Rideau Hall, Ottawa
20 January 1936
In the quiet halls of the palace, friends and family gathered around a bed. On that bed laid who was once the most powerful man in the world. He had a palace, he had a people, he had a nation and he had an empire. Fast forward to now, his palace had been seized, his people had overthrown him, his nation fallen to revolution, and his empire gone in just a matter of months. Here was a man who once commanded the respect of everyone across Europe. Now, he is just a has-been.
It had been a sad story for George V. A man who had fondly remembered his long-life grandmother, his bulky father, and everyone he knew back in Britain. Here he was, breathing his last breath in a foreign land that had otherwise considered him as their king. As his family looked on helplessly, his life slowly fading away from him.
Albert silently mourned while Edward was openly sobbing. His wife stood there knowing it's the end yet George still looked at everyone around him. With some life still inside him, the King told Edward to listen closely. "Son, I have lived a long and fruitful life. It's your turn now to take the throne" George said. "Whatever happens in the future, promise me you'll retake the Home islands."
Despite the sobbing, Edward managed to coherently say "I promise".
Once that was said, a nurse tried putting an injection on George but he refused. His last words were "God damn you!" before he took a big gasp and breathed his last breath. Everyone looked in shock as it had finally happened. The man who was once the head of an empire had finally passed away. From that moment, Edward became Edward VIII. In the early hours of the morning, the Prime Ministers of all the various Dominions and territories would be notified. Even the British Government in Exile, headed by Stanley Baldwin, would be notified of the King's death. For Edward, he swore to fulfill his vow and would do anything necessary to take back their home. It could take several years or even forever but Edward would still be fixated on taking Britain back from the darkness from which it had found itself in.
By the next day, all of the newspapers printed one single phrase in their headlines, 'The King is Dead, Long Live the King'.
George V, King of the United Kingdom (1910-1925)
In Exile (1925-1936)
1865-1936
Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom in Exile (1936-)