A Very Royal Crisis: Countdown to Abdication

Season 1

2023 · 3 episodes · 1h 41m in all

Episodes

1. 1

   1. The Secret Scandal

   21 Sept 2023

   In the 1930s, the Prince of Wales met and fell in love with an American socialite, Wallis Simpson. Their affair was an open secret. But, as this BBC Select Original Documentary reveals, things changed dramatically when the prince's father died and he was to be crowned King Edward VIII. Edward was determined to have Wallis as his Queen. Soon, as the story breaks, his life would lie in tatters.

2. 2

   2. Collision Course

   21 Sept 2023 · 50 min

   Edward VIII's monarchy hung in the balance. His desire to marry an American divorcee had set him on a collision course with the British press, the Royal Household, and the government. The prime minister was desperate to prevent a constitutional crisis by stopping the king from marrying. But the King believed Wallis had to be the nation's Queen.

3. 3

   3. The Fall of a King

   21 Sept 2023 · 51 min

   The British nation was divided as the crisis concerning Edward VIII and his relationship with divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson rumbled on. In the eye of the storm, Edward battled with his aides and family members before making his famous broadcast to the nation and relinquishing the crown.