Edward wanted to marry a twice-divorced American; divorce was not unheard of but was a shocking thing back in thirties’ Britain. He was king and therefore also head of the Church of England. Remember that even as late as the sixties it wasn’t considered proper; cross-reference Princess Margaret being unable to marry a divorcé herself, a generation later.

Edward was hugely popular both as Prince of Wales and as King. He was indeed a layabout playboy who loved exotic holidays and women, but then so had his grandfather, Edward VII been. He was also anti-semitic, but then so was his father, George V. He tried to interfere in government, but so did his predecessors, especially Queen Victoria. He didn’t want the job as king, but neither did his brother George VI. He had many things going for him - he was handsome and charming, and very glamorous.

When Edward was king he was feted everywhere he went, the people absolutely adored him. It was the cabinet of the time that had a problem with Edward’s marrying a twice-divorced American - when he announced his intention to marry her, they threatened to resign, which would have been a constitutional crisis.

Edward was no angel, he was a spoiled brat even, but his reputation has been deliberately tarnished by his relatives, the press and historians alike. If he had married the twice-divorced American, it would have put a question mark over the whole concept of monarchy and his role as head of the Church of England, changing its image drastically. Remember also that Mrs Simpson was not only a foreigner but also had no royal or noble birth - marrying a true commoner in this sense was unheard of in the royal family, who had always married at least into noble families. She was also obviously not a virgin - something important for royal brides up until the time of Diana.

The cabinet were probably concerned that such a change of image and style would be too great and might even contribute to the monarchy’s downfall - many monarchies had fallen only two decades before, during and in the aftermath of the First World War. The cabinet felt that the nation would not accept Mrs Simpson as queen - although this is debatable, since Edward’s popularity might have overridden any questions about her suitability.

When Edward abdicated, his reputation was blackened - such a thing as abdication undermines the concept of monarchy, because the idea is that someone is born into a particular role and there is no choice for them or the people. Once you introduce the element of choice, you start to move away from traditionally what monarchy is all about, and what it thrives on - which is tradition and continuity. Many think Edward would have made an excellent king - the job is not hard and he was already beloved. Abdication does not sit well with monarchists, however, so they try to highlight all the bad things about him and suggest he would have been a nightmare. If his womanizing, pleasure-seeking, workshy grandfather Edward VII did his job successfully, for Edward VIII it would have been a piece of cake - especially since he was so successful as Prince of Wales. In the aftermath of the abdication he was forced to live abroad and his negative attributes have been highlighted ever since, while conversely, his brother George VI has been bigged up and hailed as a hero - something which was transferred also onto his daughter, the current queen of the UK.