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11 December 1936 · Windsor Castle

The abdication

Edward VIII leaves the throne

6 minFrom The Crown on the Air
…without the help and support of the woman I love.

Introduced by Sir John Reith as 'His Royal Highness Prince Edward', hours after the Instrument of Abdication was signed. The BBC of the period rarely kept recordings; this survives because gramophone companies pressed it for sale within days, which is also why four separate versions exist.

The Crown · 7 min · Public domain

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