Edward VIII postage stamps a circle was replaced by a picture of King George VI in an oval, with his military collar still visible. The stamp series was issued on 3 January 1938. Edward VIII postage stamps The Edward VIII postage stamps are a definitive stamp series issued in the United Kingdom during the 20 January – 11 December 1936 reign of King Edward VIII. The profile portrait chosen was taken by Hugh Cecil's studio. The design was suggested by H.J. Brown, an 18-year-old man, and sent in February 1936 to the postal authorities. It inspired Harrison and Sons printers. The only graphic decorations
George VI desire to marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. British prime minister Stanley Baldwin advised Edward that for political and religious reasons he could not marry a divorced woman and remain king. Edward abdicated to marry Simpson, and George ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor. During George's reign, the break-up of the British Empire and its transition into the Commonwealth of Nations accelerated. The parliament of the Irish Free State removed direct mention of the monarch from the country's constitution on the day of his accession. The following year, a new Irish constitution changed the