Edward VIII (1894-1972), the later Duke of Windsor, ascended the throne on January 20, 1936 and abdicated on December 11, 1936, serving as the King of England for a total of 325 days. This king who abdicated due to marriage issues is the only king in British history to automatically abdicate. The reason for his abdication has always been confusing. Some people say that it was simply because he married Mrs. Simpson and was opposed by the British church and government. Some people also say that Mrs. Simpson has a close relationship with the Nazis, and Edward VIII himself sympathizes with the Nazis, etc.
1894 On June 23, 1894, the first son of King George V of England, Edward was born. Because he was the eldest son of his father, Edward received strict education since he was a child and studied at the Royal Naval Academy of Osborne and Oxford University . In 1910, Edward was named " Prince of Wales ", which has always been the title of the British Crown Prince. In 1914, World War I broke out, and Edward, who had just turned 18, strongly demanded to serve on the front line. Soon, he came to France as a staff officer. After the end of World War I, Edward began to visit various countries as the British crown prince. He became the first British crown prince to visit China and also met with the last emperor Puyi in Zhangyuan, Tianjin.
Just when Edward was training outside, his grandmother, Queen Mother Dra and mother, , Queen Mary, , had already begun to find a lifelong partner for him. In fact, Edward was also dating many girls at this time, but he had not met the girl he loved at first sight. In the winter of 1930, Edward met Mrs. Simpson at a banquet held by his friend Mrs. Fleus. As described in many romance novels, the second glance determines the love that lasts a lifetime, Edward and Mrs. Simpson quickly fall in love. To be fair, Edward and Mrs. Simpson are not compatible. Edward is the future king of England and the standard "diamond king"; Mrs. Simpson was born in a declining family in the United States and is also the wife of a businessman. Edward is handsome and elegant, and is a well-deserved "idol"; while Mrs. Simpson is average in appearance, at most she is a "temperamental". The two people with huge differences actually came together. I don’t know if Mrs. Simpson’s temperament was too elegant or her superb cooking skills conquered the prince’s stomach. After this meeting, the relationship between the two developed rapidly. At the golf course, in the opera house, and at the racecourse, many people saw the prince and Mrs. Simpson go out and go out.
In 1936, King George V of England passed away, and Edward inherited the throne, known in history as "Edward VIII". Just as Edward wanted to play his role in politics, a crisis was approaching him. In October 1936, Mrs. Simpson and her husband divorced. This was great news for Edward VIII. He immediately summoned the Conservative Prime Minister , , and expressed his willingness to marry Mrs. Simpson. All along, members of the cabinet have complained about the ambiguous relationship between Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson, but this is still an underground relationship, and the Prime Minister is unwilling to break up with the king. Now Edward VIII actually wanted to give the queen's crown to an American woman who had divorced twice and had an ordinary background. Baldwin said to Edward VIII with firm determination: "No, Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible!" The meeting between the two was not Leaving happily. Next, Baldwin found Queen Mary and Archbishop of Canterbury to put pressure on the king, repeatedly emphasizing that Mrs. Simpson had married two men and divorced twice, while the Anglican Church prohibited divorce, and the king, as the religious leader of the British, could not take the lead in breaking the ban, etc. Edward in love could not hear these words. He yelled at his mother angrily: "I am the king! Why can't I marry the woman I love?"
Seeing that all kinds of persuasions were not accepted by the king, Baldwin On behalf of the cabinet members, he expressed his opinion to Edward: either abandon the throne and go far away from Mrs. Simpson; or abandon Mrs. Simpson and be the king of England, without any other middle way. Edward VIII knew he could no longer remain silent. On December 5, Edward VIII informed Prime Minister Baldwin, saying: "I agree to give way."A few days later, the British Parliament passed the first king's abdication bill in British history. On December 10, 1936, Edward VIII signed the "King's Abdication Edict", and he also became the first in British history. A king who voluntarily gave way.
At that time, the successor to King England was Edward's younger brother George VI . The first document approved by George VI after he came to power was to sign Edward the Duke of Windsor. After hearing this appointment, Edward laughed Then he said to others: "I like this name! "On June 3, 1937, at the home of a friend in Tours, France, Edward and Ms. Warfield (Mrs. Simpson's real name), who were Duke of Windsor, finally got their wedding as they wished. There were very few guests coming to have a wedding, and the United Kingdom No one in the royal family attended, and the wedding photos of the groom and the bride were taken by a friend. But the amazing and interesting story is that the remaining cake of the wedding in February 1998 was $29,900 at the auction. The deal was the most expensive cake to date.
Edward and Hitler 1937
When the outbreak of World War II, the Duke of Windsor and his wife visited Italy, France and Spain. The two depended on each other and were inseparable. In May 1972, the Duke of Windsor was in France Death. On May 31, a British Air Force transport plane transported the Duke of Windsor back to England. A few days later, the Duke of Windsor's coffin was buried in a small cemetery in Windsor Castle, rather than entering the St. George Church. However, according to the declassified archives of the FBI , this history is a completely different interpretation method. The real reason for Edward VIII's abdication was not that Mrs. Simpson had divorced, but that she was fanatical support from Nazi Germany On the eve of World War II, Britain and France were worried about the strong rise of Nazi Germany. If the British king married a woman who supported the German Nazis, the British government could not face the allies and their own citizens. Therefore, the royal family and The government jointly put pressure on King Edward VIII. At the most critical moment, the angry Prime Minister Baldwin threatened to resign collectively with the cabinet. At this time, Edward VIII, who was deeply in love, could no longer extricate himself and had to take off his crown obediently. It is said that Mrs. Simpson was extremely close to German Nazi Foreign Minister Ribbintrop. In 1937, Mrs. Simpson and the Duke of Windsor visited Germany at the invitation of the latter and have been settled in France since then. After the German army occupied France, British Prime Minister In order to prevent the Duke from becoming a German prop, Churchill arranged for the Duke of Windsor to serve as the governor of the Bahamas, keeping them away from Britain and Europe. As for why this pair of miserable mandarin ducks fell in love at first sight, and why Edward VIII abdicated, today We have no idea.
