The Duke of Windsor Dies at 77 The Duke of Windsor Dies at 77 By Reuters LONDON, Sunday, May 28--The Duke of Windsor, who gave up the British throne in 1936 to marry an American divorcee, died in his home near Paris early today, a Buckingham Palace spokesman announced here. The Duke was 77 years old. A statement from Buckingham Place, the official residence of Queen Elizabeth, the Duke's niece said: "It is announced with deep regret that his Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, has died at his home in Paris at 2:25 A.M., Sunday, May 28, 1972. "A further announcement from the Palace will be made later about the funeral arrangements." The death announcement reached New York shortly after 1:10 A.M. Eastern daylight time. The Duke, who reigned for 10 months as King Edward VIII before abdicating, had been ill for some time. The Duke defied the British Establishment to marry Mrs. Bessie Wallis Warfield Simpson, a twice-divorced American. The couple lived in virtual self-exile from Britain since the abdication.

Queen Elizabeth visited her ailing uncle at his Paris home during her state visit to France earlier this month. The Duke, who would have been 78 on June 23, was too ill to leave the first-floor sitting room of the house overlooking the Bois de Boulogne. The Duke underwent a hernia operation earlier this year. One of his personal physicians, Dr. Arthur Antenucci, of the Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, flew to Paris to see him two days ago. In Paris, a spokesman for the Duke said: "He died peacefully." Asked what had been the cause of death, the spokesman--the Duke's longtime secretary, John Utter--said: "Just natural causes." Two weeks before the Queen, Prince Phillip and the Prince of Wales made their teatime call on the Duke and Duchess at their home near Longchamp Racecourse during the royal visit to France this month, the Duke was reported to be "in need of a long rest." After the 40-minute royal visit, the Duke was said to be in good spirits. Later the Duke's secretary said he was being treated at home for an illness, but its nature and his treatment were not disclosed.

Abdicated in 1936 "But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love." With these words, delivered with sadness over the radio on Dec. 11, 1936, to his subjects in Britain, Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor, became the first monarch in British history to voluntarily abdicate his throne, which he did 11 months after assuming it. A popular king, Edward VIII touched off a sensation at home and abroad with the announcement that he intended to leave the throne to marry Mrs. Bessie Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American who had been twice divorced. 'I Lay Down My Burden' Edward had been determined to marry Mrs. Simpson, although Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin had tried to dissuade him, on the ground that the King, as head of the Church of England, would be violating the church's doctrines against divorce. In the absence of legislation that would permit the marriage, King Edward chose to abdicate.

He was succeeded by his brother, the Duke of York, who became King George VI. The new King made his predecessor the Duke of Windsor. "I now quit altogether public affairs, and I lay down my burden," Edward said in his broadcast the day after the act of abdication had been signed. Then, on Dec. 12, at 2 A.M., he left England. He married Mrs. Simpson six months later in France. He remained in virtual exile from Britain ever since, estranged from the royal family until recently. It was not until 1965 that Queen Elizabeth II met the Duchess of Windsor at the bedside of the Duke while he was in London for eye operations. Two years later, the Duke and Duchess were formally received by the Queen at a memorial ceremony for Edward's mother, Queen Mary. Last May 18, Queen Elizabeth visited her ailing uncle at his Paris home. After the abdication, the Duke and Duchess attracted wide publicity as they traveled about. They often attended charity balls and other events in New York, where they stayed at the Waldorf- Astoria. The Duke performed some official duties in World War II, when he was appointed governor and commander in chief of the Bahamas.

Called David at Home Much of the time in recent years was spent at their home in the Bois du Boulogne on the edge of Paris, where the Duke enjoyed gardening and occasionally received visitors, including Emperor Hirohito of Japan on his world tour last year. Edward was born on June 23, 1894, in the 57th year of the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria. His mother was the former Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, later to be Queen Mary, and his father was the Duke of York, later to become King George V. He was christened Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David of the House of Saxe- Coburg-Gotha. In 1917, George V renounced the German name and proclaimed it the House of Windsor. Edward--whom the royal family referred to by his last given name, David--spent much of his childhood at Sandringham in Norfolk, in a household where his father insisted on stern discipline.

"I have often thought," the Duke later wrote, "that my father liked children only in the abstract." Served in France In 1907, Edward entered the Royal Naval College at Osborne on the Isle of Wight, where the discipline was rigorous. With the death of his grandfather, Edward VII, in 1910, and the ascension of George V, Edward became heir apparent and was sent to Magdalen College at Oxford for a broader education. Edward did not excel in academics, but he enjoyed college life, engaging in such extracurricular pursuits as dancing and playing the banjo. When World War I began, he was transferred to the Grenadier Guards. As a result of his own persistence he was eventually sent to France, where he served on the staff of the commander of the British Expeditionary Force. He was never permitted on the front lines for long, but was under fire several times. After the war, the Prince of Wales took a series of royal tours around the world that attracted great attention. He was accorded a particularly thunderous welcome in New York in 1919, and newspapers carried headlines stressing his eligibility as a bachelor.

The Prince's genuine friendliness, which allowed him to mingle with people, combined with a somewhat shy, almost wistful manner, convinced those who saw him that he would be a popular king. In 1930 the Prince met Mrs. Ernest Simpson, wife of an American maritime broker. Mrs. Simpson's first marriage, to E. Winfield Spencer, had ended in divorce. "In character," the Duke later wrote in his memoirs, "Wallis was, and still remains, complex and elusive, and from the first I looked upon her as the most independent woman I had ever met. This refreshing trait I was inclined to put down as one of the happier outcomes of the events of 1776." About the time that the Prince of Wales decided that he wanted to marry Mrs. Simpson, his father, George V, died, on Jan. 20, 1936. Two days later, Edward VIII was proclaimed King. In his 11 months on the throne, Edward made it clear through his personal style that his would be an unorthodox approach to the monarchy. But as it became clear that a marriage to Mrs.

Simpson, who had received a preliminary divorce decree that October, could not be accommodated with his own position, Edward VIII decided to abdicate before his coronation. The marriage took place June 3, 1937, at the Chateau de Cande at Monts, near Tours, France. "I did not value the crown so lightly that I gave it away hastily," he later explained. "I valued it so deeply that I surrendered it, rather than risk any impairment of its prestige." BBC NEWS | UK | Edward VIII: Abdication timeline Wednesday, 29 January, 2003, 18:04 GMT Edward VIII: Abdication timeline The couple were together until Edward's death in 1972 When Edward, then Prince of Wales, first met American divorcee Wallis Simpson, she did not make much of an impression on him. But over the next few years he fell deeply in love with her, ultimately giving up the throne to marry her. BBC News Online takes a look at some of the key events leading up to his abdication. 10 January 1931: Edward meets Wallis Simpson at a house party.

Mrs Simpson is married to her second husband, Ernest, after divorcing her first husband Earl Winfield Spencer. May 1931: Edward and Mrs Simpson meet for the second time Key dates 10 Jan 1931: Edward and Wallis first meet 20 Jan 1936: King George V dies. Edward becomes King 27 Oct 1936: Wallis Simpson granted decree nisi 10 Dec 1936: Edward VIII signs Instrument of Abdication January 1932: Edward dines at the Simpsons' London flat, staying until 4am. At the end of the month, the Simpsons spend their first weekend at Edward's country retreat, Fort Belvedere in Berkshire. August 1934: Edward takes a party, including Wallis Simpson, on holiday to Biarritz, followed by a cruise along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts. Ernest Simpson is notably absent for the first time. November 1934: Wallis Simpson attends a party at Buckingham Palace in honour of the Duke of Kent. Edward introduces her to his mother, but the King, George V, is outraged and refuses to meet her.

20 January 1936: King George V dies and Edward succeeds him as King. May 1936: Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin meets Wallis Simpson for the first time at a dinner hosted by the King, although Ernest Simpson was also there and Baldwin did not realise the significance of her presence. July 1936: Ernest Simpson, who had been conducting an affair of his own, moves out of the couple's home to his club. August 1936: Wallis Simpson joins the King and other guests for a cruise along the Yugoslav, Greek and Turkish coasts. Photographs of the King and Mrs Simpson together are widely published in the American and continental press, with much speculation about their relationship. Divorce October 1936: Wallis Simpson installed in house rented for her by the King in Regent's Park 20 October 1936: Stanley Baldwin confronts King for the first time over his relationship with Mrs Simpson. He asks him to conduct the affair more discreetly and persuade her to put off her impending divorce proceedings against her husband, to no avail.

Stanley Baldwin played a key role in the abdication crisis 27 October 1936: The Simpsons' divorce case is heard at Ipswich Assizes and a decree nisi is granted. 16 November 1936: King sends for Baldwin. He tells him he wants to marry Mrs Simpson. Baldwin says that whoever the King married would have to become Queen, and the British public would not accept Mrs Simpson as such. The King says he is prepared to abdicate if the government opposes his marriage. 25 November 1936: King meets Baldwin again, telling him he wants a morganatic marriage to Wallis Simpson, in which he could still be King but she would not be Queen, merely his consort. This would require new legislation in both Britain and the Dominions, and although Baldwin tells the King this would not be accepted, the King authorises the prime minister to raise the proposal. Broadcast 27 November 1936: Baldwin raises the issue of a morganatic marriage in the Cabinet, which rejects it outright. It is also then rejected by the governments of the Dominions.

2 December 1936: Baldwin tells the King none of his governments are willing to agree to a morganatic marriage, and that he now has three choices: to finish his relationship with Mrs Simpson, to marry against the advice of his ministers who would then resign, or to abdicate. The couple married in France 3 December 1936: The story breaks in the British press, which is widely disapproving of the prospect of the couple's marriage. Wallis Simpson leaves for France, to escape the furore. The King tells Baldwin he wants to broadcast an appeal to the nation, putting his problem to them. He hopes this might sway public opinion in favour of him marrying and remaining King. Baldwin says such a broadcast would be constitutionally impossible. 9 December 1936: King informs government of irrevocable decision to abdicate. 10 December 1936: King signs Instrument of Abdication, drawn up by his close friend and adviser Sir Walter Monckton. Baldwin announces the news to the Commons. 7) The Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII and Mrs.

Simpson From the French Revolution to World War II Topic: "Majesties and Royal Highnesses" by Laura Cenicola & Mareike Aumann 7) The Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson Contact Edward VIII was born on 23rd of June 1894 and he belonged to the House of Windsor. His father, King George V , died on 20th of January 1936 and so Edward ascended to the throne. His reign didn't last a long time, because he abdicated already eleven month later on 11th of December 1936. Edward, who was then no longer named "King Edward VIII ", but "Duke of Windsor" died on 28th of May 1972. But why did he abdicate? And why is this historical fact called "The Abdication Crisis"? Edward's life: Childhood - Reign - Abdication for love - Marriage Edward's first years: Edward was born in Richmond (England) on 23rd of June 1894. The title he was born into was "His Highness Prince Edward of York".

Edward was the eldest son of King George V and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. His full name was "Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David" - like this he was baptised. When his father became King George V Edward automatically got the titles "Duke of Cornwall" and "Duke of Rothesay" and in addition to that, King George V gave him the titles "Prince of Wales" and "Earl of Chester" as well. Edward in the forces: When Edward was 18 years old the First World War broke out and Edward wanted to join the army and actively do something for his country. He even wanted to serve on the front lines, but he wasn't allowed to, because the life of the heir to the throne shouldn't be jeopardized. Instead, Edward decided to remain active in the Royal Army in other ways and in addition to that he even joined the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, which made him very popular among the people and the veterans in particular. Edward at the age of 35 - still a bachelor: Fort Belvedere: In 1930, Fort Belvedere, a royal residence near Sunningdale, Berkshire was given to Edward by his father King George V .

There Edward began to have love affairs with women - mostly married women. Amongst them was Thelma Furness, born Thelma Morgan, who introduced Edward to her Amercian friend Mrs. Wallis Simpson, born Bessie Wallis Warfield, at a private party in 1931. Mrs. Simpson was already in her second marriage, because the marriage with her former man, Mr. Winfield Spencer, broke down and they got divorced. Mrs. Simpson and Edward then began to have a relationship with each other and the people accepted Mrs. Simpson as Edward's mistress for the time being, although Edward himself didn't want Mrs. Simpson to be called like that. Only Edward's father, King George V , was disgusted to see that his son, the heir to the throne, had that many relationships with married women and that he somehow wasn't able to find an 'appropriate' wife. King George V was even said to have liked it better, if his second son Albert would b ecome King after him instead of Edward. After some years Mrs.

Simpson and Edward spent together having a love affair, they seriously fell in love with each other and it seemed as if nobody could part them ever again, although Mrs. Wallis Simpson was still married to Mr. Ernest Simpson. Please have a look at the video below, showing Edward and Wallis Simpson talking about their first meeting: 1936: Ascendant to the throne - King Edward VIII : On 20th of January 1936, King George V died and so his eldest son Edward began his reign as King Edward VIII . During his reign King Edward travelled a lot - Mrs. Wallis Simpson with him on almost every single trip. In July Ernest Simpson moved out of the still married couple's home and it was found out that he had a love affair with another woman himself as well. The marriage was crumbling. Already a month later, in August, King Edward and Mrs. Wallis Simpson were seen on several journeys along the Turkish, Greek and Yugoslav coasts. Mrs.

Simpson often joined King Edward on his trips, but as it became public that the marriage between Wallis and Ernest Simpson was about to be on the rocks, the people and the government in particular began to speculate about the kind of relationship between Edward and Mrs. Simpson. How was this about to go on? Divorce of Mrs. Wallis Simpson: In October King Edward rented a house for Wallis Simpson, in which she then settled down. The situation got more and more critical, because nobody knew what Edward and his mistress had planned for their future. A few days later, still in October, Stanley Baldwin confronted the King with his relationship to Mrs. Simpson, giving Edward his advice to deal with their relationship more discreetly, because the whole government didn't approve of their affair. Acting in defiance, Mrs. Simpson then declared in public that she planned to get divorced a second time. At the end of October the divorce case 'Simpson' was heard in court and for the time being a decree nisi was granted. Marriage announced - Government in shock: In November King Edward VIII wanted to talk to his favourite adviser and Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and so he invited him to Buckingham Palace.

There Edward announced that he intended to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson. Baldwin, having already expected something like that, told Edward that the people and the members of government in particular wouldn't accept that marriage because of the fact that Mrs. Simpson would automatically become queen of the country. According to Baldwin, the people wouldn't be happy with that woman as their queen and their voice should be heard. Nevertheless Baldwin suggested three options for King Edward VIII : Royal Marriage: Edward and Mrs. Simpson marry each other and she becomes Queen, although everybody seemed to oppose that kind of option. It would have been likely that Edward's ministers resigned if the option of a royal marriage had been chosen. Morganatic Marriage: Edward and Mrs. Simpson marry each other, but Mrs. Simpson does not become Queen and receives another courtesy title instead. Abdication: Edward abdicates and is no longer King. He would then be able to marry Mrs. Simpson without having to think of the opinion of the people and the government anymore.

Since Edward was not only the King of England, but also of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa, the Prime Minister s of these countries had to agree to the possible marriage as well. However, the majority said that they do not see any alternative to option no 3. Edward prepared for exactly that option. Finding the right option: King Edward VIII met with Stanley Baldwin again, in order to tell him his decision: Edward suddenly wanted a morganatic marriage, option no 2. This would have been a great compromise in Edward's eyes: He is able to remain King, but Wallis Simpson would not be Queen - the people and the govenment should feel happy with that option as well. Baldwin then raised the proposal in the Cabinet, but the other Commonwealth countries didn't approve of that idea and so, on 9th of December 1936, King Edward VIII informed the government of his irrevocable decision to abdicate. The next day Edward signed the Instrument of Abdication. King Edward's signature: Mrs. Wallis Simpson and the press: At the beginning of the affair of Edward and Mrs. Simpson the British press remained silent.

All over the world photographs and articles about the relationship were published, but in Britain the silence of the press was maintained. When Edward and Mrs. Simpson announced their plans for a marriage, the newspapers exploded. Mrs. Simpson then left Britain for France as an attempt to escape the sudden attention on her. The general opinion that was spread by the press was that Mrs. Simpson only wanted to marry the King for the love of money or position in society and not for the love of the King as a person. While Edward was quite popular in the overall opinion of his country's people, Mrs. Simpson has always been the 'baddie' who has somehow reached to have complete control over the King. Nobody could really understand why Edward loved that woman - who was not only twice divorced, but also an American! At the beginning of the year 1937 the press published the photo you can see on the right. Edward and Mrs. Simpson visited Germany and were personal guests of Adolf Hitler, who is said to have uttered a sentence like "Mrs. Simpson would have made a good Queen".

She was then accused by the press, the government and finally the British people as well to be a German agent, delivering information to Joachim von Ribbentrop . Furthermore she was even portrayed as a possible Nazi sympathiser. Abdication for love in public: On 11th of December Edward broadcasts his decision on the BBC via radio not only to the British people, but to a worldwide audience. Find the written version of his speech here . Find the spoken version of his speech below. Edward was the first and the only British Monarch so far who abdicated voluntarily. His brother was proclaimed King George VI on 12th of December 1937. Edward's new title then was "Duke of Windsor". He was now able to do whatever he wanted to do as a 'normal Briton'. Marriage - Finally: In May 1937 Mrs. Simpson's decree absolute finally came through. She was then legally understood as a divorced woman who is free to remarry another man. One month later, on 3rd of June 1937, Edward and Wallis marry each other in France.

After such a to and fro, they finally were able to show the whole world their love to each other. Wallis' new title was 'Duchess of Windsor' or just Wallis Warfield, her maiden name. The happy couple spent the rest of their lives living in France. Edward and Wallis remained a married couple until Edward died on 28th of May 1972. Against the gossip of nearly the whole world, the marriage proved to have been a happy one, although even the Royal Family never fully accepted Wallis, who died 14 years later on 24th April 1986. The bodies of Edward and Wallis were returned to Britain and they were buried alongside to each other in the Royal Burial Ground, which is behind the Royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria at Frogmore. One day after Edward's death, this newspaper article was published. Please download the article of the "Chronicle Telegram" (May 29th, 1972) and read it. It is called "Duke of Windsor: Never regretted trading his throne for a divorcee", putting the whole abdication crisis in a nutshell.

BBC News | UK | Abdication: The story so far... Wednesday, 1 March, 2000, 13:35 GMT Abdication: The story so far... Edward abdicated in 1936 so he could marry a divorcee What was the abdication crisis? In January 1936 George V died and his son Edward VIII - the current Queen's uncle - acceded to the throne. "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love" Extract from Edward's abdication speech In November of that year Edward told the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, that he intended to marry Wallis Simpson. She was an American socialite who had been divorced from her second husband only a month previously. But marriage to her was constitutionally impossible. The Church of England, of which the monarch is the head, did not allow divorcees to remarry. There was no precedent for the monarch to marry a commoner. The cabinet made it clear they would not accept it. Yet there was no provision in the British constitution for an abdication, either.

In his abdication speech, Edward said the decision was "his alone" For about a month the elite furiously debated the issue, although according to the mores of the day the press was virtually silent and the public thus unaware of the crisis. Edward decided to go ahead with an abdication, which he did in December 1936. His brother, George VI - the current Queen's father - took over. Who was Sir Walter Monckton? Sir Walter, later Viscount Monckton, was Edward's lawyer and confidant throughout the crisis and in the years immediately afterward. Lord Monckton: Lawyer and confidant He drafted the Instrument of Abdication - the legal document which enabled Edward to stand down. He also acted as go-between between Edward and other major players, including George VI, the Queen Mother, the Queen and Winston Churchill. He gave his archive of documents of this time to his old college, Balliol at Oxford University, in 1950. They were given to the university's Bodleian library in 1974. Most of it was immediately open to the public, but 11 boxes were, in line with Public Record Office policy, restricted for 50 years.

Lord Monckton died in 1965. What happened after the abdication? Upon abdication, Edward and Mrs Simpson were created the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and went to France in voluntary exile. They married in June 1937 and had a whirlwind social life. The Queen Mother was furious that George VI had to become king But the country and the Royal Family was deeply divided by the scandal - the biggest weathered by the monarchy this century. It began a lengthy and bitter feud between Edward, and George and his wife, the current Queen Mother. Shortly afterwards, Lord Monckton broke the news that the new King would no longer take the Duke's telephone calls. The Queen Mother described the Duchess as the "lowest of the low", and reportedly blamed George's premature death in 1952 on the stresses of kingship. The Duchess was not recognised by Buckingham Palace until 1963, when she and Edward returned for a brief visit to Britain. The couple had no children. They both died in Paris - the Duke in 1972, and the Duchess in 1986. What did it have to do with Hitler?

Edward is widely believed to have sympathised with Nazi Germany - but the extent of his involvement with the regime is still hotly debated. The couple are greeted by Hitler in 1937 It is known that the Duke and Duchess met Hitler in Munich in 1937 (while ostensibly on a tour to study housing and social policies). It is also known that Edward sent Hitler at least one telegraph - on August 24, 1939, 10 days before the outbreak of WWII. In that he wrote of "my entirely personal, simple though very earnest appeal for your utmost influence towards a peaceful solution of the present problems". Hitler replied that it depended "upon England whether my wishes for the future development of Anglo-German relations materialises". There has also been speculation about the circumstances in which the couple left France after it fell to Germany in 1940. They lived in the Bahamas from 1940 to 1945, where Edward served as governor. Edward and Mrs Simpson on their wedding day How much did it matter? Opinions vary, though some argue that Edward could have committed treason.

Harold Brooks-Baker, publishing director of Burkes' Peerage, says the whole affair could have had a huge impact on British history. "An association between Great Britain and Nazi Germany would have been disastrous," he said. "I think Wallis saved the crown and to some extent saved Great Britain." Are there more papers to come? One box of the Monckton 11, which had been expected to be opened on Wednesday, was withdrawn until 2037. The couple visited Britain in 1963 It is thought that this may contain the most sensitive documents of all the correspondence, and in particular throw light on the Queen Mother's role in the crisis. Other papers relating to the crisis are closed in various archives until January 2017, others for even longer. The Royal Family remains deeply sensitive about the issue. The Queen Mother has never spoken publicly about it - and Prince Edward did not interview her for his recent television biography, "Edward on Edward". Buckingham Palace has made no comment on the Monckton archive.

Search BBC News Online King Edward VIII Abdicated for Love King Edward VIII Abdicated for Love 1930 - 1939 King Edward VIII Abdicated for Love Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (1896-1986) and the Duke of Windsor (1894-1972) outside Goverment House in Nassau, the Bahamas. (circa 1942). (Photo by Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) By Jennifer Rosenberg Updated August 31, 2016. King Edward VIII did something that monarchs do not have the luxury of doing - he fell in love. King Edward was in love with Mrs. Wallis Simpson, not only an American, but also a married woman already once divorced. However, in order to marry the woman he loved, King Edward was willing to give up the British throne - and he did, on December 10, 1936. To some, this was the love story of the century. To others, it was a scandal that threatened to weaken the monarchy. In reality, the story of King Edward VIII and Mrs.

Wallis Simpson never fulfilled either of these notions; instead, the story is about a prince who wanted to be like everyone else. Prince Edward Growing Up - His Struggle Between Royal and Common King Edward VIII was born Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David on June 23, 1894 to the Duke and Duchess of York (the future King George V and Queen Mary ). His brother Albert was born a year and a half later, soon followed by a sister, Mary, in April 1897. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge Three more brothers followed: Harry in 1900, George in 1902, and John in 1905 (died at age 14 from epilepsy ). Though his parents surely loved Edward, he thought of them as cold and distant. Edward's father was very strict which caused Edward to fear every call to his father's library, since it usually meant punishment. In May 1907, Edward, only 12 years old, was shipped off to the Naval College at Osborne . He was at first teased because of his royal identity, but soon garnered acceptance because of his attempt to be treated like any other cadet.

After Osborne, Edward continued on to Dartmouth in May 1909. Though Dartmouth was also strict, Edward's stay there was less harsh. During the night on May 6, 1910, King Edward VII, Edward's grandfather who had been outwardly loving to Edward, passed away. Thus, Edward's father became king and Edward became the heir to the throne. In 1911, Edward became the twentieth Prince of Wales. Besides having to learn some Welsh phrases, Edward was to wear a particular costume for the ceremony. [W]hen a tailor appeared to measure me for a fantastic costume . . . of white satin breeches and a mantle and surcoat of purple velvet edged with ermine, I decided things had gone too far. . . . [W]hat would my Navy friends say if they saw me in this preposterous rig?1 Though it is surely a natural feeling of teenagers to want to fit in, this feeling continued to grow in the prince.

Prince Edward began to deplore being set on a pedestal or worshipped - anything that treated him as a "person requiring homage."2 As Prince Edward later wrote in his memoirs: And if my association with the village boys at Sandringham and the cadets of the Naval Colleges had done anything for me, it was to make me desperately anxious to be treated exactly like any other boy of my age.3 World War I In August 1914, when Europe became embroiled in World War I , Prince Edward asked for a commission. The request was granted and Edward was soon posted to the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards. The prince. however, was soon to learn that he was not going to be sent to battle. Prince Edward, extremely disappointed, went to argue his case with Lord Kitchener , the Secretary of State for War. In his argument, Prince Edward told Kitchener that he had four younger brothers who could become heir to the throne if he were killed in battle.

While the prince had given a good argument, Kitchener stated that it was not Edward being killed that prevented him from being sent into battle, but rather, the possibility of the enemy taking the prince as prisoner.4 Though posted far from any battle (he was given a position with Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir John French ), the prince did witness some of the horrors of the war. And while he wasn't fighting on the front, Prince Edward won the respect of the common soldier for wanting to be there. Edward Likes Married Women Prince Edward was a very good-looking man. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and a boyish look on his face that lasted his entire life. Yet, for some reason, Prince Edward preferred married women. In 1918, Prince Edward met Mrs. Winifred ("Freda") Dudley Ward . Despite the fact that they were about the same age (23), Freda had been married for five years when they met. For 16 years, Freda was Prince Edward's mistress. Edward also had a long-time relationship with Viscountess Thelma Furness.

On January 10, 1931, Lady Furness hosted a party at her country house, Burrough Court, where, in addition to Prince Edward, Mrs. Wallis Simpson and her husband Ernest Simpson were invited. It was at this party the two first met. Prince Edward was soon to be infatuated with Mrs. Simpson; however, she didn't make a big impression on Edward at their first meeting. Mrs. Wallis Simpson Becomes Edward's Only Mistress Four months later, Edward and Mrs. Wallis Simpson met again and seven months after that the prince had dinner over at the Simpson's house (staying until 4 a.m.). And though Wallis was a frequent guest of Prince Edward's for the next two years, she was not yet the only woman in Edward's life. In January 1934, Thelma Furness made a trip to the United States, entrusting Prince Edward to the care of Wallis in her absence. Upon Thelma's return, she found that she was no longer welcome in Prince Edward's life - even her phone calls were refused. Four months later, Mrs. Dudley Ward was similarly cut out of the prince's life. Mrs.

Wallis Simpson was then the prince's single mistress. Who Was Mrs. Wallis Simpson? Mrs. Wallis Simpson has become an emotional figure in history. Along with this, many descriptions of her personality and motives for being with Edward have caused some extremely negative descriptions; the nicer onces range from witch to seductress. So who really was Mrs. Wallis Simpson? Mrs. Wallis Simpson was born Wallis Warfield on June 19, 1896 in Maryland, United States. Though Wallis came from a distinguished family in the United States, in the United Kingdom being an American was not highly regarded. Unfortunately, Wallis's father died when she was only five months old and left no money; thus his widow was forced to live off the charity given to her by her late husband's brother. As Wallis grew into a young woman, she was not necessarily considered pretty.5 However, Wallis had a sense of style and pose that made her distinguished and attractive. She had radiant eyes, good complexion and fine, smooth black hair which she kept parted down the middle for most of her life.

Wallis' First and Second Marriages On November 8, 1916 Wallis Warfield married Lieutenant Earl Winfield ("Win") Spencer, a pilot for the U.S. Navy. The marriage was reasonably good until the end of World War I, as it was with many ex-soldiers who became bitter at the inconclusiveness of the war and had difficulty adapting back to civilian life. After the armistice, Win began to drink heavily and also became abusive. Wallis eventually left Win and lived six years by herself in Washington. Win and Wallis weren't yet divorced and when Win begged her to rejoin him, this time in China where he had been posted in 1922, she went. Things seemed to be working out until Win started drinking again. This time Wallis left him for good and sued for a divorce, which was granted in December 1927. In July 1928, only six months after her divorce, Wallis married Ernest Simpson, who worked in the family shipping business. After their marriage, they settled down in London. It was with her second husband that Wallis was invited to social parties and invited to Lady Furness's house where she first met Prince Edward.

Who Seduced Whom? While many blame Mrs. Wallis Simpson for seducing the prince, it seems rather more likely that she was herself seduced by the glamor and power of being close to the heir of Britain's throne. At first, Wallis was just glad to have become included in the prince's circle of friends. According to Wallis, it was in August 1934 that their relationship became more serious. During that month, the prince took a cruise on Lord Moyne's yacht, the Rosaura. Although both Simpsons were invited, Ernest Simpson could not accompany his wife on the cruise because of a business trip to the United States. It was on this cruise, Wallis stated, that she and the prince "crossed the line that marks the indefinable boundary between friendship and love."6 Prince Edward became increasingly infatuated with Wallis. But did Wallis love Edward? Again, many people have said that she did not and that she was a calculating woman who either wanted to be queen or who wanted money. It seems more probable that while she was not infatuated with Edward, she loved him.

Edward Becomes King At five minutes to midnight on January 20, 1936, King George V, Edward's father, passed away. Upon King George V's death, Prince Edward became King Edward VIII. To many, Edward's grief over his father's death seemed much greater than the grieving of his mother or his siblings. Though death affects people differently, Edward's grief might have been greater for his father's death also signified his acquisition of the throne, complete with the responsibilities and eminence that he deplored. King Edward VIII didn't win many supporters at the beginning of his reign. His first act as the new king was to order the Sandringham clocks , which were always a half an hour fast, set to the correct time. This symbolized to many a king who was to deal with the trivial and who rejected his father's work. Still, the government and the people of Great Britain had high hopes for King Edward. He had seen war, traveled the world, been to every part of the British empire , seemed sincerely interested in social problems, and had a good memory. So what went wrong? Many things. First, Edward wanted to change many of the rules and become a modern monarch.

Unfortunately, this caused Edward to distrust many of his advisors because he saw them as symbols and perpetuators of the old order. He dismissed many of them. Also, in an effort to reform and curb monetary excesses, he cut the salaries of many royal staff employees to an extreme degree. Employees became unhappy. The king also began to be late or cancel appointments and events at the last minute. State papers that were sent to him were not protected, some statesmen worried that German spies had access to these papers. At first these papers were returned promptly, but soon it would be weeks before they were returned, some of which had obviously not even been looked at. Wallis Distracted the King One of the main reasons he was late or canceled events was because of Mrs. Wallis Simpson. His infatuation with her had grown so extreme that he was severely distracted from his State duties. Some thought she might be a German spy handing State papers over to the German government. The relationship between King Edward and Mrs. Wallis Simpson came to an impasse when the king received a letter from Alexander Hardinge, the king's private secretary, that warned him that the press would not remain silent much longer and that the government might resign en masse if this continued.

King Edward was faced with three options: give up Wallis, keep Wallis and government would resign, or abdicate and give up the throne. Since King Edward had decided that he wanted to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson (he told Walter Monckton that he had decided to marry her as early as 1934), he had little choice but to abdicate.7 King Edward VIII Abdicates Whatever her original motives, until the end, Mrs. Wallis Simpson didn't mean for the king to abdicate. Yet the day soon came when King Edward VIII was to sign the papers that would end his rule. At 10 a.m.

on December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII, surrounded by his three surviving brothers, signed the six copies of the Instrument of Abdication: I, Edward the Eighth, of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Emperor of India, do hereby declare My irrevocable determination to renounce the Throne for Myself and for My descendants, and My desire that effect should be given to this Instrument of Abdication immediately.8 The Duke and Duchess of Windsor At the moment of King Edward VIII's abdication, his brother Albert, the next in line for the throne, became King George VI (Albert was the father of Queen Elizabeth II ). On the same day as the abdication, King George VI bestowed upon Edward the family name of Windsor. Thus, Edward became the Duke of Windsor and when he married, Wallis became the Duchess of Windsor. Mrs. Wallis Simpson sued for a divorce from Ernest Simpson, which was granted, and Wallis and Edward married in a small ceremony on June 3, 1937.

To Edward's great sorrow, he received a letter on the eve of his wedding from King George VI stating that by abdicating, Edward was no longer entitled to the tile "Royal Highness." But, out of generosity for Edward, King George was going to allow Edward the right to hold that title, but not his wife or any children. This greatly pained Edward for the rest of his life, for it was a slight to his new wife. After the abdication, the Duke and Duchess were exiled from Great Britain. Although a number of years had not been established for the exile, many believed it would only last a few years; instead, it lasted their entire lives. Royal family members shunned the couple. The Duke and Duchess lived out most of their lives in France with the exception of a short term in the Bahamas as governor. Edward passed away on May 28, 1972, a month shy of his 78th birthday. Wallis lived for 14 more years, many of which were spent in bed, secluded from the world. She passed away on April 24, 1986, two months shy of 90. 1.

Christopher Warwick, Abdication (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1986) 29. 2. Warwick, Abdication 30. Documents reveal how Queen Elizabeth's uncle Edward VIII wanted to regain throne after his abdication | Daily Mail Online comments How very different it might all have been. Instead of celebrating the 60th anniversary of her coronation tomorrow, the Queen might be reviewing a very different life. For a sinister palace conspiracy was secretly hatched to try to stop her becoming sovereign in the years before the death of her father, George VI. At the heart of this sensational plot was her uncle - the former Edward VIII, who had abdicated in shame in 1936. Scroll down for video Secret plot: Elizabeth could have been usurped by her uncle if a plot for him to return as Regent had been carried out The plan was a simple one. The Duke of Windsor, as he was titled after giving up the throne, would return to Britain to become Regent - on the grounds that his niece (in her early 20s) was too young to reign. Once on the throne again, it would be difficult to dislodge him.

Looked at with the benefit of hindsight, such an idea now seems outrageous and implausible - yet it might have worked. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share For during the late-Forties, when the plot began to form, paranoia reigned at Buckingham Palace. The old guard who surrounded George VI were appalled at the thought that the apple of his eye, his elder daughter Princess Elizabeth, was in love with a penniless Greek princeling called Philip. Even more unsettling was the suspected powerful influence of Philip’s fiendishly ambitious uncle, Earl Mountbatten, and the threat that he could become the new power behind the Throne. The House of Windsor was at a low ebb. The King, battered by the years of war, had been negligent about his health and, according to Winston Churchill, was ‘walking with death’.

Monarch: The Queen is still carrying out public duties 60 years after her Coronation Figurehead: Yesterday she visited the Royal Horse Artillery in Woolwich Barracks Lord Moran, Churchill’s physician, agreed in 1949: ‘Even if the King recovers he can scarcely live more than a year.’ On his death, he would be succeeded by Elizabeth, a young woman who was considered vulnerable to Philip, and through him, Mountbatten. It was feared that after Philip married the princess and she became Queen, ‘Dickie’ Mountbatten planned for his nephew to be pronounced King, or King Consort. Certainly, the old sea-dog could barely conceal his glee at the prospect of the British Royal Family, known since 1917 as the House of Windsor, having to call themselves the House of Mountbatten after the couple’s marriage. Princess Marina, widow of the Duke of Kent, spoke for many in the royal circle when she warned that the Mountbattens were ‘dangerous people... determined to be the power behind the Throne when Elizabeth succeeds’. And so, as the King ailed, pandemonium reigned.

The most influential figure at court, Sir Alan ‘Tommy’ Lascelles, the King’s Private Secretary, joined forces with the Master of the Household, Joey Legh, in bitter objection to Philip as a future consort. They were joined by the King’s closest male friends - Lord Eldon, the Marquess of Salisbury, and Lord Stanley. Also voicing disdain of the young naval officer was the King’s brother-in-law, David Bowes-Lyon. Plot: The Queen could have been usurped by her uncle the Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated as King Edward VIII after less than a year on the throne to be with his future wife Wallis Simpson (right, on their wedding day) ‘They were all bloody to him,’ recalls one of Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting. Mountbatten’s daughter Patricia, now Countess Mountbatten in her own right, confirmed: ‘The old brigade really thought he could be a dangerous influence [on Elizabeth].’ Indeed, even those closest to Elizabeth had caught the anti-Mountbatten fever.

Her Comptroller and devoted servant, the war hero ‘Boy’ Browning, warned: ‘Remember Dickie - he’d always rather do something under the table than above.’ And to a visitor to Elizabeth and Philip, briefly resident in Malta, Browning begged they ensured ‘Princess Elizabeth isn’t bossed about by Dickie’. If many courtiers feared for the Royal Family’s future, they also feared for their own. With the King at death’s door, they had to come up with something. Their solution was a compromise: to appoint a Regent, rather than allowing the throne to go direct to Elizabeth, the rightful heir. This risky idea had been discussed in 1936 in the terror-filled days and nights preceding the Abdication. With Edward VIII on the brink of stepping down from the throne, when his younger brother Bertie - then Duke of York - was told he would have to be King, he cried on his mother’s shoulder. Anniversary: The Queen celebrates 60 years since her Coronation tomorrow A rumour circulated that he was suffering falling-down fits brought on by anxiety; another that he was made to undergo psychological tests to assess his fitness to rule.

Weighing up Bertie’s suitability to be King, senior courtiers did not like what they saw. They judged that the combination of a headstrong king in Edward VIII, followed by a weak one, could risk putting an end to the monarchy in Britain. While researching an obscure file in Britain’s National Archives some years ago, I uncovered evidence that those self-same men, far from accepting Bertie as the only candidate - as official histories have it - had discussed putting Queen Mary, his mother, on the throne as Queen Regent. This fact lay hidden in a report composed by a senior civil servant, Sir Horace Wilson. The evidence is contained on a flimsy piece of paper bearing a single sentence written in an anonymous hand. It states coldly: ‘Suggested that Queen Mary should be appointed Queen Regent until the divorce and the Abdication should be over.’ But the Regency plan never took off and Bertie became King, as George VI. Now, at the end of his reign, the men in tailcoats and stiff white collars were back with the same idea.

Enter the sinister figure of Kenneth de Courcy, who during the Thirties had been a confidant of Cabinet ministers and a dining companion of the future Edward VIII. He was an inveterate plotter and full of intrigue. After the Abdication, he spent time in Paris with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, where he brought the latest gossip from Buckingham Palace: about the King’s health, concerns about Philip, the fear and loathing for Mountbatten. Fears: Members of the Royal court were worried the Mountbatten family would control Elizabeth through her husband Philip And gradually the plot evolved. For the next three years, de Courcy encouraged the rudderless Windsors to think about a future back in England - a future at the top of the tree. Already, the Duke had started to badger Ministers and the Palace for a high-profile job, highlighting his pre-Abdication popularity with the nation and his powerful international contacts. It was never going to happen. And maybe that reality was slowly beginning to dawn on him, to the extent that he could seriously entertain the idea of usurping his niece - and connive at a scheme so dastardly it was worthy of the Tudor court.

De Courcy’s plan was simple. The Palace was in turmoil, fearing the coming Mountbatten juggernaut, and all too ready to consider playing the Regent card. Yes, they could turn to Queen Mary as they had thought of doing back in 1936 - but by now the German-born former Princess May of Teck had passed her 80th birthday and was looking a remote and anachronistic figure, too haughty to be in tune with post-war Britain. The list of alternative candidates for Regent was very short. Nobody seriously entertained the idea of Windsor’s younger brother the Duke of Gloucester, a giggling toper who was something of a national joke. And there were no other close members of the family. So all the Duke of Windsor had to do was play his cards right — and the job could be his. Young Queen: The Duke of Windsor and his allies hoped to play on the fact Elizabeth was only in her 20s when she ascended the throne Windsor wrote to de Courcy in March 1946, ‘ ...the subject we discussed in Paris...

it certainly is a situation of great delicacy but, at the same time, one in which it would seem I hold fifty percent of the bargaining power. ‘For obvious reasons, I prefer to say no more to you in this letter but look forward to another talk with you when there is the opportunity. As you say, it needs very careful thought.’ Another letter followed - this time from the Duchess: ‘We are always turning things around and around in our heads,’ she wrote. ‘There’s no doubt something must be done - perhaps a good thunderstorm would clear the air. Anyway I can’t sit by and see the Duke wasted.’ In the spring of 1949, George VI lay in bed in Buckingham Palace following an operation to cut a nerve at the base of his spine. The procedure was designed to counteract the arteriosclerosis he suffered as a result of too much stress, and too many cigarettes. De Courcy had secured all the latest court gossip and was eager to impart it to the Duchess, telling her: ‘The King is gravely ill and out of circulation and he will not be in circulation again... he faces the fearful tragedy of losing first one leg and then the other.

The King will be able to do extremely little and moreover that those around him will gain greater and greater power. Mountbattens: Courtiers were worried about the influence of Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten ‘I may tell you most confidentially that a Regency has already been discussed and it seems likely enough that presently [a Regent] will be appointed.’ De Courcy foresaw a lengthy period when the King would remain alive - but could not appear in public. ‘I do not think it too much to say that if the Regency should be one primarily influenced by the Mountbattens, the consequences for the [Windsor] dynasty might be fateful,’ he wrote to the Duke and Duchess, echoing the word spreading through the corridors of Buckingham Palace. ‘The Mountbattens, thoroughly well-informed of the situation, will do everything in their power to increase their influence.’ Now de Courcy outlined the details of his plot, advising the Windsors: ‘While in this case the Duke is of course not concerned with winning the Crown, he could be concerned in something even more important than that, namely, in laying entirely fresh foundation-stones in the place of those which are now endangered...

none of this can be done without extremely careful and painstaking work. ‘The King is suffering from a grievous malady which is incurable, it has spread over his whole body.’ His message to the Duke of Windsor was clear and unequivocal - NOW is the time to move if you want to become Regent. In a further letter to the Duchess, de Courcy urged: ‘The Duke could, in these difficult circumstances, be a decisive influence for good - making it absolutely impossible for the Mountbattens to become the decisive political and social influence upon the Regency and the future Monarch.’ This was surely treasonable talk - encouraging a failed monarch to wrest the crown from his young niece who, by rights, should be Queen. He did not say how long he thought the Duke, as regent, might be able to hang on to the throne should it come his way - Elizabeth, after all, was the rightful heir and one day Windsor would have to make way for her - but in the heady atmosphere of plot and counterplot, that detail was seemingly ignored as unimportant.

Crowning: The Queen's Coronation was on June 2, 1953 De Courcy then told the Windsors how to go about securing their prize by softening up public opinion: ‘I should like to see you and the Duke buy an agricultural property somewhere near London, and the Duke devote a good deal of his time to experimental farming on the most advanced modern lines. This would make a great appeal to the country.’ He also advised against any behaviour that might be interpreted as him being a ‘playboy’. He concluded: ‘I venture to say that if this advice were followed, the results would be remarkable.’ And, if the advice HAD been followed, who knows? The Palace establishment was wobbling, their hatred for the Windsors matched only by their loathing for the Mountbattens. In Downing Street, Prime Minister Clement Attlee was a man completely unversed in the Machiavellian ways of the royal court — so no advice or lead could be expected from that quarter. There was nobody, apparently, equipped to stop the Duke of Windsor should he make an appeal to the country, and find the country willing to take him back.

Diamond Jubilee: The Queen celebrated 60 years as the monarch last year It was the tipping-point. But true to his nature, the Duke prevaricated, then did nothing. And within weeks, the King was on the road to a recovery and would remain on the throne sufficiently long for the nay-sayers to finally get used to the idea of Prince Philip. What stopped the Duke making his play for the Throne? A loss of nerve? Or had he grown to love the fleshpots of New York, Palm Beach and the Cote d’Azur too much? Whatever the truth - and a brief visit to London didn’t help because it reminded the Duke how bloody awful the British weather could be - there was no coup, no usurpation. Had the Duke of Windsor successfully won the Regency, it’s fair to suppose Queen Elizabeth II would not be celebrating the 60th anniversary of her Coronation tomorrow. As it is, she, and the British people, had a lucky escape. For the alternative would inevitably have involved a titanic power-struggle for the Throne which could have risked the future of the monarchy in Britain.

No further correspondence between the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and their co-conspirator is yet available to the public - though, tantalisingly, one tranche of the de Courcy papers I uncovered in the Hoover Institution at California’s Stanford University remains under lock and key. Maybe there, in a dusty archive, is an explanation from the Duke as to why he never challenged history - and just let it slide by. Edward VIII abdicates - Dec 11, 1936 - HISTORY.com Edward VIII abdicates Publisher A+E Networks 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 1894, 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. Related Videos The History Place - Great Speeches Collection: Edward VIII Speech - Abdicating the Throne Edward VIII (1894-1972) became King of England upon the death of his father, George V, on January 20, 1936. Nearly 42-years-old and a bachelor, Edward then made known his desire to marry an American woman named Wallis Warfield Simpson, whom he had known since 1931. He sought the approval of his family, the Church of England, and the political establishment to marry her, but met with strong opposition.

She had been married twice before and her second divorce was still pending. The love affair and possible royal marriage resulted in sensational newspaper headlines around the world and created a storm of controversy, but did not sway Edward. On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII submitted his abdication and it was endorsed by Parliament the next day. He thus became the only British monarch ever to resign voluntarily. The speech below is from December 11th, when Edward publicly announced his decision via radio to a worldwide audience. His younger brother, George VI, took the throne and immediately gave Edward the title, Duke of Windsor. The Duke and Simpson were married in France on June 3, 1937 and lived in Paris. During World War II, Edward served as governor of the Bahamas. He died in Paris on May 28, 1972. His wife died there, April 24, 1986. At long last I am able to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak.

A few hours ago I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor, and now that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart. You all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne. But I want you to understand that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the empire, which, as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to serve. But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love. And I want you to know that the decision I have made has been mine and mine alone. This was a thing I had to judge entirely for myself. The other person most nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course. I have made this, the most serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought of what would, in the end, be best for all.

This decision has been made less difficult to me by the sure knowledge that my brother, with his long training in the public affairs of this country and with his fine qualities, will be able to take my place forthwith without interruption or injury to the life and progress of the empire. And he has one matchless blessing, enjoyed by so many of you, and not bestowed on me -- a happy home with his wife and children. During these hard days I have been comforted by her majesty my mother and by my family. The ministers of the crown, and in particular, Mr. Baldwin, the Prime Minister, have always treated me with full consideration. There has never been any constitutional difference between me and them, and between me and Parliament. Bred in the constitutional tradition by my father, I should never have allowed any such issue to arise. Ever since I was Prince of Wales, and later on when I occupied the throne, I have been treated with the greatest kindness by all classes of the people wherever I have lived or journeyed throughout the empire. For that I am very grateful. I now quit altogether public affairs and I lay down my burden.

It may be some time before I return to my native land, but I shall always follow the fortunes of the British race and empire with profound interest, and if at any time in the future I can be found of service to his majesty in a private station, I shall not fail. And now, we all have a new King. I wish him and you, his people, happiness and prosperity with all my heart. God bless you all! God save the King! Edward VIII - December 11, 1936 Today in Media History: Radio stations broadcast the 1936 abdication speech of King Edward VIII – Poynter By David Shedden • December 11, 2014 On this date in 1936, Edward VIII , King of Great Britain, abdicated his throne. Radio stations around the world broadcast his farewell speech . He began with these words: "At long last I am able to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak.

A few hours ago I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor , and now that I have been succeeded by my brother, The Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart. You all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the Throne. But I want you to understand that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the Empire which as Prince of Wales, and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to serve. But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love." The speech as broadcast by BBC radio: Here is a story excerpt from the New York Herald Tribune: "King Edward VIII renounced his throne today because the vast empire over which he had ruled for only ten months refused to let him take Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson, of Baltimore, as his Queen.

The King announced his 'irrevocable decision' to abdicate and named his eldest brother the Duke of York, as his successor in a dramatic message which was read to both Houses of Parliament this afternoon." In addition to hearing the news on radio, or reading it in print, viewers could also watch newsreel footage at their local movie theater.

Question: In which month of 1936 did King Edward VIII, abdicate?
Answer: DECEMBER