King Edward and Mrs Simpson: The full story of the abdication crisis of 1937

With the royal family very much in the headlines following the explosive Oprah interview with Meghan and Harry, a new documentary coming to Channel 4 explores the life of the Windsor family through the 20th and 21st century.

The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty is a six-part documentary series, beginning on Sunday 21 March, which uses archive footage and interviews with experts to tell the true story of the Windsor family throughout the years.

Episode one, titled Succession, begins in 1936 with the death of King George V and the subsequent abdication of the throne by his successor, King Edward VIII that followed. Edward met Wallis Simpson in January 1931 and the pair married in June 1937.

Who was Wallis Simpson?

The abdication of King Edward VIII was a crisis for the British Empire that stemmed from his desire to marry American socialite and divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Simpson had been divorced once and was in the process of divorcing her second husband, Ernest Simpson - prior to that, she was married to US naval officer Win Spencer - when Edward proposed in November 1936.

Simpson was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents both came from high society families, though her father died when she was just five months old.

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The Simpson family subsequently lived off wealth belonging to her mother’s family, the Warfields, though the fortune was controlled by Simpson’s uncle, Solomon Warfield.

Warfield’s father, and Simpson’s grandfather, was a renowned grain merchant and director of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. 

Simpson’s uncle paid for her to attend a prestigious preparatory school in Maryland, Oldfield’s, where she is said to have earned a reputation for disobedience.

“Some of the parents at the time believed that there was something extraordinary about Wallis and that her influence was malign,” writes Anna Sebba in her book, That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor.

Simpson went on to live in Pensacola, Florida, with her cousin Corrine, which is where she met her first husband.

She met Edward when she moved to London and, according to Sebba, he is said to have been immediately infatuated with her having fallen for her “sharp tongue and risque repartee.”

Why was there opposition to the marriage?

For religious, moral and political reasons, there was strong opposition to the marriage from the British government and beyond.

As Simpson would become queen, the rumours that surrounded her left many feeling her behaviour was unsuitable for that of a queen. Some believed she was after money and power and was not actually in love with the King.

Simpson received hate mail, writing in her memoirs: "There can be few expletives applicable to my sex that were missing from my morning tray."

There were also religious implications. The Anglican church at the time, who, as monarch, King Edward was the head of, would not allow divorced people to remarry if their former spouse was still alive.

Since Simpson’s divorces were not on grounds of adultery - the only kind of divorce the Church of England would recognise - in the church’s eyes, she was not legally divorced.

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Who became involved?

Commonwealth countries such a Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa weighed in on the debate, ultimately deciding that there would be outrage if the King married a divorcee and he would have to abdicate, despite appealing to the King to put duty above all else.

In addition to politicians, other public figures such as Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee also became involved though opinions on the best route forward varied.

When did King Edward abdicate?

Ultimately, King Edward chose his love for Simpson over the throne and signed abdication documents on 10 December 1936. His reign lasted for just for 326 days and he was succeeded by his younger brother Albert, who became King George VI. Edward was later given the title of Duke of Windsor.

The following day, he made a radio announcement on the BBC, in which he was introduced with his new title “His Royal Highness Prince Edward”. He explained to the British public that he would not have been able to fulfil his royal duties without “the woman I love”.

When did King Edward and Wallis Simpson marry?

Following his abdication from the throne, Edward and Wallis married in June of 1937.

The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty starts on Saturday 20 March at 8 pm on Channel 4.