King Edward VIII reign is over

The Abdication of King Edward became complete today with the accession of his brother Albert to the throne. Prince Albert will now be styled as King George VI.

The King's coronation will follow at another date as is tradition.

Prince Edward addressed the British people via the BBC radio broadcast. In the address, he said "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love".

It is believed that Prince Edward will travel to France where Mrs. Wallis Simpson is already after the reaction she received in Great Britain.

King Edward VIII chooses Abdication

Edward VIII gave up the British throne for the love of woman. After considering his options, the King was forced to choose abdication and giving the throne to his brother Prince Albert, the Duke of York.

It is possibly the biggest constitutional crisis to face the British Empire in the modern era.

He signed the instruments of abdication yesterday in front of his three surviving brothers: the aforementioned Prince Albert, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The fourth and youngest of the Princes was John who died in 1919.

From this he has one last act to complete before his reign is over and he is allowed to follow his heart.

Though the commonwealth nations of British Empire rejected his request to marry the American divorcée Mrs. Wallis Simpson in the event her divorce is finalized, it has managed to grab the attention of romantics worldwide. Many in the United States have voiced opposition to the need for King Edward to step down.

King Edward VIII is expected to address the British people at some point on December 11th (later today).

Royal Crisis brewing in Great Britain

The King of Great Britain is in love with a married commoner. Bessie Wallis Simpson is a socialite from the United States. She has long been an acquaintance to the King. Mrs. Wallis Simpson is in the process of divorcing her second husband, Ernest Aldrich Simpson.

King Edward VIII informed Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin of his intention to marry a commoner on the evening of November 16. The Prime Minister informed the King that his subjects would not accept a marriage with a commoner on moral grounds. The Church of England does not allow for divorced persons to remarry. An American divorcée was even worse in public opinion.

The King also offered a Morganatic Marriage which would allow him to marry her without any inheritance of title to herself or any resulting issue the marriage might produce. This was rejected as well.

There is a particular law that also requires more than just the home government's acquiescence. The Statute of Westminster of 1931 states that "any alteration in the law touching the Succession to the Throne or the Royal Style and Titles shall hereafter require the assent as well of the Parliaments of all the Dominions as of the Parliament of the united Kingdom."

Many of the commonwealths of the British Empire have rejected the possibility of the King marrying Mrs. Wallis Simpson. These include South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Only Ireland has been indifferent.

Mrs. Wallis Simpson has fled for the South of France to avoid the negative attention since the public became aware of the affair and the King's intention to marry her upon finalization of her divorce.