He, noble as a prince, handsome and personable; She, a civilian by birth, was divorced twice and had a mediocre appearance. But she made him fascinated, and did not hesitate to give up the throne that was about to arrive for her, was it the power of love, or was there another hidden feeling?
Noble status
Edward was born in 1894 in a Palladian white cottage in Sari-Richmond. His father was the Duke of York, George V, who later succeeded to the throne, and his mother was Queen Mary. As queen Victoria's eldest great-grandson, Edward was born with the title of "His Royal Highness Prince Edward".
As the prince grew older, this title caused many nobles to rush to introduce their daughters to the prince.
Edward was tall, handsome, personable, and before he became king, he was not as obsessed as one might think. Like all young princes, he often lingered in the fat powder pile. Before meeting Mrs. Simpson (real name Wallis Warfield), the young prince had affairs with several women, including some of whom were already wives.
Fall in love with Mrs. Simpson
In 1931, Mrs. Simpson and her second husband, the British merchant Ernest, became acquainted with High Society and often attended banquets hosted by the Crown Prince.
At first, Edward didn't pay much attention to Mrs. Simpson, a less remarkable woman. As his interest in his lover Simar grew lukewarm, he turned his attention to Mrs. Simpson and was soon fascinated by the 37-year-old woman.
Mrs. Simpson's memoirs describe it this way: "Perhaps the only reason for his interest in me is my American spirit of independence, my bluntness, my supposed sense of humor, and my optimism or curiosity about him and everything that has to do with him... He was lonely, and perhaps I was the first to gain insight into his deep inner loneliness. ”
Royal opposition
In 1936, King George V died. Edward succeeded to the throne as Edward VIII. Less than a year after ascending the throne, in November 1936 Edward offered to marry Mrs. Simpson. The king was to marry a divorced woman, and her original husband was still alive, which was absolutely not allowed by The Canon law of England.
The always arrogant British people also did not accept a married American woman as the queen of their country. British Prime Minister Baldwin, on behalf of the government, the royal family, and parliament, proposed that Britain could not accept an American as queen.
A friend advised Edward to accept the compromise plan, accept a nominal marriage, and marry, but the wife did not enjoy the title of husband. Edward decided to take a step back and accept the humiliation.
However, the Prime Minister was adamantly opposed, and even the King's request to refer such a marriage issue to Parliament for legislative proceedings was rejected, and the King broke with the Cabinet once and for all. The king appealed to his mother, Queen Mary, and his three younger brothers for help.
Queen Mary, believing that she could not agree with the marriage, which undermined the dignity of the royal family, resolutely refused to recognize the daughter-in-law and refused to grant Mrs. Simpson the title of "Her Royal Highness the Duchess".
The king said that it was better to abdicate if the marriage did not work. Queen Mary said that if you were not the king, your brother would be fine—Queen Mary cruelly closed the door to her son.
On December 11, 1936, after only 325 days on the throne, the unthronized Edward VIII delivered a farewell speech in which he passionately said: "My friends, without the help and support of the woman I love, I feel that it is impossible for me to shoulder the heavy responsibility on my shoulders." A few hours later, he was escorted by a Royal Navy destroyer from England for Australia.
In 1937, Edward and Mrs. Simpson were married in France, when Edward was 43 years old and Mrs. Simpson was 41 years old, and no one from the British royal family attended their wedding.
After marriage, they spent 35 years of happy life together. Before he died, he said, "I've never seen a woman more beautiful than Wallis." The British Royal Family had always refused to grant Mrs. Simpson the title of "His Royal Highness," and Edward regretted it for the rest of his life.