Essay: King Edward VIII’s desire to marry and abdication

The English monarchy has undergone many changes since it started in the fifth century.  England, once known as Britannia, was part of the Roman Empire until the Romans left the area around 400 AD.  England was then divided into many kingdoms, each ruled by its own King. Many conflicts later, England was ruled by one King who had absolute power over the land and determined the fate of its people.  For centuries, power struggles led to rebellions and uprisings, because ruling a kingdom was an honor so few people would ever achieve.  Most people in England lived in poverty, but the Kings, Queens and their families truly lived extravagant lifestyles.  It was a privilege to have the birthright of becoming the next ruler of England.  Most people would be willing to die for this position.  However, there is one ruler of England, King Edward VIII, who felt differently and voluntarily renounced the throne.  King Edward VIII’s desire to marry Wallis Simpson led to turmoil in the United Kingdom causing him to abdicate the throne in the 1930s.
Early Life of King Edward VIII
King Edward VIII was born on June 23, 1894 and was the first born son of King George V and Queen Mary of Teck.  Edward had four younger brothers and one sister.  Ironically, Edward’s father, King George V, was not first in line for the throne.  His older brother, Prince
Albert Victor, never became King because he died from influenza.  Prince Albert was already engaged to Mary of Teck at the time of his death.  After his passing, the Royal family still believed Mary of Teck was worthy of becoming Queen, so her marriage to Prince George V was arranged.  As Edward grew up, he was constantly being groomed for his future role as King.  He attended the Royal Naval College and later was given the title, Prince of Wales.
In his early twenties, Edward became more and more popular with England’s commoners.  He was sympathetic and appeared to care about the lower classes.  He was good-looking and outgoing.  Edward attended many royal functions and served as an ambassador of England.  He toured England’s dominions which were semi-independent territories under England’s control.  These lands included Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and Australia.  Edward attracted people’s attention wherever he went.  During this time, Edward should have been preparing himself for marriage and producing heirs to the throne.  However, he enjoyed his status as a handsome, single man too much.  During this era, young women were expected to live a life of chastity until marriage, which conflicted with Edward’s lifestyle.  He found himself attracted to older, married women.  There is some belief that Edward’s mother was not very maternal towards him, and he sought the attention of older women to replace these feelings missing from his childhood.  Edward was in love three times during his life.  Unfortunately, they were all married women.  Edward was twenty-one years old when he had a three year affair with Lady Coke who was in her early thirties.  During World War I, he met his second love, Freda Dudley Ward.  They met accidentally while hiding in a basement during an air raid.  This chance meeting led to a multi-year affair, until Edward was almost thirty-eight years old.
In May 1932, he met the true love of his life, Wallis Warfield Simpson, through his relationship with Freda Dudley Ward.  Wallis was from the United States and was married to her second husband when she met Edward.  This relationship caused significant concerns for his parents.  Edward was not discreet about Wallis like he was with his previous affairs.  He was very willing to be with Wallis in public situations.  Edward’s parents did not approve of his behavior and choice of married women.  Rightfully so, they did not feel it was appropriate conduct for a future king and believed Edward was acting immaturely.  Instead, Edward should have been focused on marriage and producing an heir, which is critical to continue the line of succession.  On January 20, 1936, King George V died from health complications, and Edward became King Edward VIII.  His bachelor status now became an immediate problem for the United Kingdom.
King Edward VIII’s Decision to Marry Leads to Turmoil
King Edward VIII was extremely conflicted about his situation with Wallis now that he was King.  It is believed he actually decided to marry Wallis Simpson in 1934, two years prior to him becoming King.  However, Wallis Simpson was still married at that time.  Even if she divorced, it would be a problem for them to marry.  King Edward VIII’s private secretary, Alexander Hardinge, wrote him a letter warning of three important issues if Wallis Simpson was granted a divorce.  In Britain, the press would no longer choose to be discreet about printing stories involving their affair.  The second issue was that the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, and other government ministers were threatening to resign.  Finally, Hardinge suggested Wallis Simpson leave the United Kingdom to let the scandal settle.  However, there are also religious concerns in addition to political ones.
The King has an important role in the Church of England.  “The Sovereign is not, as is sometimes thought, Head of the Church, but is bound by an Act of Settlement of 1701 to be a member of the Church of England, and is officially designated ‘Defender of Faith’” (Donaldson 112).  At that time, divorce was not accepted by the Church of England.  This would interfere with King Edward VIII’s plan to marry Wallis Simpson.   He would also be in direct conflict with his ‘Defender of Faith’ role.  How can King Edward VIII assume this responsibility if he does not follow the Church’s rulings himself?
The British people, who once adored King Edward VIII, were also becoming frustrated by his actions.  The American papers had been publishing stories of the affair for months, so King Edward VIII’s actions were still well known to the public.  However, now that he was King, the British papers were going to begin writing their own stories about the affair.  This was concerning the citizens, because it would bring shame and dishonor to not only the Royal family, but also to the entire country.
King Edward VIII’s Insistence to Marry Wallis Simpson
Donaldson writes that King Edward VIII felt “Mrs. Simpson was the only woman in the world and I cannot live without her” (117).  His firm belief of marrying Wallis created three options for his dilemma.   First, King Edward VIII could pursue an official royal marriage where Wallis would become Queen.  The second option was a morganatic marriage where King Edward VIII would remain King, but Wallis would not become Queen.  She would receive a lower ranking title, and any of their children would not be heirs to the throne.  The last option was for King Edward VIII to abdicate or renounce his right to the throne.  In November 1936, King Edward VIII began negotiating how to resolve this crisis with Prime Minister Baldwin.
The first option of a royal marriage was not a realistic option.  “The 1772 Royal Marriages Act requires members of the Royal family to obtain permission from the Sovereign to marry” (British Royal Family History).  The British Prime Minister and most of the leaders of the British dominions were opposed to the idea of Wallis Simpson becoming Queen.  If King Edward VIII pursued a royal marriage, Attorney General Sir Somervell stated “it would be unconstitutional for the King to marry contrary to the advice of his ministers” (Donaldson 129).  The marriage would not be recognized.  King Edward VIII initially wished for a morganatic marriage.  He was hoping to remain King but was willing to give Wallis Simpson a lesser title.  The Prime Minister did not support this idea either.  Other government officials felt it may be an option and asked King Edward VIII to delay his marriage to Wallis Simpson until one year after his Coronation.  They were hoping the public would change their mind and accept her in the future.  King Edward VIII realized a morganatic marriage would not work.  This option would still conflict with the ‘Defender of Faith’ role he would have once the Coronation ceremony was performed.  Therefore, if King Edward VIII truly wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, the only option he had was to abdicate the throne.  By early December, King Edward VIII made his decision and informed the Prime Minister.  King Edward VIII announced his abdication to the public by a radio address on December 10, 1936, and Parliament ratified his decision the following day.  During his speech, King Edward VIII stated “I have for twenty-five years tried to serve.  But as 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” (Edgar 92).
King Edward VIII’s decision to abdicate forever impacted his relationship with his mother, Queen Mary.  Although she continued to love him as a mother loves her children, she was humiliated by his decision.  “All my life I have put my Country before everything else”
(Donaldson 130).  Queen Mary dedicated her life to doing what was in the best interest of the Monarchy, even if it meant she had to make sacrifices.  She never understood why King Edward VIII could not do the same.
Life after Abdication
As soon as King Edward VIII delivered his radio address that famous night, he left for France to meet Wallis Simpson.  Edward’s Instrument of Abdication was ratified by Parliament the next morning, making his next oldest brother, Prince Albert, King George VI.  His very first act as the new King was to name Edward, His Royal Highness Duke of Windsor.  King George VI also made sure Edward would receive an annual income, but it came with conditions.  Edward agreed to seek the permission of both the Monarchy and the current government whenever he wanted to visit the United Kingdom.  For awhile, Edward mistakenly believed living in France would be temporary, but he and Wallis lived in partial exile.  Edward really wanted to return to the United Kingdom to serve as a consultant under King George VI.
Wallis Simpson was eventually granted her divorce.  Edward and Wallis married in France on June 3, 1937, but none of his family attended.  They never had children but were happily married for thirty-five years.  They spent most of their time living in France, but Edward
had various careers.  When World War II began, Edward was a liaison officer with the French, but he and Wallis relocated to Spain after the Germans captured France.  The Duke was later appointed the Governor of the Bahamas, so he and the Duchess lived there for almost five years.  Edward became an author, writing his memoir “A King’s Story”.  The Duke and Duchess were invited back together to Britain only one time for an official royal event.  The current Queen Elizabeth II invited both Edward and Wallis to attend a dedication ceremony for Queen Mary,
Edward’s Mother.  After that visit, Edward and Wallis spent their remaining days in France, where Edward died from throat cancer on May 29, 1972.  He and Wallis are buried at Windsor Castle in England.
In conclusion, King Edward VIII made the ultimate sacrifice to marry the woman he loved.  His reign lasted only 326 days, and he never officially had the Coronation ceremony.  Unfortunately, he is best known for voluntarily abandoning his royal duty to serve as King.  His selfishness to follow his heart caused further heartbreak and damage to his relationship with his family.  If he had chosen to ignore the wishes of the Sovereign leaders, his actions would have caused a major conflict in the government.  In addition, unnecessary turmoil was brought to the Church of England by Edward’s insistence to marry a divorced woman, which went against centuries of religious teachings.  In the end, Edward’s decision to abdicate did not ultimately change the future of the Monarchy.  Since he and Wallis never had children, Queen Elizabeth II would have become Queen anyway.  Instead of taking her place in history in 1952 upon King George VI’s death, she would have become Queen when her uncle, King Edward died.