<P> In 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when King - Emperor Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was pursuing the divorce of her second . </P> <P> The marriage was opposed by the governments of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth . Religious, legal, political and moral objections were raised . As British monarch, Edward was the nominal head of the Church of England, which did not then allow divorced people to remarry in church if their ex-spouses were still alive . For this reason, it was widely believed that Edward could not marry Simpson and remain on the throne . Simpson was perceived to be politically and socially unsuitable as a prospective queen consort because of her two failed marriages . It was widely assumed by the Establishment that she was driven by love of money or position rather than love for the King . Despite the opposition, Edward declared that he loved Simpson and intended to marry her whether his governments approved or not . </P>

Who abdicated the throne to marry a commoner