These days, Prince Harry might seem like the ultimate royal rebel.
But the similarities between the two royals don’t stop there.
Especially when it came to love and marriage, both men observed that plenty of upper-class couples were ill-matched.
I had seen too many unhappy unions of this kind to wish to risk one myself."
Just like his great-granduncle, Harry grew up witnessing the drama of an unhappy royal union.
Unfortunately, this ended in a very public divorce that certainly impacted Harry’s view of marriage.
As the heir to the throne, Edward was particularly worried about this issue.
This statement was particularly rebellious for the standards of the time.
During Edward’s era, it was common for families to arrange unions to preserve their bloodlines.
Edward, however, was against these practices at least on a personal level.
Interestingly, by the time Harry began dating, the pressures to maintain the royal bloodline had substantially subsided.
Harry’s bride,Meghan Markle, and Edward’s wife, Wallis Simpson, were both American women.
Fascinatingly, however, there was one major factor distinguishing Edward’s romance from Harry’s.
Naturally, this made her romance with the king doubly scandalous.
While they ultimately agreed to Edward’s terms, American papers did not.
Some U.S. outlets even reported that Wallis was already secretly plotting her marriage to the king.
By the time Harry got engaged, Meghan’s status as a divorcee wasn’t nearly as dramatic.
However, there was a different reason why the royal family didn’t like Meghan.
Subsequently, both women suffered from the constant press attention.
Even so, the monarch was astonished to find the newspapers ripping apart his romance with Wallis.
Almost a hundred years later, Harry and Meghan experienced a comparable media frenzy.
How predictable … the woman is to be blamed for the decision of a couple.
In fact, it was my decision.
She never asked to leave.
I was the one that had to see it for myself.
But it’s misogyny at its best" (viaThe Guardian).
I must leave England this afternoon."
To give Wallis a bit of peace, Edward helped her arrange a trip to France.
However, for fear of media stalking, the king’s team kept Wallis' travel plans under wraps.
Unfortunately, the British press has not improved much over the years.
Harry responded: “It was a large part of it” (via theBBC).
Even in the 1930s, Wallis was hounded as she traveled through Europe.
The American divorcee was then forced to depart the town in a rush.
Speaking to filmmakers, Harry recalled: “There wasn’t a single paparazzi that lives on Vancouver Island.
That was the reason we chose it” (viaNarcity).
Effectively, there was no escape.
The crisis [of my romance with Wallis] had come with the violence of a thunderclap.
Now everybody’s voice would be heard but mine."
Unfortunately, Edward never had the chance to broadcast his perspective through a radio program.
However, in the modern era, Harry did have the opportunity to share his story with the public.
As the King of England, Edward was particularly concerned with the possibility of abdicating.
After all, his decision would change the future of the monarchy.
In the end, this strategy did not work, and the Sussexes quit their royal roles in 2020.
In 1936, following much internal struggle, Edward did, ultimately, abdicate the throne to marry Wallis.
And, indeed, that is what transpired.
Meanwhile, in the 21st century, Harry quit his career as a working royal.
The prince responded: “And what difference would that make?”
