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Edward VIII of the United Kingdom




King Edward VIII and later the Duke of Windsor (Edward Albert Christian
George Andrew Patrick David Windsor1) (June 23, 1894 - May 28, 1972) was
King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and other
commonwealth realms and Emperor of India from January 20, 1936 until his
abdication on December 11, 1936.

Prince Edward Albert Christian Andrew Patrick David was born at Richmond,
Surrey, the eldest son of HRH the Duke of York (who later became King George
V) and his wife, formerly HSH Princess Mary of Teck, who was a great
granddaughter of George III and a second cousin of Queen Victoria.

Within the immediate family, he was always known as David, the last of his
seven Christian names, four of whom indicated his association with the four
nations within the United Kingdom; George for England, Andrew for Scotland,
Patrick for Ireland and David for Wales. He automatically became Duke of
Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the
Isles and Great Stward of Scotland when his father ascended the throne on 6
May 1910. He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on June 2, 1910
and was officially invested as such in a special ceremony at Caernarfon
Castle in 1911. 2 It was the first time since the Middle Ages that such an
event had taken place in Wales, and it occurred at the instigation of the
Welsh politician, David Lloyd George, who at that time held the position of
Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Liberal government.

When World War I broke out, David was old enough for active service and was
keen to participate. Although he was allowed to join the army, he was kept
well away from any action that might have threatened his safety. After the
war, his conduct began to give cause for concern to his ultra-conservative
parents, particularly when he enjoyed relationships with a series of married
women, including Anglo-American textile heiress Freda Dudley Ward (nee
Winifred May Birkin, she married 1st William Dudley Ward and 2nd Pedro,
marquŽs de Casa Maury) and the Viscountess Furness. It was Lady Furness, nŽe
Thelma Morgan, an American beauty of part-Chilean ancestry, who introduced
him to a fellow American, Wallis Simpson. Simpson had divorced her first
husband in 1927 and was now married to Ernest Simpson, an Anglo-American
businessman. Mrs. Simpson and the Prince of Wales became lovers while his
mistress Lady Furness was abroad. Following his father's death on January
20, 1936, he scandalised society by watching the proclamation of his own
accession to the throne from a window, in the company of the still-married
Mrs Simpson.

Marriage to Mrs. Simpson was deemed impossible for the king, even after her
second divorce was obtained, because he was head of the Church of England,
which prohibited remarriage after divorce. Several alternative solutions
were proposed, including a morganatic marriage, but Edward was adamant that
he wished to marry Mrs. Simpson, and he eventually abdicated his throne on
December 11, 1936. State papers released in 2003 revealed that, during the
abdication crisis, as well as King Edward, Mrs. Simpson reportedly had two
other lovers, one a car salesman, the other Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of
Leinster, a close friend of the King. The abdication crisis caused a
constitutional upheaval, and the throne passed to the Heir Presumptive, the
king's next oldest brother Prince Albert, who became King George VI of the
United Kingdom.

On March 8, 1937, George VI created his brother, the former king, Duke of
Windsor. However, letters patent dated May 27, 1937, which reconferred upon
the Duke of Windsor the "title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness,"
specifically stated that "his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold
said title or attribute." He married Mrs. Simpson in a private ceremony on
June 3, 1937 at Chateau de CandŽ, Monts, France. None of the British royal
family attended. The denial of the style HRH to the Duchess of Windsor, as
well as the financial settlement, strained relations between the Duke of
Windsor and the rest of the royal family for decades. The Duke had assumed
that he would settle in Britain afer a year or two of exile in France.
However, the King (with the support of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth)
threatened to cut of his allowance if he returned to Britain without an
invitation.

He was appointed Governor of the Bahamas, a post he held until after the war
ended in 1945, when the couple retired to France, where they spent much of
the remainder of their lives. In recent years, it has been suggested that
the Duke was a fascist sympathizer during World War II and was kept in the
Bahamas to minimize his opportunities to act on those feelings. In later
years, he was reunited with other members of the royal family on several
occasions, but his wife was never accepted. He died in 1972 at Paris, and
his body was returned to Britain for burial at Frogmore, near Windsor
Castle. The Duchess of Windsor, on her death a decade and a half later, was
buried alongside her husband in Frogmore.

Footnote

1 At his time of birth, Edward's surname was Wettin and the Royal House name
was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. In 1917, both the dynastic name and personal surname
were changed to Windsor due to their German origins (because the UK was at
war with Germany).

2 In addition to his seven personal names, the specific styles and titles
held by the future Duke of Windsor changed several times before his
ascension to the throne. Under Queen Victoria's Letters Patent of 30 June
1864 and settled practice dating back to 1714, as a male-line great
grandchild of the Sovereign, Edward was a prince of Great Britain and
Ireland with the qualification of Highness. Queen Victoria's Letters Patent
of 27 May 1898 expressly granted the title of prince (or princess) of Great
Britain and qualification of Royal Highness to the children of the eldest
son of a Prince of Wales. As a male-line great grandson of Prince Albert, he
bore the titles Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Saxony (with the
qualification of Highness). George V's Order in Council on 20 July 1917
relinquished for himself and all descendants of Queen Victoria who were
British subjects the "use of the Degrees, Styles, Dignities, Titles and
Honours of Dukes and Duchesses of Saxony and Princes and Princesses of
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and all other German Degrees, Styles, Dignities,
Titles, Honours and Appellations." Edward VIII's titles and styles before he
became king were:

   * His Royal Highness Prince Edward of York (23 June 1894 to 20 January
     1901)
   * His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Cornwall and York (20 January to 9
     November 1901)
   * His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Wales (9 November 1901 to 6 May
     1910)
   * His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall (6 May to 20 Januaru 1936)
   * His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales ( 2 June 1910 to 20 January
     1936)

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