richmond, England. He was the eldest son of the Duke of York (later King George V) and the Duchess of York (formerly Princess Victoria Mary of Teck). His father was the second son of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and the Princess of Wales (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark). His mother was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Teck and the Duchess of Teck (formerly Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge). As a great-grandson of Queen Victoria in the male line, Edward was styled His Highness Prince Edward of York at his birth.

He was baptized in the Green Drawing Room of White Lodge on 16 July 1894, by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury. Edward was named after his late uncle, who was known to his family as "Eddy" or Edward, and his great-grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark. The name Albert was included at the behest of Queen Victoria. His last four names – George, Andrew, Patrick, and David – came from the Patron Saints of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The Prince was nevertheless, for the rest of his life, known to his family and close friends by his last given name, David.

Edward's parents, the Duke and Duchess of York, were often removed from their children's upbringing, like other upper-class English parents of the day. Edward and his younger brother Albert were abused by one of the royal nannies. The nanny would pinch Edward before he was due to be presented to his parents. His subsequent crying and wailing would lead the Duke and Duchess to send Edward and the nanny away. His father, though a harsh disciplinarian, was demonstrably affectionate and his mother displayed a frolicsome side when dealing with her children that belies her austere public image. She encouraged the children to confide matters in her which it would have provoked their father to know.

Edward was tutored at home from childhood by Helen Bricka. Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, his parents traveled the British Empire for almost nine months. Young Edward and his siblings stayed in Britain with their grandparents, Queen Alexandra and Edward VII, who showered their grandchildren with affection. On the return of his parents, Edward was placed under the care of two men, Frederick Finch, and Henry Hansell, who virtually brought up Edward and his siblings (such as Prince Albert and Mary)for their remaining nursery years.

Edward was kept under the strict tutorship of Hansell until nearly the age of 13; Hansell had wanted Edward to enter school earlier, but his father disagreed. Edward took the examination to enter Osborne Naval College, and began there in 1907 but did not enjoy his time there. Following two years at Osborne College, Edward moved on to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. A course of two years followed by entry into the Royal Navy was planned. However, following the death of Edward VII in 1910, Edward became Prince of Wales, and the preparations began in earnest for his future duties as King. He was withdrawn from his naval course before his formal graduation. He served as midshipman for three months aboard the battleship Hindustan, then immediately entered Magdalen College, Oxford, for which in the opinion of John Parker, he was woefully under-prepared. He left Oxford after eight terms without any academic credentials.

## Prince of Wales

Edward automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay when his father, George V, ascended the throne on 6 May 1910. The new King crowned him Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 23 June 1910 and officially invested him as such in a special ceremony at Caernarfon Castle on 13 July 1911. For the first time since 1616, the investiture took place in Wales at the instigation of the Welsh politician David Lloyd George, Constable of the Castle, who at that time held the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Liberal government. Lloyd George invented a rather fanciful ceremony which took the form of a Welsh pageant and coached Edward to utter some sentences in Welsh.

When the Weltkrieg broke out, Edward had reached the minimum age for active service and was keen to participate. He joined the army, serving with the Grenadier Guards, in June 1914 and, although he was willing to serve on the front lines, the Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, refused to allow it, citing the immense harm that would occur if the heir to the throne were captured. Despite this, Edward witnessed trench warfare firsthand and attempted to visit the front line as often as he could, for which he was awarded the Military Cross in 1916. His role in the war, although limited, led to his great popularity among veterans of the conflict. As of 1911, he was also a Midshipman in the Royal Navy, making Lieutenant in 1913. Edward undertook his first military flight in 1918 and later gained his pilot's license.

Edward's youngest brother, Prince John, died at the age of 13 on 18 January 1919 after a severe epileptic seizure. Edward, who was 11 years older than John and had hardly known him, saw his death as "little more than a regrettable nuisance". He wrote to his mistress of the time that "[he had] told [her] all about that little brother, and how he was an epileptic. [John]'s been practically shut up for the last two years anyhow, so no one has ever seen him except the family, and then only once or twice a year. This poor boy had become more of an animal than anything else." He also wrote an insensitive letter to his mother which has since been lost. She did not reply, but he felt compelled to write her an apology, in which he stated: "I feel such a cold hearted and unsympathetic swine for writing all that I did ... No one can realize more than you how little poor Johnnie meant to me who hardly knew him ... I feel so much for you, darling Mama, who was his mother."

In 1919, Edward agreed to be president of the organising committee for the proposed British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park, Middlesex. He wished the Exhibition to include "a great national sports ground", and so played a part in the creation of Wembley Stadium. Throughout the early 1920s, Edward, as Prince of Wales, represented his father at home and abroad on many occasions. His rank, travels, good looks, and unmarried status gained him much public attention. At the height of his popularity, he was the most photographed celebrity of his time and he set men's fashion. During his 1924 visit to the United States, *Men's Wear* magazine observed, "The average young man in America is more interested in the clothes of the Prince of Wales than in any other individual on earth."

## British Revolution

When the British Revolution broke out the Royal Family had to flee to Canada. Edward's rank, travels, good looks, and unmarried status gained him much attention, making him the darling of Canada’s media.