King Edward VIII of England abdicated so he could marry which American woman?

Wallis Simpson.

King Edward VIII of England abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American woman who had been divorced twice. This decision was unprecedented and caused a constitutional crisis, as it was the first voluntary abdication in British history. Edward’s desire to marry Wallis was met with strong opposition from the British government, the Church of England, and much of British society, primarily because Wallis was a twice-divorced woman with living ex-husbands. At the time, the Church of England, of which the king was the Supreme Governor, did not sanction remarriage after divorce if former spouses were still alive.

Edward and Wallis met in the early 1930s, and their relationship quickly developed despite the controversy it stirred. By the time Edward ascended the throne in January 1936 following the death of his father, King George V, his relationship with Wallis had already attracted significant public and political attention. The king’s determination to marry her led to a confrontation with the government, as the prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, made it clear that such a union would be unacceptable.

Rather than give up Wallis, Edward chose to abdicate. On December 11, 1936, he delivered a historic radio broadcast, explaining his decision to relinquish the throne, famously stating, “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.”

Edward’s abdication led to his younger brother, Albert, becoming King George VI, and Edward was given the title Duke of Windsor. He married Wallis Simpson in 1937, and they lived the rest of their lives largely in exile, dividing their time between Europe and the United States.