In early December 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when
Her husband, Prince Philip, who died in 2021 at 99, was steadily by her side through the years, but he was not in line to succeed her. Instead, after the queen, her firstborn, Charles, ascended to the throne and became the British sovereign.
Edward VIII became king following the death of his father, George V. He abdicated the throne in order to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson and became known as the Duke of Windsor.
Had the Duke of Windsor not abdicated and remained King until his death, who would be the sovereign now? ASSUMING that he married Mrs Simpson and this union produced no children, as was the case, his eldest surviving brother, Henry, Duke of Gloucester, would have become King Henry IX in 1972 at the age of 72.
Others stated that Philip was the most sympathetic family member toward his son's decision. Buckingham Palace said that Prince Edward's decision came after "much consideration" and that he was leaving with great regret "but has concluded that he does not wish to make the service his long-term career".
The conventional story of why Edward VIII came to abdicate in 1936 is well known and hardly needs any detailed rehearsal. The King abandoned the throne because he was determined on marrying the American divorcée Wallis Simpson, 'the woman I love', a union rejected by the political and royal Establishment.
We also know that the younger of these two brothers died in 1952, twenty years before Edward, meaning the role of heir would have passed to Bertie's daughter, Elizabeth. Therefore, Elizabeth II would have still become Queen, even if Edward VIII hadn't abdicated.
And the infamous moment that will forever have Elizabeth's uncle and his wife etched in the history books was not something the Duke of Windsor ever lamented. Says Pasternak, "The duke always said that not once did he regret the abdication, because he was so happy."
The alleged homosexual relationship with Gaveston is one of the main factors that contributed to Edward II being seen as a weak king. Centuries of demeaning historiography, because Edward II may or may not have been homosexual, have tarnished his reputation as a king.
How far does Queen Elizabeth's bloodline go? The bloodline of the current royal family can be traced back some 1,209 years! This covers 37 generations and goes all the way back to the 9th century.
Opponents, including Winston Churchill, felt that a televised coronation would be an affront to its dignity and religious character.
After Edward's death in 1972, Wallis lived in seclusion and was rarely seen in public. Her private life has been a source of much speculation, and she remains a controversial figure in British history.
The two met and became friends in the early 1930s. At the time, Wallis was married to Ernest Simpson, and Prince Edward was in line to become king. In 1934, family members and household staff started whispering and speculating that the pair's relationship had become romantic, though Prince Edward denied it.
At present, Harry is fifth in line to the throne and this is a birthright “privilege” that cannot be revoked without an Act of Parliament being in place.
When Queen Elizabeth II was born, she was third in line to the throne — and considered highly unlikely to wear the crown. Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor on April 21, 1926, to then-Prince Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
In the event of Prince William's death occurring before King Charles's, Prince Harry would still not be the next choice for King, instead that honor would move on to Prince William's eldest son, Prince George.
Churchill became Edward's strongest supporter, believing that he was entitled to choose a wife, and that he would make a great King. He argued in the King's favor in Parliament, and criticized Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin for pressuring Edward to abdicate.
The first king of England
It was Edward's son, Æthelstan, who first controlled the whole area that would form the kingdom of England. Æthelstan's sister had married Sihtric, the Viking ruler of the Northumbrians. When Sihtric died in 927, Æthelstan succeeded to that kingdom.
After Edward's death in 1553, Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen by her father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland. Jane Grey is known as the Nine-day Queen, because after only nine days her cousin, Mary, arrived in London to the cheers of the Londoners.
In defying expectations that he had a duty to use marriage as a diplomatic tool, Edward prioritised love, perhaps lust, in a way that exposed his own feelings. There was no question that he desired Elizabeth and was prepared to take considerable risks to make her his queen.
Before he became King, then-Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, was thought to have first met Wallis Simpson in the early 1930s. Edward's mistress, Thelma Furness, is thought to have asked Wallis to keep the Prince company while she visited the US in 1934, but Edward instead fell firmly in love with Wallis.
After Her Majesty died at age 96 on Sept. 8, her cousin Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, became the only person to have walked in the procession for both Her Majesty's state funeral and her father King George VI's funeral in 1952.
Prince Philip did not have the title of king because of British royal tradition whereby a man marrying into the royal family does not assume the male version of the title held by his wife. He became duke of Edinburgh prior to his marriage to Elizabeth in 1947, and she designated him a prince in 1957.
Elizabeth II only had one younger sister when her father, George VI, died, but if she had had a brother, even a younger one, he would have become king. This rule was changed in 2011.
Following Edward IV's sudden death, possibly from pneumonia or being worn out from "high living", in April 1483, Elizabeth Woodville became queen dowager. Her young son, Edward V, became king, with his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, acting as Lord Protector.