As Edward VIII was dying from throat cancer, he had one final wish for his niece, Queen Elizabeth II.
The late monarch’s fate forever changed when her uncle met and fell in love with Wallis Simpson, a married American woman. After she obtained her second divorce in 1936, Edward was determined to marry her despite objections. That year, he abdicated the crown, and the couple tied the knot the following year. Then-Princess Elizabeth was 10 at the time.
In October 1937, the couple embarrassed the British royal family by visiting Germany and dining with Adolf Hitler amid a blaze of publicity. Over the years, their visits to Britain were rare, brief and strictly private.
