Edward VIII announcing his abdication by radio over the BBC, December 11, 1936.

Who was the last king to abdicate?

Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India from 20 January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year.

How many times has the throne been abdicated?

With the news of Spain's King Juan Carlos abdicating the throne to his son, we wondered, how many monarchies are still in existence, and how many have had abdications? At least 36 royals have abdicated in modern times (which we're defining here as 1900 through today), including King Carlos.