the abdication crisis
noun /ði ˌæbdɪˈkeɪʃn kraɪsɪs/
/ði ˌæbdɪˈkeɪʃn kraɪsɪs/
[singular]- (in British history) a series of events in 1936, following King Edward VIII's decision to marry a divorced American woman, Wallis Simpson. It was thought that the British public would not accept a queen who had been divorced, and Edward was advised by the Prime Minister to abdicate (= give up his position as king). The couple were married in France in 1937, and Edward's brother (as George VI) became king in his place.