Prince Edward standing in front of the officers' quarters of the Royal Naval College, Osborne, Isle of Wight, c1909. The prince in naval cadet's uniform at the college where he spent two years. The eldest son of King George V, Edward (1894-1972) was invested as Prince of Wales in 1911. He succeeded his father as king in 1936 but only ruled from 20 January 1936 until 11 December 1936 before abdicating in order to be with the woman he loved, an American divorcee called Wallis Simpson.