Kings & Queens of England
Name and House: Edward VIII / House of Windsor
Reigned: 20th January – 11th December 1936
Biography:
King George V and Mary of Teck’s eldest son Edward VIII was born on 23rd June 1894 at White Lodge in Richmond, Surrey. He ascended to the throne as King of the United Kingdom and the British, as well as being the Emperor of India on 20th January 1936. Prior to the death of his father, he held the title of Duke of Windsor. Edward would serve as king slightly less than eleven months. He will be forever remembered as “the king who gave up the throne over the love of a woman.”
Only three months into his kingship, Edward proposed to an American divorcee named Wallis Simpson, creating a constitutional crisis for England. His proposal came much to the chagrin of the different Prime Ministers of the British Empire. They argued that the proposal was, not only, illegal, but also that Simpson would never win the acceptance or respect as England’s Queen amongst the citizens of the British realms.
Edward became the only monarch in the history of England, or any Commonwealth realm for that matter, to relinquish the throne when he abdicated rather than break off his engagement to Simpson. His reign lasted only 325 days, making him one of the shortest reigning British monarchs. Additionally, he was never crowned and was bestowed, again, the title of the Duke of Windsor. Printed USB Sticks.
During the Second World War, while he was stationed in France with the British military, accusations started surfacing that he harboured relationships with pro-Nazi sympathisers. The military promptly reposted him to the Bahamas where he continued to serve as the Commander-in-Chief and the Governor. Once the war had ended, he would never be given another official position or serve in politics again and lived out his life in retirement.
Towards the end of the 1960s, Edward’s health began to deteriorate rapidly due to his heavy smoking habit and on 28th May 1972, he passed away from complications associated with throat cancer.