 Lang believed that , as Prince of Wales , Edward had not always been wise in his choice of friends and acquaintances , whose standards Lang was later to condemn as " alien to all the best instincts and traditions of his people " . The archbishop had been aware for some time of the king 's relationship with the American Wallis Simpson , then married to her second husband Ernest Simpson . During the summer of 1936 it became clear that the king intended to marry Mrs Simpson either before or shortly after his impending coronation , depending on the timing of her divorce from Simpson . Lang agonised over whether he could , with good conscience , administer the Coronation Oath to the king in such circumstances , bearing in mind the Church 's teaching on marriage . He confided to his diary his hopes that circumstances might change , or that he might be able to persuade the king to reconsider his actions , but the king refused to meet him . Lang , however , kept close contact with the king 's mother , Queen Mary , the prime minister and the king 's private secretary . The king believed that Lang 's influence was strong , later recalling how from beginning to end he felt the archbishop 's " shadowy , hovering presence " in the background . 
