Background
Edward, the son of George V assumed the throne on January 1936 when his father died. But it was already clear by then that he wanted to marry the American Wallis Simpson, and since the Church of England proscribed the marriage since she was divorced, he stunned the world by abdicating his throne in favour of his brother Albert, the Duke of York, who became George VI.
The ex-king and Mrs. Simpson were married in France, and as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, in October 1937 toured Nazi Germany as personal guests of Adolf Hitler, fanning speculations that they were sympathetic to Nazism. The trip was paid for by the Nazi government, which believed that the duke was a potential ally.
When World War II broke out in September 1939, the Duke became liaison officer with the British military mission with the French Army High Command. He actually served as an agent for British military intelligence, which wanted information on French defences, specifically the Maginot Line. (While his reports gave a very accurate assessment of French unpreparedness, they were generally ignored.)
After the fall of France in June 1940, the Windsors made their way to neutral Spain through Biarritz to escape capture by the Germans.
Read more about this topic: Operation Willi
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