Abdication of Edward VIII: The Times Report

This report on the abdication of Edward VIII appeared in The Times on December 11, 1936. Edward, who had been king of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for less than a year, reasoned that his intention to marry an American divorcee, Mrs Wallis Simpson, had made it impossible for him to continue as king. In the months leading up to this moment there had been no mention in the press of the king’s involvement with Mrs Simpson. The relationship only became public with the announcement of the abdication. The government, led by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, opposed any notion of a marriage, and so the king abdicated in favour of his brother, the Duke of York. Edward became Duke of Windsor and married Mrs Simpson in June 1937. A “morganatic marriage”, as mentioned in the piece, refers to a marriage in which neither the spouse nor the children can inherit. In this case Edward had explored with Baldwin the idea that he would retain the throne after his marriage, but that his wife and any heirs would be unable to rule after him.