#390 | Edward VIII | The King Who Said No
English Learning for Curious Minds
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The Story of the King's Marriage to Wallace Simpson
Until 2002, the Church of England didn't allow divorced people to remarry if their previous partner was still alive. If Edward married Wallace Simpson he would be going directly against the regulations of his own Church. He proposed something called a Morganatic marriage - she wouldn't become an official Queen and any children they might have wouldn't become heirs to the throne. The Prime Minister agreed to ask his cabinet and the Prime Ministers of the other dominions of which Edward was King,. Their response was definitive. Edward could not marry Wallace and remain King. His choice was clear, leave Wallace or abdicate, stop being King. Love must come above duty, he was going to abdicate. Without
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