- Born
- Died
- Birth nameEdward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David Wettin
- Nickname
- David
- Height5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
- Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David was born on June 23, 1894. He was the son of the future King George V and Queen Mary. He was in the army and was an uncrowned King for a little under a year after the death of his father in 1936. In the early 30s he met an American divorcee, Wallis Warfield Simpson, who was married to her second husband. She and the Prince fell in love and she got divorced in 1936. The Establishment reacted against the idea of a twice married American divorcée as Queen, and Edward decided to abdicate in favour of his younger brother Albert who became King George VI. He and Wallis married in 1937, and became Duke and Duchess of Windsor, though she was not made a Royal Highness. He met Hitler before the war started and Hitler said that Wallis would have made a good Queen. During the war Edward was named Governor of the Bahamas. After the war he lived mainly in Paris where he died in May of 1972.- IMDb Mini Biography By: CR edited by garryq
- SpouseDuchess of Windsor(June 3, 1937 - May 28, 1972) (his death)
- ChildrenNo Children
- Parents
- RelativesKing George VI(Sibling)Princess Mary(Sibling)Duke of Gloucester(Sibling)Duke of Kent(Sibling)Prince John(Sibling)Queen Elizabeth II(Niece or Nephew)Princess Margaret(Niece or Nephew)Prince Albert(Great Grandparent)Prince Albert Victor(Aunt or Uncle)Princess Louise(Aunt or Uncle)Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom(Aunt or Uncle)Dronning Maud(Aunt or Uncle)Princess Alexandra(Cousin)King Olav V(Cousin)George Earl of Harewood(Niece or Nephew)Gerald Lascelles(Niece or Nephew)Duke of Gloucester(Niece or Nephew)Edward Windsor(Niece or Nephew)Princess Alexandra(Niece or Nephew)Prince Michael of Kent(Niece or Nephew)King Edward VII(Grandparent)Queen Alexandra(Grandparent)Christian IX(Great Grandparent)Queen Victoria(Great Grandparent)Lord Athlone(Aunt or Uncle)
- His name and primary title changed eight times in his life: he was born Prince Edward of York, then became Prince Edward of Cornwall and York in January 1901, Prince Edward of Wales in November 1901, Duke of Cornwall in May 1910, Prince of Wales in June 1910, King Edward VIII (His Majesty The King) in 1936, untitled (The Prince Edward) from December 1936 to March 1937, and finally Duke of Windsor in 1937.
- As the first son of King George V and heir apparent, he was invested as the Prince of Wales in 1911.
- The coronation that had been planned for him went on as scheduled on May 12, 1937 but for his brother King George VI.
- He was the last monarch to serve his entire reign as Emperor of India.
- His close friend Winston Churchill (then a backbencher) suggested setting up a "King's Party" as a group to try to sway public opinion and the establishment in favor of Edward remaining on the throne after marrying Wallis Simpson (the Duchess of Windsor).
- [his public statement after abdicating his throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson, who became the Duchess of Windsor] "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love."
- I am deeply conscious of the presence of the great company of the dead, and I am convinced that could they make their voices heard they would be with me in what I am about to say. I speak simply as a soldier of the Last War whose most earnest prayer it is that such cruel and destructive madness shall never again overtake mankind. There is no land whose people want war.
- It was in Britain's interest and in Europe's too, that Germany be encouraged to strike east and smash Communism forever ... I thought the rest of us could be fence-sitters while the Nazis and the Reds slogged it out.
- [to Freda Dudley Ward in 1919] I love you, love you darling, and you know it, how you mean absolutely all and everything in life. Nothing else seems to matter now, not even my bloody job of which I am so, so sick.
- Each day, I long more and more to chuck this job and be out of it. The more I think of it all, the more certain I am that, really, the day for kings and princes has passed. Monarchies are out of date.
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