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KF5JRV > TODAY 03.06.19 12:39l 7 Lines 5174 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 37447_KF5JRV
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Subj: Today in History = Jun 03
Path: IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<N3HYM<KF5JRV
Sent: 190603/1137Z 37447@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.18
In France, the duke of Windsor formerly King Edward VIII of GreatBritain and Northern Ireland marries Wallis Warfield, the Americandivorcee for whom he abdicated the British throne in December 1936.Edward, born in 1896, was the eldest son of King George V, who becamethe British sovereign in 1910. He served as a staff officer during WorldWar I and in the 1920s made extensive goodwill trips abroad as Prince ofWales, a title bestowed on male heirs to the British throne. During theDepression, he helped organize work programs for the nation'sunemployed and was highly regarded by the public in the years leading upto his father's death.Edward, still unmarried as he approached his 40th birthday, socializedwith the fashionable London society of the day and frequentlyentertained at Fort Belvedere, his country home. By 1934, he had fallendeeply in love with American socialite Wallis Warfield Simpson, who wasmarried to Ernest Simpson, an English-American businessman who livedwith Mrs. Simpson near London. Wallis, who was born in Pennsylvania in1896 and brought up in Maryland, had previously married and divorced aU.S. Navy pilot. The royal family disapproved of Edward's marriedmistress, but by 1936 the prince was intent on marrying Mrs. Simpson.Before he could discuss this intention with his father, George V died onJanuary 20, 1936, and Edward was proclaimed king.The new king proved popular with his subjects, and his coronation wasscheduled for May 1937. His affair with Mrs. Simpson was reported inAmerican and continental European newspapers, but due to a gentlemen'sagreement between the British press and the government, the affair waskept out of British newspapers. On October 27, 1936, Mrs. Simpsonobtained a preliminary decree of divorce, presumably with the intent ofmarrying the king, precipitating a major scandal. To the Church ofEngland and most British politicians, an American woman twice divorcedwas unacceptable as a prospective British queen. Winston Churchill, thena Conservative backbencher, was the only notable politician to supportEdward.Despite the seemingly united front against him, Edward could not bedissuaded. He proposed a morganatic marriage, in which Wallis would begranted no rights of rank or property, but Prime Minister StanleyBaldwin rejected this as impractical on December 2. The next day, thescandal broke on the front pages of British newspapers and was discussedopenly in Parliament. With no resolution possible, the king renouncedthe throne on December 10. The next day, Parliament approved theabdication instrument, and Edward VIII's 325-day reign came to an end.That evening, the former king gave a radio broadcast in which heexplained: "I have found it impossible to carry on the heavy burden ofresponsibility and to discharge the duties of King, as I would wish todo, without the help and support of the woman I love." On December 12,his younger brother, the duke of York, was proclaimed King George VI.That day, the new king made his older brother the duke of Windsor.By that time, Edward had already left for Austria, where he lived withfriends apart from Mrs. Simpson as her divorce proceedings progressed.Her divorce became final in May 1937, and she had her name legallychanged back to Wallis Warfield. On June 3, 1937, the duke of Windsorand Wallis Warfield married at the Chateau de Cande in France's LoireValley. A Church of England clergyman conducted the service, which waswitnessed by only about 16 guests. Wallis was now the duchess ofWindsor, but King George, under pressure from his ministers, denied herthe title of “royal highness” enjoyed by her husband.For the next two years, the duke and duchess lived primarily in Francebut visited other European countries, including Germany, where the dukewas honored by Nazi officials in October 1937 and met with Adolf Hitler.After the outbreak of World War II, the duke accepted a position asliaison officer with the French. In June 1940, France fell to the Nazis,and Edward and Wallis went to Spain. During this period, the Nazisconcocted a scheme to kidnap Edward with the intention of returning himto the British throne as a puppet king. George VI, like his primeminister, Winston Churchill, was adamantly opposed to any peace withNazi Germany. Unaware of the Nazi kidnapping plot but conscious ofEdward's pre-war Nazi sympathies, Churchill hastily offered Edward thegovernorship of the Bahamas in the West Indies. The duke and duchess setsail from Lisbon on August 1, 1940, narrowly escaping a Nazi SS teamsent to seize them.In 1945, the duke resigned his post, and the couple moved back toFrance. They lived mainly in Paris, and Edward made a few visits toEngland, such as to attend the funerals of King George VI in 1952 andhis mother, Queen Mary, in 1953. It was not until 1967 that the duke andduchess were invited by the royal family to attend an official publicceremony, the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to Queen Mary. Edward diedin Paris in 1972 but was buried at Frogmore, on the grounds of WindsorCastle. In 1986, Wallis died and was buried at his side.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
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