2017-02-14 Tue

“But you must believe me when I tell you that 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”.
- King Edward VIII (the abdication speech 1936)

All of us at some point in our life have read or heard about legendry and tragic love stories likeOrpheus & Eurydice , Lancelot & Guinevere andParis & Helen!

But have you ever thought what true love is or what do you have to give up for it? The answer was simple for King Edward VIII - everything....

It is a well-known fact that a monarch’s life is not its own but it’s dedicated to his duty, a monarch was forbidden to fall in love but yet Edward VIII indulged himself in this luxury. His life is a tale of love, abdication, duty and self imposed exile. But there was more to him, he was a brave soldier who wanted to fight in World War I, a level headed monarch who wanted to modernise the coinage of his reign. He was a man with a steady vision, who wanted to rule his empire on his own terms.

Edward VIII fell in love with Mrs Wallis Simpson. But as the head of the English church and the King of England and Commonwealth, the King could not marry a divorcee with her husband still alive. Edward VIII was advised against it because the government and his subjects all over the world would not accept Mrs Simpson as their Queen.

The decision of abdication was a slowly built decision that was taken by Edward VIII due to many factors. It is possible that resistance for his choice of consort hit the nail, but Edward VIII despised the old tradition and wanted fast changes which resulted into many unhappy people and subjects working for the state.

King Edward VIII had the shortest reign in the history of Great Britain and was also the first King to abdicate the throne. He ruled for 11 months and 22 days. Many blamed Wallis Simpson for this decision but one would never know what were the actual circumstances surrounding this significant event of abdication in 1936.

Due to his short reign it is very difficult to find a coin minted in Edward VIII’s name but in India Kutch Princely state issued a Silver Five Kori in his name. It was minted during the rule of Khengarji III in 1936 AD. This is one of the few coins which can help us to understand his reign and coinage.

This event of Edward VIII giving up the Throne may be the biggest scandal of that time for few people or for few others a great love story but apart from all of this it may be a tale of two people who just wanted to listen to their hearts and do what was necessary and right according to them...