On June 3, 1937, former King Edward VIII married Wallis Simpson. Having ruled for less than one year, Edward VIII became the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne; he wished to marry a divorcée. This followed his abdication in December 1936, when the new King George VI announced he was to make his brother the “Duke of Windsor” with the style of Royal Highness.

The couple lived mainly in exile in Paris, France.