Did you know King Charles was never actually supposed to be King? Charles and Diana, William and Harry - they all would have just been random side-royals if one of their far more important relatives hadn’t quit the royal family. Less than 12 months into his reign, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Even though she never wanted to marry Edward, Wallis was publicly blamed for the royal crisis, which resulted in the newly named ‘Duke and Duchess of Windsor’ being exiled from England for the rest of their lives. And Edward - so used to being treated like a King - found the downgrade to ‘regular citizen’ so difficult, that he and Wallis befriended Hitler and the Nazis, hoping to find a way back onto the world stage.

This is just the gist of Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII.

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Traitor King — Andrew Lownie

King Edward VIII Abdication Speech (1936)

Edward & Wallis: The Full Story

The Abdication Crisis Documentary

People: Wallis Simpson, Convenient Scapegoat for King Edward VIII's Abdication

The National Archives: Abdication of Edward VIII

BBC Culture: The Shocking Moment King Edward VIII Announced His Abdication

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Just The Gist of… Wallis Simpson and the royal abdication.