Editing Abdication of Edward VIII (section)

==Prelude==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-13538, Edward Herzog von Windsor.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Edward wearing a top hat and bow tie|Edward in 1932]]

Edward had been introduced to Wallis Simpson, an American citizen and wife of British shipping executive [[Ernest Aldrich Simpson]], by [[Lady Furness]] on 10 January 1931, when Edward was Prince of Wales. Ernest Simpson was Wallis's second husband; her first marriage, to [[U.S. Navy]] pilot [[Win Spencer]], had ended in divorce in 1927. It is generally accepted that Wallis Simpson and Edward became lovers in 1934, while Lady Furness (who was also in a relationship with the prince) was visiting relatives in the United States. However, Edward adamantly insisted to his father, King [[George V]], that he was not physically intimate with Simpson and that it was inappropriate to describe her as his mistress.<ref>Ziegler, p. 233</ref> Edward's relationship with Simpson further weakened his poor relationship with his parents. Although King George V and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] met Simpson at [[Buckingham Palace]] in 1935,<ref>Windsor, p. 255</ref> they later refused to receive her.<ref>Bradford, p. 142</ref> Edward and Simpson were secretly followed by members of the Metropolitan Police [[Special Branch (Metropolitan Police)|Special Branch]], who produced reports on the nature of their relationship and their investigations into Wallis Simpson's private life that included the "pursuit of vicious gossip" and the identification of a "secret lover".<ref>{{citation|last1=Bowcott|first1=Owen|last2=Bates|first2=Stephen|title=Car dealer was Wallis Simpson's secret lover|periodical=The Guardian|date=30 January 2003|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jan/30/freedomofinformation.monarchy3|access-date=1 May 2010|location=London}}</ref> The prospect of having an American divorcée with a questionable past having such sway over the [[heir apparent]] led to anxiety among government and establishment figures.<ref>Ziegler, pp. 231–234</ref>

Edward VIII succeeded his father on 20 January 1936, after which Simpson attended more official functions as the King's guest. Despite her name appearing regularly in the [[Court Circular]], the name of her husband was conspicuously absent.<ref>Broad, p. 37.</ref> In the summer of that year, the King eschewed the traditional prolonged stay at [[Balmoral Castle|Balmoral]] in favour of a holiday with Simpson in the eastern Mediterranean that was widely covered in the American and continental European press, but not by the British press, which maintained a self-imposed silence. Nevertheless, Canadians and expatriate Britons, who had access to the foreign reports, were largely scandalised by the coverage.<ref>Broad, p. 47.</ref>

[[File:King Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson on holiday in Yugoslavia, 1936.jpg|thumb|right|Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in the Mediterranean, 1936]]

By October, it was rumoured in high society and abroad that Edward intended to marry Simpson as soon as she was free to do so.<ref>Beaverbrook, pp. 28–33; Windsor, p. 314; Ziegler, pp. 292–295.</ref> At the end of that month, the crisis came to a head when she filed for divorce and the American press announced that marriage between her and the King was imminent.<ref>Broad, p. 56; Williams, p. 85.</ref> The King's private secretary, [[Alec Hardinge]], wrote to him on 13 November, warning: "The silence in the British Press on the subject of Your Majesty's friendship with Mrs Simpson is not going to be maintained&nbsp;... Judging by the letters from British subjects living in foreign countries where the Press has been outspoken, the effect will be calamitous."<ref>Broad, p. 71.</ref> Senior British ministers knew that Hardinge had written to the King and may have helped him draft the letter.<ref>Williams, pp. 93–94.</ref>

The King invited [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Stanley Baldwin]] to Buckingham Palace the following Monday (16 November) and informed him that he intended to marry Simpson. Baldwin replied that such a marriage would not be acceptable to the people, stating: "...&nbsp;the Queen becomes the Queen of the country. Therefore in the choice of a Queen the voice of the people must be heard".<ref>Broad, p. 75.</ref> Baldwin's view was shared by the Australian [[High Commissioner]] in London, [[Stanley Bruce]], who was also a former [[prime minister of Australia]]. On the same day that Hardinge wrote to the King, Bruce met Hardinge and then wrote to Baldwin, expressing horror at the idea of a marriage between the King and Simpson.<ref>Williams, p. 101.</ref>

Nevertheless, the British press remained quiet on the subject until [[Alfred Blunt]], [[Bishop of Bradford (diocese)|Bishop of Bradford]], gave a speech to his diocesan conference on 1 December, which alluded to the King's need of [[divine grace]]: "We hope that he is aware of his need. Some of us wish that he gave more positive signs of his awareness."<ref>Williams, p. 134.</ref> The press took this for the first public comment by a notable person on the crisis and it became front-page news on 3 December.<ref>{{citation |page=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v4iFAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 |isbn=9781134739035 |title=The Routledge Dictionary of Modern British History |first=John |last=Plowright |publisher=Routledge |year=2006}}</ref> When asked about it later, however, the bishop claimed he had not heard of Simpson at the time he wrote the speech, and that it was an expression of disappointment at the King's conspicuous failure to attend church services regularly.<ref>Williams, p. 146.</ref> Acting on the advice of Edward's staff, Simpson left Britain for the south of France two days later in an attempt to escape intense press attention. Both she and the King were devastated by the separation. At a tearful departure, the King told her, "I shall never give you up."<ref>Williams, pp. 149–151.</ref>