Page "Morganatic marriage" Paragraph 45

Ultimately, Edward decided to give up the throne for " the woman I love ," whereupon he and his descendants were deprived of all right to the Crown by Parliament's passage of His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936.

He was created Duke of Windsor on 8 March 1937 by his brother, the new George VI.

He would marry Wallis Simpson in France on 3 June 1937, after her second divorce became final.

In the meantime, however, letters patent dated 27 May 1937, which re-conferred upon the Duke of Windsor the " title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness ", specifically stated that " his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute ".

This decree was issued by the new king and unanimously supported by the Dominion governments, The king's authority to withhold from the lawful wife of a prince the attribute thitherto accorded to the wives of other modern British princes was addressed by the Crown's legal authorities: On 14 April 1937, Attorney General Sir Donald Somervell submitted to Home Secretary Sir John Simon a memorandum summarising the views of Lord Advocate T. M. Cooper, Parliamentary Counsel Sir Granville Ram, and himself: