On December 11, 1936, after ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII became the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne – he wished to marry a divorcée, Wallis Simpson.

Karsh photographed the married couple in 1971, one year before Edward, Duke of Windsor, died. In late 1971, the Duke, who was a smoker from an early age, was diagnosed with throat cancer. (In 1964 he was operated on by another Karsh Sitter, Michael E. DeBakey.  Read more (Wikipedia)