Born in 1894, Edward was the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George V and Queen Mary. After ascending to the throne, his reign lasted less than a year – 325 days to be exact. He abdicated the throne without ever having been crowned. It was a rather scandalous move. He was, after all, the only British monarch ever to abdicate voluntarily.
Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward was given the position of Prince of Wales after his father became King George V. It was a role Edward excelled at. He took after his grandfather, Edward VII, in that he immersed himself in taking trips abroad to strengthen bonds with Europe. The 1920s saw Edward representing his father on a number of successful foreign tours. He was also a symbol of strength for those in Britain during the economic depression of the early 1930s as he made visits to areas in the nation that were suffering from high unemployment levels and deprivation.
With such a positive public presence, paired with his charismatic personality, it's no wonder he became a very popular member of the royal family.
Like many royal father and sons before them, Edward and his father were at loggerheads with each other. They were very much opposites. George V was more of a traditional figure, whilst Edward brought a taste of the 20th century into the royal family. He was undoubtedly a product of his time; he dressed casually, smoked and spoke in slang, all attributes that were disliked by his parents. Perhaps he was always destined to bring scandal to the throne.
Royal Scandal
As Prince of Wales, Edward met Wallis Simpson in 1931. Already divorced once, Wallis was a married American lady who'd just moved to London with her husband. She was charming and sophisticated and captured Edward's interest immediately. He became totally mesmerised by her, showering her with gifts and love letters.
After the death of King George V, Edward became king in January of 1936. In the same year, Wallis divorced her second husband, clearing the way for Edward. When it became clear the two wanted to get married, the British government went into somewhat of a crisis.
It was an unthinkable scandal at the time – a British royal marrying an American who'd been divorced twice. As king, Edward was the Head of the Church and, with the Church officially against divorce, him marrying a divorcee would have been unacceptable. Wallis was 40 too, meaning it was unlikely that the couple would be able to produce an heir.
The relationship was kept a secret from the public until it had gone on for too long for the British press to keep it secret any longer. It all came out in the last few months of his short reign.
In the end, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin gave Edward an ultimatum: he could choose either Wallis or the throne. He chose Wallis.
Edward's abdication caused a huge amount of upheaval but, with the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to be glad that Edward stepped down and was replaced by his much more sensible brother, George VI. Though he was loved by the public, those around him found him an infuriatingly unorganised and improper king. He undertook his royal duties with an air of informality; he left documents unread, appointments unattended and interfered in foreign affairs.
Life After the Throne
After leaving the throne behind, he married the love of his life in June 1937 in France.
With his reign being such a short time in history, Edward is now most remembered as His Royal Highness the Duke of Windsor, the title that he was given after abdication. King George VI refused to grant Wallis the title 'Her Royal Highness' – she was simply the Duchess of Windsor. This deeply hurt Edward who continued to refer to her as Her Royal Highness anyway and required people to curtsey to her. But in reality, she never became a royal.
The pair were thought to be Nazi sympathisers. In 1937, they made a contreversial visit to Germany and met with Nazi leaders. Edward didn't hide the fact that he admired Hitler and he and Wallis enjoyed the welcome they received as his distinguished guests.
After the embarrassment of this visit for the royal family, Edward was given the rather empty job of being Governor of the Bahamas when World War II started. Then, after the war, he and Wallis went to live near Paris and enjoyed a quieter life that was far more normal existence than the one he was originally destined for.
Edward died in 1972 and was brought back to England and buried at Frogmore, Windsor. 14 years later, he was joined by his wife's body after she passed in 1986.