by Anne Edwards
169“Oklahoma!” opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on April 30, 1947, ten days before the Royal Family returned from South Africa.
171 (“... Greece’s Meander tiara ...”) Queen Elizabeth II never wore the Meander Tiara in public either before or after her Coronation. In 1972 she gave it as a gift to Princess Anne, who has been frequently photographed wearing the tiara. The diamond wedding bracelet, however, became one of Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite pieces of jewelry, worn often by her at night or when in full ceremonial dress for a public event such as the Opening of Parliament.
172“Sir Harold [George] Nicolson” (1886–1968), National Liberal MP from West Leicester (1935–1945); well-known biographer (Tennyson, Swinburne and George V) and literary critic; knighted in 1953.
173 (“... the bridal gown.”) Norman Hartnell also designed the Queen’s and the Queen Mother’s dresses for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth, as well as the gowns worn by the bridal suite. The eight bridesmaids were: Princess Margaret; Princess Alexandra of Kent; Lady Elizabeth Lambart; Lady Pamela Mountbatten; Lady Caroline Margaret Montagu-Douglas-Scott; Lady Mary Cambridge; the Honourable Margaret Elphinstone and Diana Bowes-Lyon. In addition, Lady Margaret Egerton and Lady Margaret Seymour, Princess Elizabeth’s Ladies-in-Waiting, were accorded the honor of following behind the bridal suite.
174“Lord Listowel” was the Right Honourable William Francis Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel (b. 1906), Secretary of State for India, April–August 1947; Minister of State for Colonial Affairs, 1948–1950; Governor General of Ghana (1957–1960).
175 (“... Dean would later reveal.”) John Dean, Prince Philip’s valet, added that Prince Philip’s wardrobe “reflected his very casual taste. He had only one lounge suit—grey—to his name. His only other change of clothing apart from evening wear, was a shooting suit ... his underwear was monotonous, quite a few white naval shirts and a few sets of white open-weave underpants. His socks were full of darns and his shoes, though good, were well-worn.”
177 “Annie Get Your Gun” opened at the Coliseum on June 7, 1947.
180 (“... on November 19.”) The Order of the Garter is the most noble of all honors. Legend has it that at a ball celebrating the capture of Calais in 1347, a lady lost a blue garter. King Edward III chivalrously picked it up and tied it on his own leg to the jeering remarks of his courtiers. Edward swore to make the garter into a symbol of the highest order. With the oath “Evil be to him who thinks it,” he founded the order of knighthood, consisting of the Sovereign and twenty-four Royal knights, and dedicated it to Saint George for “the advance of piety, nobility and chivalry.”
The Garter was originally worn below the knee of the left leg. Henry VII converted the Garter to a chain of Tudor roses worn as a collar with a pendant badge called “the George.” Charles II added a wide blue riband, worn on the left shoulder with the small badge, “the Lesser George,” over the right hip as a clasp.
The presentation of the Garter is made by the Sovereign in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle and is followed by a procession to St. George’s Chapel for a service, the route lined with dismounted troops. Because of the lack of time (and because King George wanted Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip to wear their orders at their wedding), they received their orders, but the installation was not formally made until April 23, 1948, the six-hundredth anniversary of the Garter.
180 (“... his marriage to Lilibet.”) The King’s intentions were a closely guarded secret until the last moment, and as the order of the service was printed up in advance, the groom’s name appeared as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, R.N. He signed the registry simply as “Philip.” “He had been created a Royal Highness but not a Prince,” Wheeler-Bennett wrote, “though he became popularly known as ‘Prince Philip.’ This situation was ended on February 22, 1957, when on the advice of her Prime Minister, Mr. Macmillan, the Queen granted the Duke of Edinburgh the style of a Prince of the United Kingdom in recognition of the services which he had rendered to the country and to the life of the Commonwealth.” [Wheeler-Bennett, p. 753]
182 (“... something borrowed ...”) The unusual spiked tiara had originally been made as a necklace for Queen Victoria. Queen Mary had inherited it and given it to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, at the time of her Coronation.
182 (“... the pearls ... on display.”) The necklace consisted of two large, lustrous rows of graduated pearls. The top row of forty-six pearls had belonged to Queen Anne, the last of the Stuart Monarchs. The bottom row of the pair, consisting of fifty pearls, had been worn by Queen Caroline, the wife of King George II, at their Coronation. Among the other jewelry received by Princess Elizabeth on the occasion of her wedding and not previously listed in the text were: a diamond and ruby brooch (HRH the Markgräfin of Baden); a diamond and silver Fabergé cigarette case (Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse); a gold tiara and a jeweled box (the Emperor of Ethiopia); a sapphire and diamond brooch (Messrs. Carrington and Company, Ltd.); another diamond and ruby brooch (The Jewellers and Silversmiths of Great Britain); a diamond-fringed necklace with numerous other gifts (the Governors of The Bank of England, the Stock Exchange, Lloyd’s Bank, The Baltic Exchange and The London Clearing Banks); two pairs of jeweled anklets set with drop diamonds (The Dominion of India); and an uncut fifteen-carat diamond (the people of Tanganyika). An admission of five shillings, a not inconsequential sum at the time, was charged to view the gifts, the proceeds to go to charity.
182 (“... the Royal guests ...”) Foreign Sovereigns at the wedding included: King Haakon of Norway, King Michael of Rumania, the King of Denmark, Queen Frederika of Greece, Queen Helen of Rumania, King Peter and Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia, Queen Victoria Eugenia (Ena) of Spain and the Dowager Queen Marie of Yugoslavia. Other foreign Royalties present were: Princess Anne and Prince and Princess René of Bourbon-Parma; Prince Charles of Belgium; Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; The Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden; Prince and Princess George of Greece; The Duchess of Aosta; Princess Axel of Denmark, Prince Fleming and Prince George of Denmark; Prince John and Princess Elizabeth of Luxembourg; and Princess Nicolas of Greece.
182(...“The Princess Royal,”) Lord Harewood, the Princess Royal’s husband, had died suddenly on May 16, 1947.
Chapter 13
190 “The Earl ... of Athlone” was Queen Mary’s youngest brother (1874–1957), Alge (Alexander), Princess Elizabeth’s great-uncle. He had been Governor-General of South Africa (1923–1928). His wife, Alice, Countess of Athlone (1883–1981), was the only daughter of Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, a victim of hemophilia. Alice proved to be a carrier and her son, Rupert, was also a hemophiliac.
190 A “grace-and-favour house” is bestowed by the Sovereign at his or her discretion, mostly to members of the Royal Family and retired Court officials or Household staff for their lifetime. A little less than half are given to active office or Household staff for the period of their employment. The occupants pay only their utility bills. All upkeep, improvements and maintenance are paid for by the taxpayers and the houses or apartments come tax-free.
In 1950 there were 121 grace-and-favour residences. These included Marlborough House (home of Queen Mary), Clarence House, eight apartments at Buckingham Palace, twenty-seven at Hampton Court Palace, thirteen apartments and cottages at Kensington Palace and eleven accommodations at Windsor. The rest were mainly concentrated in the London area, but a number of former country estates like Sunninghill had been purchased by the Crown. As has previously been noted, Sandringham, Birkhall, Balmoral, Royal Lodge and the Duke of Windsor’s former residence, Fort Belvedere, were owned privately by the King. The current Prince of Wales privately owns his country estate, Highgrove, but his and the Princess of Wales’s London residence at Kensington Palace is grace-and-favour.
192“Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire” (1895–1950). “Poor dear Eddie!” Chips Channon wrote upon hearing of his sudden, early demise. “He was a frustrated man, hated being a Duke
and was really a bit bored by all his possessions and palaces. But he was gay at heart and loved life, ladies—and above all, port.” [Channon, p. 450] The Duke of Devonshire was a childhood friend of George VI’s.
193 (“... accompanied them ...”) Sir John Colville and Lady Margaret Egerton were married October 20, 1948. Lady Margaret Colville retired early in 1949.
194 (“... Berlin Blockade ...”) A dispute over currency reform impelled the Russians to blockade the western sectors of Berlin, cutting off Germans and Allies alike from supplies of food, light and fuel. Supplies were flown in by the Allies. Not until May 1949, did this situation end.
197 “Queen Juliana” (1909–) of the Netherlands (1948–1980), daughter of Queen Wilhelmina (1880–1962), who abdicated after celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of her reign (1898–1948). The Dutch Royal Family were close to Britain’s Royal Family as they had taken refuge in England during the war when the Netherlands were invaded by Germany, and Wilhelmina had run her government from there, staying for a time at Buckingham Palace. Queen Juliana was married to Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, to whom she bore four daughters. The eldest, Beatrix (b. 1938), became Queen on her mother’s abdication in 1980.
199 (“... Christmas displays.”) The lighting up of London’s long-darkened electric signs and the illumination of shop windows was once again permitted in the spring of 1949.
199“Bonnie Prince Charlie,” Charles Edward Stuart (1720–1788), was a hopeful claimant for the Throne denied his father James II because of his Catholic faith. After his defeat at Culloden Moor in 1746, Bonnie Prince Charles escaped abroad and roamed about Europe a broken man and a drunkard, and the House of Hanover maintained its control over Britain, which it had held since the death of Queen Anne (1665–1714), the last of the Stuarts, her seventeen children having predeceased her.
200 (“His recovery was slow.”) On the conclusion of Professor Learmonth’s final postoperative examination on March 25, 1949, King George requested his bathrobe and slippers, “then, pushing forward a stool and picking up a sword which he had hitherto concealed beneath the bed, he said: “You used a knife on me, now I’m going to use one on you,’ and bidding him kneel, bestowed upon him the accolade of knighthood.” [Wheeler-Bennett, p. 768n]
201“Lewis W. Douglas” (1894–1974), born in Bisbee, Arizona, was Director of the Budget in the 1930s for President Franklin D. Roosevelt; Vice-Chancellor, McGill University (1937–1940), and a man of considerable private wealth and holdings. His predecessor as Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s had been Averill Harriman.
Chapter 14
210 (“... and other bequests.”) On her twenty-first birthday Princess Margaret was entitled to a state allowance of £6,000 ($16,800). At that time she would also receive a large portion of her trust, an inheritance left her by her grandfather, King George V, and a bequest from Mrs. Ronnie Greville, a well-known society hostess and good friend of Edward VII. Mrs. Greville had met Princess Margaret as a child and taken a liking to her, noting that she had her great-grandfather’s bonhomie. Mrs. Greville had also bequeathed a fortune in jewels to Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother).
Chapter 15
217 (“... we could be sued.”) Anyone from this time on who entered into Royal service, either domestic or in the Royal Household, had to sign a contract agreeing: “You are not permitted to publish any incident or conversation which may be within your knowledge by reason of your employment in the royal service, nor may you give to any person, either verbally or in writing, any information regarding her Majesty or any member of the Royal Family, which might be communicated to the Press.” This has not stopped books written by people in Royal service from being published. But the authors’ pensions and benefits are immediately cut off. Memoirs, diaries and letters published by Household members must first gain the approval of the Palace. Whatever is deemed “sensitive material” is censored even if the subject or his or her heirs approve. The Queen’s private papers are locked and may not be viewed until the year 2050.
217 (“... not for the money.”) John Dean, Prince Philip’s valet from 1949 to 1953, reported his quarterly income during the year of his departure from Royal service as £71.5.0 (net after taxes and National Insurance, £65.8.11, or a little over £21 a month). Elizabeth was Queen at this time, and she and Prince Philip were living in Buckingham Palace. Footmen, Dean wrote, received £4 a week and their keep. Maids were earning only £2 weekly. Even in 1990 Royal Household staff receive substantially lower salaries than non-Royal employees in similar but less demanding posts. Equerries, Ladies-in-Waiting, private secretaries and those in other prestigious positions require outside incomes; the people could not exist on their salaries. Their level of accommodation is often substandard. Still, there remains a certain cachet, a pride in holding such positions and a sense of performing a duty to the Royal Family.
218 (“... a woman’s magazine.”) A column written by Marion Crawford and postdated June 16, 1955, vividly (and fictitiously) described the “bearing and dignity of the Queen [Elizabeth II] at the Trooping of the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade.” Because of a sudden rail strike, the event had not taken place. Unfortunately, the magazine had gone to press before the disruption. The article ended Crawford’s writing career. She and her husband returned to Aberdeen in 1956. Widowed shortly afterward, Marion Crawford remained in Scotland and died in a nursing home there in February 1988.
219 (“Sir Piers Legh.”) The “Master of the Household” is responsible for “security and the health and safety of the [Sovereign] and the Household, including Fire and Bomb Procedure. Security passes and scanning of the royal mail is his province also. He liaisons with the Department of the Environment over the gardens of Buckingham Palace and any exterior repairs. He compiles the daily Court Circular for the Press, oversees the Yeoman of the Gold, Silver, Glass and China Pantries and the Yeoman of the Royal Wine Cellars ... and coordinates the travel arrangements of the Household and staff to other residences.” He is also “responsible for the domestic arrangements in all the royal residences, including the Royal Yacht Britannia ... and organises all the catering, including state banquets [and he is] in charge of all housekeeping staff.”
222 (“... his doctors appeared ...”) The doctors in attendance to King George VI at this time were: Sir Horace Evans, Sir Daniel Davies, Sir John Weir and Dr. Geoffrey Marshall.
225 The results of “the General Election of 1951” were: Conservatives 321; Labour 295; Liberals 6; others 3.
226 (“... [Charles’s] third birthday ...”) Anthony Holden, the Prince of Wales’s biographer, wrote: “Charles’s one memory of his grandfather dates from this day: an impression of sitting on a sofa with him, this much larger person, while another man dangled something bright and shiny in front of them. [Jock] Colville ... was waving his pocket watch to keep the boy still while he had his photograph taken with his grandfather.” [Holden, p. 26]
Chapter 16
242 (“... boomed out from nearby Hyde Park.”) The Proclamation of Accession had already been signed on February 6, 1952. It read: “Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to his mercy our late Sovereign Lord King George VI ... the Crown is solely and rightfully come to THE HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCESS ELIZABETH ALEXANDRA MARY;
“We, therefore ... publish and proclaim, THAT THE HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCESS ELIZABETH ALEXANDRA MARY is now, by the death of our late Sovereign ... become Queen Elizabeth II by the Grace of God, Queen of this Realm, and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom Her Lieges do acknowledge all Faith and constant Obedience with hearty and humble Affection, beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the Royal Princess, Elizabeth II, with long and happy Years to reign over us. God save the Queen.”
243 (“... family for the weekend.”) Also present at Sandringham the weekend of King George’s VI’s funeral were Sir Alan Lascelles, Peter Townsend, John Colville, Major Harvey and Major Charteris as well as s
everal Ladies-in-Waiting.
245 (“... General Eisenhower ...”) Secretary of State Dean Acheson represented President Truman at the funeral of King George VI. General Eisenhower was a private guest. “To Americans,” The Washington Post said of the King’s death, “the British Monarchy will always be an enigma. It is because the part which the King plays in the life of Britain is so little understood and because a constitutional monarchy commands no automatic reverence in the United States that the spontaneous display of grief during these past two days has been so moving to any Englishman in this country.”
246 (“...job in their stride.”) The Duke of Windsor’s meetings with the Queen and Queen Mother were not successful. A yearlong battle was waged with the Court and its lawyers by the Duke’s lawyer, George Allen. The latter argued that there was overwhelming documentary evidence “that an allowance for the Duke’s life was what had definitely been agreed.” [Bloch, p. 66] This was eventually agreed and the Duke of Windsor received £10,855 2s 1d annually until his death in 1972.
246 (“... sitting on the English Throne.”) Lord Mountbatten also privately published a volume entitled The Mountbatten Lineage, which concluded with the statement that “the accession of Elizabeth Mountbatten to the Throne of England [established] The House of Mountbatten. The House of Mountbatten only reigned two months, but historically it takes its place among the reigning houses of the United Kingdom,” and added, “For the first three and a half years of his [Prince Charles’s] life his surname was Mountbatten, like his father.”