At 10:00 AM on December 10, 1936, Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom, the British Dominions, and Emperor of India signed the Instrument of Abdication in which he irrevocably renounced all claims to the throne for himself and any heirs he may have. This momentous event occurred at Fort Belvedere, the King’s residence for several years past, in the presence of all of his surviving brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent, who all placed their names on the document as witnesses. In fact, there were several copies that were signed that day – for the overseas Dominions (Canada, Australia, the Irish Free State, etc.), India, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Houses of Parliament, and other entities.
Having signed the Instrument of Abdication, the UK Parliament drew up the necessary official legislation to make the act of his abdication law. The His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936 was expedited through all of the parliamentary stages, passed by both Houses of Parliament, and given consent by all of the Dominion governments (except Ireland) within 24 hours.
On December 11th, Edward VIII performed his last duty as King and Emperor by giving Royal Assent to the official legislation. With the signature of “Edward R.I.” – meaning Rex Imperator (Latin for King Emperor), he ceased to be king. As observed by the renowned BBC journalist and television host Andrew Marr, it’s probably one of the few examples in which a signature immediately destroys itself.
The backstory to the Abdication Crisis of 1936 is one of political intrigue, personal struggles, and prejudice, and it has its origins during Edward’s time as heir to the throne.
For years, members of the British Establishment had been concerned about Edward – for his defiance of royal protocol, his star popularity and excellent charm among the masses, and his pursuits as a modernizing celebrity within the royal family. They were also aghast at him, as Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, cavorting with several women, some of them married, and not settling down into marriage.
George V, though a modernizer himself, only went so far to bring the monarchy closer to the people. At heart, he was a traditionalist and a believer in strict protocol, and was particularly dismayed by his eldest son’s behavior, which resulted in a rift between the two men. Meanwhile, we grew very fond of his second son Albert, the Duke of York (known as “Bertie” in the family) and his wife Elizabeth, who by 1931 had been married for eight years and were raising two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. He was particularly interested in Princess Elizabeth, who was known to him and the family as “Lilibet.”
During his Silver Jubilee year of 1935, George confided, somewhat prophetically about Edward: “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself within 12 months.” On the subject of Albert and Princess Elizabeth, he said, “I pray to God my eldest son will never marry and have children, and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne.”
When the King did die on the 20th of January, 1936, the Prince of Wales succeeded him as Edward VIII. Almost immediately, Edward began bringing a new order and style to monarchy and to royal court life. For starters, he requested that all of the clocks on the Sandringham Estate be set to British Standard Time, whereas they had been previously 30 minutes faster to give George V (as well as his father Edward VII) more time to go out hunting and shooting. This move alone seemed to confirm to the Establishment that Edward was on the pursuit to throw out cherished royal traditions. Among them, the thought was: “What else will he do?”
Throughout 1936, Edward continued to do things his way – often at the consternation of the Establishment. For the new coins and stamps that were to be issued, Edward preferred the image of his head facing to the left to show the parting of his hair, which was contrary to the tradition for each succeeding monarch to face in the opposite direction of his or her predecessor (and George V’s image faced to the left, meaning that Edward’s ought to have been facing to the right).When he abruptly cut off the presentation of debutantes because of an oncoming storm, they thought it to be hearsay. They also detested that way in which he was popular with the large masses of people, including the working classes who were struggling in the depths of the Great Depression. On a visit to the economically hard-hit region of South Wales, he was mobbed by huge crowds, and remarked that something ought to be done about their situation. For members of the Establishment, this remark signaled that the King was lurching into politics by subtly criticizing the government for its response (or lack thereof) to the economic crisis.
Above all however, the one thing they disliked most about Edward was his relationship with Wallis Simpson, the brash and twice-married American, with whom Edward had been involved for at least five years. The idea of having her as Queen shuddered members of the Establishment, who believed her to be unsuitable for the role, not just for being twice-married, but for also having potential connections with the Nazis (which resulted in spying on her and the King). Furthermore, the Church of England – of which Edward was Supreme Governor – opposed a marriage to Simpson on the grounds that it would contravene the church’s teachings on the sanctity of marriage and the belief that one should not remarry so long as his or her spouse was still alive.
When Simpson filed for divorce from her second husband in the fall of 1936, the crisis reached a new level. Edward expressed his desire to marry her to British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, who told him that the Government, the Church, and the public would not go along with it. Edward and his supporters (Winston Churchill among them) floated the idea of a morganatic marriage, in which he would marry Simpson, remain king, but she would not become queen. Baldwin didn’t like the idea, but did seek the opinions of the Dominion governments, some of whom also expressed dissatisfaction with the idea. Eventually, Edward told Baldwin that he would be willing to abdicate if it meant he was able to marry Wallis Simpson. The other option was to go against the advice of his ministers, prompting the government to resign and sparking a constitutional crisis. Edward chose abdication.
On the night of his abdication, the former king – now Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor – addressed the British nation and Empire in a radio broadcast, which became one of most poignant of the 20th Century, for it explained why Edward had been willing to throw everything away for marriage to the woman he loved:
“At long last I am able to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak.
“A few hours ago I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor, and now that I have been succeeded by my brother, The Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart.
“You all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the Throne. But I want you to understand that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the Empire which as Prince of Wales, and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to serve. But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love.
“And I want you to know that the decision I have made has been mine and mine alone. This was a thing I had to judge entirely for myself. The other person most nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course. I have made this, the most serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought of what would in the end be best for all.
“This decision has been made less difficult to me by the sure knowledge that my brother, with his long training in the public affairs of this country and with his fine qualities, will be able to take my place forthwith, without interruption or injury to the life and progress of the Empire. And he has one matchless blessing, enjoyed by so many of you and not bestowed on me – a happy home with his wife and children.
“During these hard days I have been comforted by Her Majesty my mother and by my family. The Ministers of the Crown, and in particular Mr. Baldwin, the Prime Minister, have always treated me with full consideration. There has never been any constitutional difference between me and them, and between me and Parliament. Bred in the constitutional tradition by my father, I should never have allowed any such issue to arise.
“Ever since I was Prince of Wales, and later on when I occupied the Throne, I have been treated with the greatest kindness by all classes of the people, wherever I have lived or journeyed throughout the Empire. For that I am very grateful.
“I now quit altogether public affairs, and I lay down my burden. It may be some time before I return to my native land, but I shall always follow the fortunes of the British race and Empire with profound interest, and if at any time in the future I can be found of service to His Majesty in a private station, I shall not fail.
“And now we all have a new King. I wish him, and you, his people, happiness and prosperity with all my heart. God bless you all. God save The King.”
With this, the course of history for Britain and its monarchy was changed in a major way. The abdication brought to the throne Edward’s brother Albert, who became George VI, and which made 1936 the Year of the Three Kings.
At the time, George’s daughter Princess Elizabeth was 10 years old, and expected to live a relatively quiet life in the country. But that prospect ended with the abdication, for Elizabeth was now first in line to the throne, and became Queen 14 years later. Her mother Queen Elizabeth never forgave Edward, for she believed that her husband’s death in 1952 was hastened by the strains of kingship being placed upon him, particularly during the period of the Second World War, in which the King served admirably as the leader of his people.
Edward and Wallis married in 1937, and remained together for 36 years until his death in 1972. He remains the only British monarch to voluntarily give up the throne, and the drama of the events surrounding his abdication is probably a big reason why the reigning Queen will not likely abdicate, and why the royal family in general does not look upon abdication in a favorable light. For them, this was not just an abdication; it was a dereliction of duty.