King VIII, one of the most interesting characters in history, whom we had the chance to see a part of his life in The Crown series. Edward; A royal who abdicated the throne for the woman he loved, Wallis Simpson, and later had close ties to Adolf Hitler. King VIII. Let’s see who Edward is, why he is mentioned in all these strange events.
Undoubtedly, the family that makes the most of its name in the world is the British royal family. The queen who appears to be immortal, The aging prince, intrigues and unusual traditions while waiting to ascend to the throne, have come to the fore again and again with the latest Netflix series The Crown and Prince Harry, who left property for the woman he loves, Meghan Markle. However, Prince Harry is not the only royal to leave the throne for the woman he loves.
King VIII. Edward gave up everything for Wallis Simpson, the woman he loved while on the throne. But our king was not only in love, he was also a very close friend of Adolf Hitler, the most brutal dictator history has ever seen. Bride King VIII. who is Edward Let’s take a closer look and see what kind of relationship went on between this British royal and the Germans.
The British royal family is already considered German:
We always address them by their titles, but The British royal family also has a surname, Windsor We can say that this name, which looks quite British, was actually accepted recently. The surnames Saxe, Coburg and Gotha were used for many years in the British royal family, which ruled for hundreds of years.
This seemingly meaningless detail actually reveals the relationship between the British royal family and the Germans because The surnames Saxe, Coburg and Gotha are German heraldic names. The British royal family used these surnames until everyone started attacking each other in the First World War. However, in 1917, they started to use the surname Windsor in order to be local and national.
King VIII. Edward’s German admiration is known:
King VIII. Since childhood, Edward has been someone who gets along quite well with his German cousins. Because He knew and loved German culture and spoke German. Since he made many frontline visits as a prince during the First World War, he did not want any war anymore and was on good terms with the Germans.
It is known that he watched with admiration and supported the events that took place with the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler coming to power in Germany. Strangely enough, both fascism and anti-Semitism were on the rise in England at the same time. During his reign, King VIII. Edward’s that the Germans would not interfere in what they did to the Jews. and he is also known to say that he might one day become a dictator in England.
King VIII. What happened to Edward estranged from the royal family?
According to the rules of the British royal family, a sinful royal cannot marry someone who has been married and divorced before. but the heart does not listen to the edict. King VIII. When Edward was still a prince, he met Wallis Simpson, who was then married to her second husband, and they quickly became friends. This relationship, which seemed like a friendship, was known to everyone that it was actually the first spark of love.
Prince Edward was crowned King George VIII on January 20, 1936, after his father George V died. He ascended the throne as Edward. However, she did not break her relationship with Wallis and eventually Wallis divorced her husband. King VIII. Despite the opposition of the royal family and the then British prime minister, Stanley Baldwin. Saying he wanted to marry Wallis He abdicated the throne on 11 December 1936. He was succeeded by his brother VI. George passed.
Edward, who assumed the title of Duke of Windsor after abdicating, married Wallis and they settled in southern France. As Wallis is a divorcee, he did not hold any royal titles. The relationship of the two was going well, but Edward had survived the winter, but he had not forgotten the frost he had eaten. Inevitably, he started to get close to the Germans he was already interested in, namely Adolf Hitler.
Edward and Wallis get closer to Adolf Hitler:
Deposed royalty are loved, especially by enemies. Despite intense pressure from the British government, Edward and Wallis visited Hitler’s Germany. They were greeted with grandeur by prominent Nazi officers. They were treated as if they were an incoming English king and queen.
Banquets were held in their honor during the visit, and Edward even visited Nazi training schools. During the visit A private one-hour meeting took place between Edward and Adolf Hitler. It is said that Edward supported Hitler even though he criticized him. These are just rumors because the documents about the meeting in question were destroyed by the Nazis themselves.
The Germans planned to restore Edward to the throne:
Tons of documents belonging to the Nazis were seized in the last days of the Second World War. One of them was called the Windsor File. The details were really creepy. According to this file The Germans wanted to restore the former English king Edward to the throne. and they even conducted covert operations for it.
After the Nazi occupation, Edward and Wallis, who went to Spain from France, were wanted to be kept away from the Germans and Edward was appointed by the then prime minister Winston Churchill. Appointed Governor of the Bahamas. However, according to the Windsor file, the Germans revealed their plans to Edward, who did not want this task anyway. Edward did not reject this plan or inform the British authorities.
Edward and Wallis resisted for a month not to go to the Bahamas. During this period, the Nazis carried out covert operations and even It is known that they canceled the departure of the ship that the couple was going to board, with a fake bomb threat. Despite all efforts, Edward and Wallis eventually made it to the Bahamas. It’s chilling to even think about what kind of world awaits us if they don’t go.
King VIII. Edward’s death:
Edward, who served as the Duke of Windsor as the Governor of the Bahamas for a while, moved to France again in 1953 with Wallis. His financial situation was generally good and he had a pretty fun life. However, because he was rejected by a large group, especially his family, and lost the throne. it was always a little sad.
Calendars He died of laryngeal cancer on May 28, 1972. and was buried with a not very royal ceremony. Edward’s wife, Wallis Simpson, for whom he left the throne, died on April 4, 1986. Thus, the two heroes of the greatest love story in history have passed away.
He left the throne for the sake of love and established very close relations with Adolf Hitler. King VIII. who is Edward We answered his question and told his interesting story from his accession to the throne until his death. King VIII. The story of Edward and Wallis is a betrayal for some and a love story for others. You can share your thoughts in the comments.