+1 vote
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2 Answers

+2 votes
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As things turned out it was the only decision he could have made. Although he abdicated so that he could marry he would have been a disaster on the British throne.
He was pro-Fascist and a strong supporter of Adolf Hitler whom he (and Mrs Simpson) visited several times. During the war he was shunted off to the Caribbean as ambassador to one of the island nations (I don't remember which one) to keep him out of trouble.
He wasn't alone in this. Quite a few of the English aristocracy were pro-Nazi and anti-Jewish.
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I know Great Britain resented Wallis Simpson and she was shunned by the Royal Family.   If Edward did not abdicate from the throne, England would have had an American as their Queen which would have been a slap in their face.
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You're not wrong, but the British monarch (not the Archbishop of Canterbury)  is the head of the Church of England and, as such, is not permitted to divorce or to be married to a divorcee. (That has possibly changed now,  since Charles married Camilla but I'm not a royal follower and am not sure if she was married previously.)

But there's a parallel to your comment. In the period after America kicked out the English there was a dispute in scientific circles about the relative value of knob-ended versus point-ended lightning conductors. Because Edison -- a pesky American -- was a "point-endian" King George directed the Royal Society to find in favour of the knob-endians. He was told, "You can change the laws of the land, your majesty, but you can not change the laws of nature."

But George held firm and a knob-ended conductor was installed to protect a royal navy munitions dump. I don't have to tell you what happened next but Edison's point was made and Geordie had to admit that even Americans couldn't be wrong about everything.
0 votes
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I think so, otherwise we would not have Queen Elizabeth II, and she works so hard for the monarchy, in my opinion.  She is an inspiration.image

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