But what Edward VIII had not expected was that the British Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Baldwin, decisively rejected his proposal.
The reason Prime Minister Baldwin was able to reject Edward VIII so decisively was that the Cabinet had received support from the Church and the governments of the various dominions.
As early as the last time Edward VIII sought to marry Mrs. Simpson, it was not only the Cabinet—even the British Church and the governments of the various dominions had all expressed their opposition.
Apart from Edward VIII himself, there did not seem to have been a monarch in the past fifty years capable of making the Cabinet Government, the Church, and the dominion governments stand together in opposition.
Edward VIII's actions had shaken his throne. The public expressed their displeasure with him, while the media openly declared that a woman who had been divorced twice was unfit to become the queen of the British Empire.
It had to be remembered that, according to the Statute of Westminster signed during the reign of George V, any change concerning the king's title or the succession to the throne had to be approved by the governments of every dominion in the Commonwealth.
The dominion governments of the Commonwealth included Canada, South Africa, and Ireland. In this incident, apart from the Irish Government, which expressed indifference, the dominion governments of Canada and South Africa both voiced their opposition.
Left with no choice, Edward pressured Prime Minister Baldwin, declaring publicly with conviction, "Without her by my side, the Crown means nothing to me."
But Edward VIII had badly underestimated the determination of the British people, government, and Church to oppose his marriage to Mrs. Simpson.
The day after Edward VIII made his public declaration, British Prime Minister Baldwin gave him three choices: either