The Abdication Crisis: How 1936 Reshaped Britain’s Crown

In 1936 Edward VIII’s decision to marry Wallis Simpson triggered the first modern constitutional crisis for the British crown, forcing Parliament, the Church of England and the monarchy itself into a complex legal showdown. The episode traces the legal provisions that were drafted, the political calculations by leaders such as Baldwin, and how the crisis altered public expectations of royal conduct. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices