In 1936, Edward VIII abdicated the throne of England to be with the woman he loved. It’s widely considered to be one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century. But is it really? A century earlier, an elderly pauper named Daniel Rush and his wife faced a terrible choice: enter the workhouse and be separated after 49 years of marriage or try to survive without any income or family for support. Who made the greater sacrifice for love, the king or the pauper? In this episode, we try to answer that question.

Documents from The National Archives used in this episode:

MH 12/6846; PC 11/1; TS 22/1/1; TS 22/1/2

Daniel Rush's letter read by Adrian McLoughlin, recorded by Digital Drama

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