She began it in bed with pneumonia and ended it ill again, with the virulent influenza that attacked her so frequently. She began it as the daughter-in-law of King George V and she ended it, to her astonishment and dismay, as Queen Consort to King George VI. The abdication of King Edward VIII was the most serious constitutional crisis affecting the British monarchy since the seventeenth century. There were many, and they included the Duchess of York and her husband, who feared that the institution might not survive it. King Edward VIII came to the throne on a wave of public enthusiasm. He was a hugely popular figure of whom much was expected, and he was widely seen as a talented, exuberant and sympathetic young man who could bridge the gap between generations. People thought that as an ex-serviceman he would be able to relate to the needs of former soldiers. His travels, much wider than those of any previous Prince of Wales, would give him a special understanding of the lands of the Empire and those beyond.
