In 1936, the British King abdicated the throne in order to marry a common American woman. Who were they?

In 1936, a constitutional crisis of unprecedented scale gripped the British Empire, forcing its new monarch into an impossible choice between the crown and the woman he loved. The King, Edward VIII, had fallen for Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American socialite. Their relationship became a critical issue upon his ascension to the throne because Simpson was not only a commoner but was also in the process of divorcing her second husband. This was considered morally and socially unacceptable for a potential queen consort by the political and religious establishment.

The conflict was not merely a matter of social etiquette; it struck at the heart of the British constitution. As the reigning monarch, Edward VIII was also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. At the time, the Church did not permit a person to remarry if a former spouse was still alive. The British government and the leaders of the Commonwealth Dominions made it clear that they would not accept Wallis as queen. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin informed the King that if he married against the government's advice, the cabinet would be forced to resign.

Faced with the choice of abandoning his marriage plans or plunging the nation into political turmoil, the King chose to renounce the throne. On December 10, 1936, after a reign of less than a year, he formally abdicated. In a famous radio address, he explained he could not fulfill his duties "without the help and support of the woman I love." His younger brother succeeded him, becoming King George VI. Edward was given the title Duke of Windsor, and he married Wallis Simpson in France the following year. They remained married until his death in 1972.