1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,199 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: show that proves there's more than one way to make history. 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: I'm Gabelusier, and today we're talking about the shocking climax 5 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: of a constitutional crisis in the British Empire, the abdication 6 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: of Edward the Eighth. The day was December eleventh, nineteen 7 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: thirty six. Edward the Eighth became the first monarch in 8 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: British history to give up the throne voluntarily. His decision 9 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: to abdicate in favor of his younger brother was prompted 10 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: by backlash from the British government and the Church of 11 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: England over his intention to marry a twice divorced American 12 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: socialite named Wallace Warfield Simpson. In a BBC de radio 13 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: address on the evening of December eleventh, the outgoing monarch 14 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: informed the stunned nation of his decision, saying quote, I 15 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: have found it impossible to carry on the heavy burden 16 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: of responsibility and to discharge the duties of king as 17 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: I would wish to do without the help and support 18 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: of the woman I love. Edward the Eighth was born 19 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: on June twenty third, eighteen ninety four in London, England, 20 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: and was the eldest son of King George the Fifth. 21 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: After his father's coronation in nineteen eleven, Edward became the 22 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: Prince of Wales, the heir apparent to the British throne. 23 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: He completed his studies and joined the Royal Navy. Then, 24 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: when World War One began, he enlisted in the army 25 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: and was promptly assigned to a safe position on the 26 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: Italian Front. Edward was annoyed by this preferential treatment, famously 27 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,639 Speaker 1: declaring what difference does it make if I am killed? 28 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: The King has three other sons. Once he was back 29 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: in England, Prince da Edward returned to his official duties, 30 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: which largely consisted of public appearances and diplomatic meetings. He 31 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: traveled throughout Europe and other parts of the world and 32 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: became a popular member of the royal family, especially among 33 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: the foreign press. For example, during his tour of Canada 34 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:20,919 Speaker 1: in nineteen nineteen, the handsome blonde Prince was described as 35 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: quote the arbiter of men's fashions, a fearless horseman, tireless dancer, 36 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: idol of bachelor's and dream of spinsters. Edward made good 37 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,639 Speaker 1: use of his looks, charm and status, living it up 38 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: in London high society throughout his twenties and thirties. But 39 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty one, just a few years shy of 40 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: his fortieth birthday, he finally met his match. The Prince 41 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: was introduced to Wallace Simpson at a house party hosted, 42 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 1: ironically enough, by his then current mistress, Lady Furnace. Wallace 43 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: had recently moved to London with her second husband, a 44 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: British American shipping execitscutive named Ernest Simpson. Lady Furnas had 45 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: invited the couple to serve as chaperones one weekend at 46 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,399 Speaker 1: her country estate, and the Prince happened to be there. 47 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: Edward and Wallace didn't hit it off right away, but 48 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,399 Speaker 1: since they ran in the same social circles, they continued 49 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: to bump into each other at parties over the next 50 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: few years. Finally, in early nineteen thirty four, the pair 51 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: got together while Lady Furness was out of the country, 52 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: and from then on they were inseparable. The Royal family 53 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: strongly disapproved of Edward's new mistress, not least of all 54 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:38,119 Speaker 1: because she was still married. The Prince denied the relationship 55 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: at first, but by nineteen thirty five, Wallace had been 56 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: presented at court and the couple had taken several vacations together. 57 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: Their affair wasn't mentioned in the British press, however, due 58 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: to a long standing gentleman's agreement with the government. Once 59 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: it became clear that this was no mere fling, many 60 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: politicians worried that Edward might try to marry missus Simpson, 61 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: a worrisome prospect given that he was next in line 62 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: for the throne. That fear turned to outright terror in 63 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: January of nineteen forty six, when Edward's father passed away 64 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: and he became the new king. By that point, Edward 65 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: had made it clear that he intended to marry Wallace 66 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: Simpson just as soon as she was granted a divorce 67 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,919 Speaker 1: from her then current husband. Officials had hoped that Edward's 68 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: sudden ascension to the throne would make him reconsider. After all, 69 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: he wouldn't want to begin his reign with a major scandal, 70 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,239 Speaker 1: and making a twice divorced American woman the new Queen 71 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: of England would have certainly qualified as a major scandal. 72 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: None the less, Edward's mind was made up, and on 73 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: October twenty seventh, nineteen thirty six, Missus Simpson obtained a 74 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: preliminary decree of divorce, clearing the way for their union. 75 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,359 Speaker 1: The King tried one last ditch effort to appease Parliament 76 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: by suggesting a Morganatic marriage, meaning that Wallace wouldn't be 77 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: granted any rights of reig or property to which a 78 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: queen would usually be entitled. However, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin 79 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 1: didn't think the arrangement would be practical. He rejected the 80 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: proposal on December second, and one day later British newspapers 81 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: broke their silence by reporting the scandal on the front page. 82 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: With the royal family, the government, and now the people 83 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: firmly against him, King Edward knew he would have to 84 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: choose between the crown and the woman he loved. He 85 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: made his decision on December tenth, nineteen thirty six, when 86 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: he signed an instrument of abdication. The brief document read, 87 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: in part I, Edward the Eighth of Great Britain, Ireland 88 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: and the British dominions beyond the Seas, King Emperor of India, 89 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 1: do hereby declare my irrevocable determination to renounce the throne 90 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: for myself and for my descendants. Parliament approved the act 91 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 1: the following day, and with that the brief reign of 92 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: Edward the eighth came to an end. The new king, 93 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: his younger brother, George the sixth, made him the Duke 94 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: of Windsor, a largely symbolic title that was later retired 95 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,799 Speaker 1: by Queen Elizabeth. Edward and Wallace were married six months 96 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: later in a small private ceremony in France. The couple 97 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: lived mainly in Paris for the next two years, but 98 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: they also paid several visits to Nazi Germany, where on 99 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: at least one occasion, Edward met with Adolph Hitler. Once 100 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: the Second World War broke out, Edward became a liaison 101 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: officer with the French, but he and Wallace wound up 102 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:40,119 Speaker 1: having to flee to Spain during the occupation. Not long after, 103 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 1: the couple received word that Edward had been appointed as 104 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: Governor of the Bahamas. This was allegedly done at the 105 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: behest of Winston Churchill, who feared that the Duke's pre 106 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: war Nazi sympathies might lead to trouble should he ever 107 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 1: be captured. Edward's new post wasn't of much strategic importance 108 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,039 Speaker 1: to the war effort, but the Duke and Duchess were 109 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: more than happy to ditch war torn Europe for a 110 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: tropical island. They remained in the Bahamas for five years, 111 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: at which point Edward resigned and the couple returned to Paris. 112 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: There they enjoyed a jet setting lifestyle of shopping and partying, 113 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,239 Speaker 1: and by most accounts, they remained madly in love. Life 114 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,239 Speaker 1: wasn't perfect, however, the couple's marriage had thrust them both 115 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: into a kind of unofficial exile. Wallace was blamed for 116 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: wooing a popular king away from his throne and for 117 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: turning a family against itself, when in reality the decision 118 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: was his alone, and she had even counseled him against it. 119 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: And although Edward longed to do something more useful with 120 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: his life, he wasn't able to take a job in 121 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 1: commerce or industry, as it would have been a conflict 122 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: of interest to his family. He made it known on 123 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: several occasions that he'd be willing to take a job 124 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 1: in the British government, but for the rest of his life, 125 00:07:55,600 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: no offers ever came. Edward, Duke of Windsor died in 126 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: Paris on May twenty eighth, nineteen seventy two. He was 127 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: buried in a private cemetery at Windsor Castle, and fourteen 128 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 1: years later Wallace Simpson was buried alongside him. More than 129 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: fifty years later, the abdication of Edward the eighth remains 130 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: a contentious issue. Many consider it the ultimate romantic gesture, 131 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: a king literally giving up his throne for the woman 132 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: he loves. Others, however, see it not as a brave 133 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: act of love, but as a selfish desertion of duty. 134 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,080 Speaker 1: For my part, I don't really care that the couples 135 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: shook up the British monarchy or that Edward abandoned his throne. 136 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,560 Speaker 1: They lost me at being so sympathetic to fascism that 137 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:43,600 Speaker 1: they had to be sent off to the Bahamas to 138 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:47,840 Speaker 1: prevent a potential coup. Public relations one oh one says, 139 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 1: don't hang out with Nazis. Let's just hope Harry and 140 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:58,119 Speaker 1: Meghan keep that in mind. I'm Gabe Lucier, and hopefully 141 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 142 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you have a second and you're 143 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 1: so inclined, consider keeping up with us on Twitter, Facebook, 144 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 1: and Instagram. You can find us at TDI HC Show, 145 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: and if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free 146 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: to pass them along by writing to This Day at 147 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 148 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: then thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 149 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in History class