Why Prince Charles Can Be King But Not Edward VIII When Both Are Divorcees

After divorcing Princess Diana, Prince Charles became one of the least-favored members of the royal family. In fact, many wonder why he’s still the next king of Britain despite his failed marriage when King Edward VIII had to abdicate his right to the throne because he chose to marry a divorcee.

It all boils down to the fact that times have changed. The Succession to the Crown Act of 1707 states that the monarch has to be a Protestant, and this is something that is more important today than being a divorcee or marrying a divorcee. After all, King Henry VIII divorced Anne of Cleves to marry Catherine Howard but still continued to be king.

King Edward VIII’s case was different. The problem with him was that he really did not care for his responsibilities as a monarch and thought that he could resist royal laws. At that time, marrying a divorced woman or remarrying after being divorced was a huge social scandal.

In the case of Prince Charles, he is still the first in line to the throne because royals who are divorced or marry divorcees technically do not lose their position in the line of succession. What happened with King Edward VIII was that during his reign, he had a number of affairs with married women, including Wallis Simpson, who was already divorced and was still married to her second husband.

Naturally, King George V and Queen Mary did not approve of their relationship. After the death of King George V, Prime Minister Baldwin emphasized that none among the government, the public and the Commonwealth approved of his planned marriage to Wallis.

But King Edward VIII still insisted to marry her. Knowing how marrying Wallis against the advice of his Ministers would cause the government to resign and would lead to a constitutional crisis, he opted to abdicate so he could marry the love of his life.

Prince Charles is still entitled to kingship because Queen Elizabeth II allowed him to marry Camilla Parker Bowles, who is also a divorcee. Based on the 1772 Royal Marriages Act, members of the royal family need the permission of the sovereign to marry. So if Queen Elizabeth allowed Prince Charles to marry Camilla despite their history, there is no reason that Prince Charles cannot be king.