Edward VIII (Penguin Monarchs)

by Piers Brendon Book 18 in the Penguin Monarchs series.

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2.5(5)

Piers Brendon studies Edward VIII as a king defined by the throne he surrendered. The book traces his popularity as Prince of Wales, unease with royal routine, political indiscretions and relationship with Wallis Simpson, placing the abdication within the conventions and pressures of the 1930s monarchy.

Edward’s desire to marry a divorced American collided with the government, the dominions and the Church of England. Brendon examines the brief reign, the constitutional negotiations and the life that followed, asking whether Edward was a modernising victim of convention or fundamentally unsuited to kingship.