JesterBL
Gastronaut
- Location
- Flyover Country, USA
- Pronouns
- he/him
As we approach Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, it could be interesting to consider what could be a very different reign for her- one in which her father's predecessor Edward VIII reigned till 1972, passed without (legitimate) issue* and she ascended the throne nearly twenty years after OTL. This would be a rather delayed culmination of the wish of George V.
How plausible was it for Edward VIII to avoid the abdication? Was it a simple matter of removing Wallis Simpson from his life- or did his string of affairs before her mean that he was bound to run into the same issue with a different American divorcee? (Wallis Simpson was his second to fit exactly that description). If Wallis Simpson does not find a place in his life, does the same sequence of events play out in 1936 with Thelma Furness nee Morgan or some different dalliance? Was there any possibility of him coming to accept a legitimate marriage to an acceptable candidate for Queen Consort, or alternately, was there any possibility for a Morganatic marriage with someone less objectionable than Wallis Simpson?
*given his habits it is rather surprising we don't have a couple of Fitzroys running around, although there are rumors that he was sterile from mumps
How plausible was it for Edward VIII to avoid the abdication? Was it a simple matter of removing Wallis Simpson from his life- or did his string of affairs before her mean that he was bound to run into the same issue with a different American divorcee? (Wallis Simpson was his second to fit exactly that description). If Wallis Simpson does not find a place in his life, does the same sequence of events play out in 1936 with Thelma Furness nee Morgan or some different dalliance? Was there any possibility of him coming to accept a legitimate marriage to an acceptable candidate for Queen Consort, or alternately, was there any possibility for a Morganatic marriage with someone less objectionable than Wallis Simpson?
*given his habits it is rather surprising we don't have a couple of Fitzroys running around, although there are rumors that he was sterile from mumps