Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom

natal chart (Placidus)
natal chart English style (Equal houses)
natal chart with Whole Sign houses
Name |
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Birthname | Edward Albert Christian George Andrew David | ||||
born on | 23 June 1894 at 21:55 (= 9:55 PM ) | ||||
Place | White Lodge Richmond Park, England, 51n2643, 0w1553 | ||||
Timezone | GMT h0e (is standard time) | ||||
Data source |
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Biography
British monarch, who reigned as King Edward VIII for less than a year in 1936, as he abdicated the throne on 11 December "to marry the woman I love," Wallis Simpson. He then became the Duke of Windsor. The oldest son of King George V, he was called David by his friends (full name: Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, Prince of Wales). As Edward VIII, he was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India.
In 1917, during the First World War, Edward began a love affair with Parisian courtesan Marguerite Alibert (later Fahmy), who kept a collection of his indiscreet letters after he broke off the affair in 1918 to begin one with an English married woman, Freda Dudley Ward, a textile heiress. Edward's womanising and reckless behaviour during the 1920s and 1930s worried Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, King George V, and those close to the prince. In 1930, George V gave the prince the lease of Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park. There, he continued his relationships with a series of married women, including Freda Dudley Ward and Lady Furness, the American wife of a British peer, who introduced the prince to her friend and fellow American Wallis 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 on 20 January 1936, Edward became the UK'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 3 May 1937 and were married on 3 June at the Château de Candé 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 people.
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.
In late 1971, the Duke, who was a smoker from an early age, was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent cobalt therapy. On 28 May 1972, the Duke died at his home in Paris, less than a month before his 78th birthday. His body was returned to Britain; the funeral service was held on 5 June. He was buried in the Royal Burial Ground behind the Royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Frogmore.
Relationships
- associate relationship with Baldwin, Stanley (born 3 August 1867)
- lover relationship with Morgan, Thelma (born 23 August 1904)
- child->parent relationship with George V, King of the United Kingdom (born 3 June 1865)
- child->parent relationship with Mary, Queen Consort (1867) (born 26 May 1867)
- spouse relationship with Simpson, Wallis (born 19 June 1896). Notes: Happy
- sibling relationship with George VI, King of the United Kingdom (born 14 December 1895)
- sibling relationship with George, Duke of Kent (born 20 December 1902)
- sibling relationship with Henry, Prince (1900) England (born 31 March 1900)
- sibling relationship with John, Prince of England (born 12 July 1905)
- sibling relationship with Mary, Princess of England (born 25 April 1897)
- role played of/by Jacobi, Derek (born 22 October 1938). Notes: TV series "The Crown," 2019
Events
- Relationship : Meet a significant person 1933 (Wallis Simpson)
Source Notes
Cyril Fagan quotes official news release in AA, 11/1976. Sy Scholfield confirms that the data was given in "Accouchement of the Duchess of York," The Standard (London, England), 25 June 1894, p. 5: "At five minutes to ten information was passed from the sick-room that a son had been born." Fagan gave place of birth as Surrey in error; the place was corrected to White Lodge, Richmond Park, in January 2019.
Scholfield notes that various references give 10pm (apparently a time rounded to the hour), e.g. Walter Townsend & Leonard Townsend's book, The Biography of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales (Kessinger, 2003 [Macmillan, 1929]), p. 15: "'Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York was safely delivered of a son at 10 o'clock,' to use the words in which the news of the event was telegraphed by the by the then Home Secretary, Mr. Asquith, to the Lord Mayor of London for proclamation to the people of the City."
Scholfield also quotes 10pm from official bulletin in The London Gazette, 25 June 1894, p. 3649. [1]
Scholfield also cites father's diary quoted in "A Royal Boyhood" (by Edward, Duke of Windsor), Life magazine, 8 December 1947, p. 117: "WHITE LODGE, 23rd June— At 10.0 a sweet little boy was born..." The article goes on to reveal that it was 10:00 at night.
Categories
- Traits : Mind : Education limited (High school dropout)
- Diagnoses : Major Diseases : Cancer (Throat)
- Diagnoses : Psychological : Abuse - other addictions (Smoker)
- Family : Relationship : Marriage more than 15 Yrs (35 years)
- Family : Relationship : Sexual chemistry (With Wallis Simpson)
- Family : Parenting : Kids none
- Lifestyle : Social Life : Animals, pets (Pug dogs)
- Lifestyle : Home : Expatriate (France, Bahamas)
- Passions : Sexuality : Extremes in quantity (Womaniser)
- Vocation : Business : Entrepreneur (Diversified businesses)
- Vocation : Business : Top executive (CEO)
- Vocation : Politics : Government employee (Governor of Bahamas)
- Notable : Famous : Newsmaker (Biggest news story of his era)
- Notable : Famous : Royal family (House of Windsor, Britain)
- Notable : Famous : Socialite
- Notable : Book Collection : American Book
- 1894 births
- Birthday 23 June
- Birthplace White Lodge Richmond Park, ENG (UK)
- Sun 2 Cancer
- Moon 3 Pisces
- Asc 1 Aquarius
- 1972 deaths
- Traits : Mind : Education limited
- Diagnoses : Major Diseases : Cancer
- Diagnoses : Psychological : Abuse - other addictions
- Family : Relationship : Marriage more than 15 Yrs
- Family : Relationship : Sexual chemistry
- Family : Parenting : Kids none
- Lifestyle : Social Life : Animals, pets
- Lifestyle : Home : Expatriate
- Passions : Sexuality : Extremes in quantity
- Vocation : Business : Entrepreneur
- Vocation : Business : Top executive
- Vocation : Politics : Government employee
- Notable : Famous : Newsmaker
- Notable : Famous : Royal family
- Notable : Famous : Socialite
- Notable : Book Collection : American Book