Edward VIII, King of England
From Astro-Databank
| Name |
| ||
| Birthname | Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor | ||
| born on | 23 June 1894 at 21:55 (= 9:55 PM ) | ||
| Place | Richmond Surrey, England, 54n24, 1w44 | ||
| Timezone | GMT h0w (is standard time) | ||
| Data source |
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| Astrology data |   02°21'   03°53 Asc. 24°11'
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Biography
British royalty, Prince Edward, the oldest son of King George V, called David by his friends (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, Prince of Wales). He reigned as King Edward VIII for less than a year, as he abdicated the throne on 12/11/1936 "to marry the woman I love," Wallis Simpson.
He met Wallis Simpson through friends of her then-husband, Ernest Simpson. By the end of 1933 they were spending much of their time together. It is thought that the strictly platonic relationship didn't become an affair until sometime in 1934. The Prince had always chafed under the restrictions of Buckingham Palace and her forthright American style convinced him that with her he would be a more creative and useful person. Others thought her a dominating type and since the Prince had been dominated by governesses all his life, he needed a strong woman to keep him in check.
When King George V died, Edward became England's new King, bringing new scrutiny of his relationship with Wallis Simpson. Sympathetic to the problems of his people, he was a very welcome king. However, behind the scenes his casual attitude toward his job, especially when handling classified state papers, alarmed government ministers.
By the end of 1935 he'd made up his mind to marry Wallis in spite of huge obstacles; she was a divorcee who was still married to her second husband. After he became King, Wallis' husband confronted him in March 1936 and said he would divorce her but only if Edward would marry her and be faithful to her. Edward agreed and by August the Simpson's divorce proceedings had begun.
With the divorce of Simpson and the possibility of their marriage, his cabinet issued an ultimatum: renounce Mrs. Simpson or abdicate. If he insisted on marrying without their consent, the current government would resign and the opposition party would refuse to serve. There was no choice, and by the end of 1936 he officially gave up the throne. Even after giving up the throne, they were legally forbidden to see each other until Simpson's divorce was final. They finally reunited in France on 5/03/1937 and were married on June 3rd at the Chateau de Cande outside of Tours, France. None of the British royal family attended.
After their marriage he and Wallis settled in Paris with his title of His Royal Highness, The Duke of Windsor and hers as the Duchess. His disastrous first attempt at a political life, a trip to Nazi Germany in October 1937, branded the couple as supporters of Hitler and further alienated the duke from his countrymen.
He served as the governor of the Bahamas Islands from 1940-1945, living a lifestyle which was reported as a round of empty social exchanges; they had no children.
Died on May 28, 1972 in Paris, age 77. The cause was not given.
Relationships
- spouse relationship with Simpson, Wallis (born 19 June 1896)
- parent relationship with George V, King of England (born 3 June 1865)
Events
- Work : Lose social status 11 December 1936 (Abdicated throne of England)
- Work : New Job 1940 (Governor of Bahamas)
- Death, Cause unspecified 28 May 1972 (Age 77)
- Relationship : Meet a significant person 1933 (Wallis Simpson)
Source Notes
Fagan quotes official news release in AA, 11/1976
Categories
- Vocation : Business : Entrepreneur (Diversified businesses)
- Vocation : Business : Top executive (CEO)
- Traits : Mind : Education limited (High school dropout)
- Lifestyle : Home : Expatriate (Bahamas)
- Notable : Famous : Royal family (Britain)
- Notable : Book Collection : American Book
- Family : Relationship : Sexual chemistry (With Wallis Simpson)
- Family : Relationship : Marriage more than 15 Yrs (35 years)
- Family : Parenting : Kids none
- Vocation : Politics : Government employee (Governor of Bahamas)
- Notable : Famous : Newsmaker (Biggest news story of his era)
