Edward VIII
Abdicated British King
Prince Edward took his royal duties seriously yet also liked to play hard as well. Edward was certainly more charismatic than his father, or indeed any of his brothers. As heir to the throne Edward made extensive tours of the British Empire often on board the imposing battlecruiser HMS Hood. Edward also made plenty of royal visits within Great Britain itself. The British visits demonstrated that the prince was concerned about the social and economic plight of his future subjects. Prior to becoming king Edward had a series of mistresses yet had not shown any signs of getting married. The woman he decided to marry would cause his short reign to end.
A Young King
In 1936 Edward VIII was only 41, a relatively young age to become king. He showed every sign of taking his increased regal duties seriously. Edward was concerned about the impact the Great Depression was having upon his subjects in the most deprived industrial areas of Great Britain, and publicly spoke of such concerns. For instance after visiting coal – mining areas of North Wales the king said that something needed to be done. The British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin reached the same conclusion about making the new king keep out of politics. The desire of Edward VIII to marry a wealthy American divorcee, Wallis Simpson gave Baldwin the opportunity he was looking for to prevent royal interference with his government.
Forced Out
Edward VIII was to be forced from the throne because Stanley Baldwin and the Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang argued that as king he could not actually marry a divorcee and remain as the Head of the Church of England. Outside of the United Kingdom itself the media widely reported that Edward VIII wished to marry Wallis Simpson. However for much of 1936 the British general public were completely unaware of the coming Constitutional crisis. Legally there was no reason why Edward VIII could not remain king after marrying Wallis Simpson.
Despite having strong public backing from politicians such as Winston Churchill, Edward decided to abdicate on the 10 December 1936 in favour of his brother Albert, who became George VI. Edward went into exile, and was created the Duke of Windsor. Baldwin would later argue that the abdication was a good thing for Great Britain as Edward was alleged to have had strong pro-Nazi political opinions.
Bibliography
Ashley M, (2002) A Brief History of British Kings & Queens, Robinson, London
Gardiner & Wenborn (1995) The History Today Companion to British History,Collins and Brown Ltd, London
Morgan K O, (1993) The Oxford Popular History of Britain, Oxford University Press Roberts J.M, (1996) A History of Europe, Penguin, London
Wilson A N, (2006) After the Victorians, Arrow, London
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