Following his
abdication from the thrones of all his kingdoms and dominions in December 1936, the Duke of Windsor left England immediately to start the process of marrying Wallis Simpson, "the woman he loved". This process awaited the conclusion of a legally required six-month period to allow the completion of Simpson's divorce from her husband
Ernest Simpson. Following the conclusion of this period, it was the former King's strong desire to be married to Wallis under the auspices of the Church of England, the church of which he had been
Supreme Governor. However, it was Church law at the time to forbid the re-marriage of divorced partners. The Reverend and Mrs Jardine, with their 19-year-old son, Donald, left Darlington on Monday 31 May, but Mrs Jardine and Donald stayed with relations in
Letchworth, while Jardine crossed the Channel. The Bishop of Durham,
Dr Herbert Hensley Henson, warned Jardine by telegram that he was “without episcopal licence or consent to unite the Duke of Windsor and Mrs. Simpson”. The bishop did not have jurisdiction over Jardine's celebration of the sacraments while on the
Continent, and under the immediate circumstances had no choice but to presume that the vicar had the permission of the Anglican bishop with jurisdiction.
Widely varying reactions J. A. Kensit, a leader of the
Protestant Truth Society, to which Jardine belonged, commented “Mr Jardine is quite fearless in his advocacy of any cause which he judges right and would pursue his own line regardless of the consequences to himself." The wedding was boycotted by almost the entire British establishment; only a small number of guests and a single pool reporter witnessed the wedding, which was conducted by Jardine "in a strong voice". Following the brief ceremony, the couple departed for a honeymoon in Austria, and Jardine returned home to Darlington, unsuccessfully attempting to return to his duties in his parish. However, he was soon made aware that he had performed an act which the church could not accept. His
vestry committee resigned, and he was encouraged to follow them. Under pressure, he left England and attempted to emigrate to
California. In 1943 Jardine published a memoir,
At Long Last, of the unusual event. The marriage ceremony of the Duke and Duchess was not deemed to be a royal wedding.
Letters patent, published just before the ceremony in the
London Gazette as the
Depriving Act of 1937, explicitly stated that the title of
Royal Highness, which conveyed precedence, would be enjoyed by the Duke but not by the Duchess. ==Later life==