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Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 \u2013 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year.^[a]\n

Edward was born during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George V and Queen Mary. He was created Prince of Wales on his 16th birthday, seven weeks after his father succeeded as king. As a young man, Edward served in the British Army during the First World War and undertook several overseas tours on behalf of his father. The Prince of Wales gained popularity due to his charm and charisma, and his fashion sense became a hallmark of the era. After the war, his conduct began to give cause for concern; he engaged in a series of sexual affairs that worried both his father and the British prime minister, Stanley Baldwin.\n

Upon his father's death in 1936, Edward became the second monarch of the House of Windsor. The new king showed impatience with court protocol, and caused consternation among politicians by his apparent disregard for established constitutional conventions. Only months into his reign, a constitutional crisis was caused by his proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had divorced her first husband and was seeking a divorce from her second. The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominions opposed the marriage, arguing a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was politically and socially unacceptable as a prospective queen consort. Additionally, such a marriage would have conflicted with Edward's status as titular head of the Church of England, which, at the time, disapproved of remarriage after divorce if a former spouse was still alive. Edward knew the Baldwin government would resign if the marriage went ahead, which could have forced a general election and would have ruined his status as a politically neutral constitutional monarch. When it became apparent he could not marry Simpson and remain on the throne, he abdicated. He was succeeded by his younger brother, George VI. With a reign of 326 days, Edward was one of the shortest-reigning British monarchs to date.\n

After his abdication, Edward was created Duke of Windsor. He married Simpson in France on 3 June 1937, after her second divorce became final. Later that year, the couple toured Nazi Germany, which fed rumours that he was a Nazi sympathiser. During the Second World War, Edward was at first stationed with the British Military Mission to France. After the fall of France, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. After the war, Edward spent the rest of his life in France. He and Wallis remained married until his death in 1972; they had no children.\n

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Regnal titles\n
Edward VIII House of Windsor Cadet branch of the House of Wettin Born: 23 June 1894 Died: 28 May 1972\n
Preceded by George V \n	King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions; Emperor of India 20 January \u2013 11 December 1936\n	Succeeded by George VI \n
British royalty\n
Preceded by George (V) \n	Prince of Wales Duke of Cornwall; Duke of Rothesay 1910\u20131936\n	Vacant Title next held by Charles (III) \n
Government offices\n
Preceded by Sir Charles Dundas \n	Governor of the Bahamas 1940\u20131945\n	Succeeded by Sir William Lindsay Murphy \n
Honorary titles\n
Vacant Title last held by The Prince of Wales \n	Grand Master of the Order of St Michael and St George 1917\u20131936\n	Succeeded by The Earl of Athlone \n
New title\n	Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire 1917\u20131936\n	Succeeded by Queen Mary \n
Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Auxiliary Air Force 1932\u20131936\n	Succeeded by King George VI \n
Academic offices\n
New office\n	Chancellor of the University of Cape Town 1918\u20131936\n	Succeeded by Jan Smuts \n

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Early life

Education

Prince of Wales

Romances

Reign

Abdication

Duke of Windsor

Wedding

1937 tour of Germany

Second World War

Later life

Death and legacy

Honours and arms

British Commonwealth and Empire honours

Foreign honours

Military ranks

Honorary degrees and offices

Arms

Ancestry

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Edward VIII

Edward VIII

Media collections