Edward VIII’s abdication to become Duke of Windsor explained
A RARE coin featuring Edward VIII before he abdicated has been bought for a record-breaking £1million.
Here's the lowdown on the events that led to the former king stepping down from the throne after just 326 days - a move that rocked the Royal Family into a constitutional crisis.
Why did Edward VIII abdicate?
American divorcee Wallis Simpson will forever be known as the woman who rocked the Royal Family and plunged the monarchy into crisis when Prince Edward married her in 1937.
Their relationship allegedly started in 1934, but Edward – then a prince – denied this to his dad King George V.
On January 20, 1936, George V died and Edward ascended the throne.
Fears were beginning to grow that the new king planned to marry Wallis - something the Church of England condemned on the grounds that she was a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands.
Brits were also reluctant to accept an American as a queen – prompting Wallis to flee to France to avoid the heavy press coverage.
Edward was told he could not keep the throne and marry Wallis and sent shockwaves across the world when in December 1936 he decided to abdicate the throne.
As a result, his stammering younger brother “Bertie”, the current Queen’s father, became George VI.
In his announcement, Edward made a BBC broadcast saying he could not do the job of the king “without the help and support of the woman I love”.
When did he marry Wallis Simpson?
The pair married on June 3, 1937, at the Château de Candé but no members of Edward’s family attended.
They became Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
What is the Edward VIII coin?
The Edward VIII coin is made from 22-carat gold and is one of six that were minted back in 1935 as a trial when the royal took the throne.
Collectors are particularly interested in the design because the king broke with tradition and opted for his left profile to be minted, rather than the right.
Gold sovereign coins haven't been struck for general circulation since 1932.
This one is just 22mm in diameter and weighs 7.98g - making it only slightly smaller than a pound coin.
It was snapped up by a private buyer in the UK for £1million after the Royal Mint located it with a collector in the US.
Rebecca Morgan, head of collector services at the Mint, said: "The Edward VIII sovereign is one of the rarest and most collectable coins in the world, so it's no surprise that it has set a new record for British coinage.
"We were delighted to be able to locate such a special coin for our customer, and bring it back to the UK to make history once more."
The coin's new owner, a private collector who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC: "When the opportunity came along, I felt I could not turn it down. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
More on the Royal Family
What were Edward VIII’s links to the Nazis?
Edward visited Adolf Hitler and claimed the Nazi takeover of Germany was “the only thing to do”.
The prince was also once reported to have given a Nazi salute to Hitler and claimed he was “not a bad chap".
Hitler is said to have claimed “permanent friendly relations with England could have been achieved” if Edward had stayed as king.
The Sun revealed in 2015, a home movie shot at Balmoral in 1933 showing Edward teaching the Queen and Queen Mother how to do a Nazi salute.
The links between Edward and Hitler are revisited in the award-winning Netflix show The Crown.
Alex Jennings, who plays Edward in the historical drama, said: “He had a very strange and pointless existence. I do have sympathy with him but guardedly because I know he visited Hitler.”