December 11, 1936
King Edward VIII abdicates his throne to marry.
King Edward VIII of England had been king for less than a year and was in love with an American woman named Wallis Warfield Simpson. Unfortunately, Mrs. Simpson had been married and divorced, and was married again when he met her, all of which made her unacceptable as a queen of England. Edward chose to give up his position as king so that he could marry Mrs. Simpson. He took the title Duke of Windsor and lived the remainder of his life in France. He is the only King of England to voluntarily give up his throne. His brother became King George VI and was the father of the current Queen Elizabeth II of England.
For more information...
A biography of Edward VIII.
The National Archives
From the British National Archives, this site includes images of the original documents filed with Edward abdicated the throne.
The official site of the British monarchy
For those fascinated with royalty. Includes information about current members of the British monarchy and extensive family trees showing the relationship among former kings and queens across Europe. There's even a date book so you can find out what official duties various royals are carrying out today.
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