WHAT IF…
King Edward VIII hadn’t abdicated?
Historian and author Dr Susan Williams tells Jonny Wilkes about the possible outcomes had the lovestruck king married Wallis Simpson while keeping his place on the throne
In 1934, King George V wrote: “After I’m dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months.” He was talking of his son and heir. Sure enough, less than a year after George passed away on 20 January 1936, Edward VIII had thrust the British monarchy into a constitutional crisis over his desire to marry an American socialite named Wallis Simpson, who had already been divorced once and was seeking a second. Simpson was deemed a wholly inappropriate match for the king, but Edward was not willing to give her up.
Three options were discussed: a full royal marriage; a compromise morganatic marriage, where Simpson would be Edward’s wife but not receive the title of queen; or abdication. The Establishment would never have accepted the first, so the only way Edward could have stayed on the throne and with the woman he loved was the compromise. e idea had been put forward by Winston Churchill, a loyal supporter of Edward’s.
Dr Susan Williams, author of the book The People’s King and historical advisor to the National Archives when official records relating to the abdication were made public in 2003, says that it was Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin who stymied that hope. “He gave Edward incomplete information about the views of the Dominions (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Ireland) on the morganatic marriage plan. In effect, Baldwin bounced Edward of the throne.”
abdication at a newsstand in Parliament Square
IN CONTEXT
On 11 December 1936, King Edward VIII announced in a BBC radio broadcast that he had abdicated, less than a year after taking the throne. It was the culmination of a constitutional crisis brought about by his a air with married American socialite Wallis Simpson, which had begun in the early 1930s while he was Prince of Wales. Their relationship, and plans to marry, were opposed by the royal, political and religious establishment of Britain.
Despite having support from the public and some politicians like Winston Churchill, Edward was unable to reach any agreement with Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, so chose Simpson over the crown. He signed the Instrument of Abdication the day before the broadcast, enabling his brother Prince Albert (known as ‘Bertie’), to ascend the throne as King George VI. Edward and Simpson went into exile with the titles of Duke and Duchess of Windsor and married in June 1937.
There were other concerns about the new king’s attitude separate from his affair with Simpson, which troubled the likes of Baldwin. In November 1936, Edward paid a visit to the coal mining communities of south Wales, which were blighted by high levels of poverty and unemployment. When the king commented that “something must be done” to help the poor, the moment was captured on newsreels and seen all over the nation – something that infuriated those in power. “The incident only helped influence the Establishment against him and increase their wish to see him off the throne,” says Williams.
A man of the people
Conversely, the king’s sense of connection with ordinary people only served to boost his popularity among the general public. Indeed, at the start of his reign, Edward’s modern approach to monarchy enjoyed a groundswell of support in Britain and across the empire. If he had managed to secure the morganatic marriage, there is every reason to believe that, outside of the Establishment, his reputation would not have been badly damaged. Williams adds: “Judging by the documentary evidence available, many would have been delighted for Edward to marry Wallis – there was widespread sorrow when he abdicated.”
While newspapers like The Times and Telegraph opposed the marriage plan, mass circulation papers such as the Express and Daily Mail were in favour. Edward’s younger brother Bertie, who became King George VI after the abdication, feared his sibling’s popularity could lead to a rival royal court in Britain, which was why he pushed him to go into exile. Williams says this concern, particularly around the time of Bertie’s coronation, was well founded: “According to Mass Observation [a social research project] many people resented the new king and wanted Edward back.”
“There is every reason to believe that Edward’s reputation would not have been badly damaged”
Regarding Simpson, perhaps it is possible to consider the public’s attitudes towards other outsiders in the royal family – such as Diana, Princess of Wales, or Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – to try and guess the response she would have had as Edward’s wife. “Wallis might have introduced a breath of fresh air and openness into the royal court,” suggests Williams. “She had grown up in relative poverty. At a time of huge social inequality in Britain, this was widely appreciated.”
Fact versus fiction
Something that arises when considering Edward’s reign beyond 1936 is World War II. Perhaps fuelled by the king’s negative portrayals in period dramas such as The Crown, there is a growing belief among people today that Edward and Wallis secretly harboured pro-Nazi sympathies. But this is a misnomer, Williams asserts:
“When the official records relating to the abdication were released in 2003, there was nothing to substantiate allegations that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (as they became after Edward’s abdication) were considered by the government to represent such a risk.
Even if Edward had wanted to exert influence, this was impossible: he was a constitutional monarch and foreign policy was for the government to decide.”
In the case of the abdication not occurring, Edward would have stayed on the throne until his death in 1972, at which time his eldest niece would have succeeded as Queen Elizabeth II (assuming that Bertie, who su ered from lung cancer, still passed away in 1952). Although the line of succession would have remained exactly the same, Elizabeth would not hold the title of Britain’s longest-serving monarch –a feat she achieved in 2015, when she surpassed Queen Victoria’s record of 63 years and 216 days on the throne.
“Edward has been perceived as the antithesis to Elizabeth II and what she stands for,” says Williams. “But there is an important parallel between them. Like Elizabeth, Edward had a strong sense of duty and a commitment to parliamentary democracy. It is reasonable to assume that if he had ruled until 1972, he would have maintained the same patterns of duty and service that he had shown as Prince of Wales and then as king in 1936.”
LISTEN
A documentary presented by Heather Jones, The Frontline Prince, explores Edward VIII’s experiences of World War I: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0952jkk