Edward VIII abdicated the throne.
Edward VIII ( Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David ; 23 June 1894 -- 28 May 1972 ) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire , and Emperor of India , from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December the same year . Edward knew that the British government , led by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin , would resign if the marriage went ahead , which could have forced a general election and would ruin his status as a politically neutral constitutional monarch . George VI ( Albert Frederick Arthur George ; 14 December 1895 -- 6 February 1952 ) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death . Stanley Baldwin . During this time , he oversaw the beginning of the rearmament process of the British military , as well as the very difficult abdication of King Edward VIII .