King Edward VIII gave up the throne in 1936 in order to do what?

King Edward VIII gave up the throne in 1936 in order to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. His proposed marriage created a constitutional crisis because Simpson had two living former husbands and the Church of England then opposed remarriage after divorce in such circumstances.

Edward became king on January 20, 1936, after the death of his father, George V. Within months, he made clear that he intended to marry Simpson once her divorce became final. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin warned that the British government and the governments of the Dominions could not support the marriage while Edward remained king.

Edward considered alternatives, including a morganatic marriage in which Simpson would not become queen, but the proposal was rejected. He signed the Instrument of Abdication on December 10, 1936, and his brother Albert succeeded him as George VI.

Edward later became the Duke of Windsor and married Wallis in France on June 3, 1937. The phrase “marry a divorcee” is a simplified quiz answer; more precisely, he abdicated so he could marry Wallis Simpson despite political, religious and constitutional opposition.