A chronology of major events in the abdication of King Edward VIII:

1927: Wallis Warfield divorces Earl Winfield Spencer after 11 years of marriage.

1928: Wallis Warfield marries Ernest Aldrich Simpson.

Jan. 20, 1936: George V dies and his eldest son, Edward, becomes King Edward VIII.

Oct. 20, 1936: British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin discusses the constitutional implications with Edward VIII over his plans to marry Simpson, who is under surveillance by the police because of her affair with Edward.

Nov. 13, 1936: Alexander Hardinge, Edward's private secretary, warns the King of the constitutional implications of his marriage plans.

Nov. 16, 1936: The King informs Baldwin of his plan to marry Simpson, which is rejected by Baldwin who believes the British public would not accept such a marriage. Edward says he is prepared to abdicate to marry the woman he loves.

Nov. 22, 1936: The King proposes to marry Simpson but not make her his Queen as a compromise. Baldwin seek advice from his cabinet and Dominion countries, who would have to pass laws to make such an arrangement possible.

Nov. 27, 1936: The British cabinet rejects Edward's proposal.

Dec. 3, 1936: The story of the intended marriage is reported for the first time in the British press. Winston Churchill requests more time for the King to make his decision. Simpson goes to Cannes.

Dec. 4, 1936: The King's request to broadcast to the nation in an appeal for support to marry Simpson is refused by the government.

Dec. 9, 1936: The King receives confirmation that the cabinet and Dominion countries, including Canada, oppose the marriage.

Dec. 10, 1936: King Edward VIII signs the Instrument of Abdication. Baldwin informs the House of Commons.

Dec. 11, 1936: Parliament passes the Act of Abdication. Prince Albert, Duke of York, accedes to the throne as George VI. Edward, now the Duke of Windsor, broadcasts a farewell speech to the nation before leaving England for Austria.

April 27, 1937: Simpson's divorce is declared absolute.

June 1937: The Duke of Windsor is informed that upon his marriage, Wallis, who had reverted to her former name Wallis Warfield, would not receive the title HRH.

June 3, 1937: Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Warfield in France.

October 1937: Duke and Duchess of Windsor visit Germany, meet Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders, causing fears in the British government.

1940: Edward is made governor of the Bahamas.

1952: Edward returns from Paris to Britain for the funeral of George VI, his brother.

March 24, 1953: Queen Mary dies. The Duke of Windsor returns from Paris to Britain for his mother's funeral.

June 2, 1953: Coronation of Elizabeth II. The Duke and Duchess do not attend.

May 28, 1972: Edward dies in Paris and is buried at Windsor Castle, near London.

April 24, 1986: Duchess of Windsor dies in Paris and is buried at Windsor alongside her husband.

Highlights of 120 files released Thursday by Britain's national archives on the abdication crisis of King Edward VIII in December 1936:

• Edward wanted to try to save his reign by appealing to the British public in a radio broadcast to marry Wallis Simpson and retain the throne by agreeing not to make the American divorcee his Queen.


• British prime minister Stanley Baldwin turned down the request, arguing it would be improper for the King to speak essentially as a private person on a matter of public interest.


• Despite rumours to the contrary at the time, there is no evidence in the documents that either Edward or Simpson were Nazi sympathizers.


• British police reports indicate that Simpson had a secret lover whom she was seeing as she was being courted by Edward.


• Britain's Conservative government feared that Winston Churchill, then a backbench Conservative MP and friend of the King, could try to exploit Edward's popularity by forming a King's Party to challenge Baldwin.


• Canadian prime minister Mackenzie King saw abdication as the "honourable and right course," although he went to great lengths not to be seen to be putting pressure on the King to step aside.


• Frustrated at his exile to Cannes in the south of France, Edward was rebuffed by his brother King George VI to return to England, a position strongly supported by Queen Elizabeth, later to become the Queen Mother.