A Brief History of the House of Windsor
Page 28
With a short-term, honorary presidency there might be the risk of competing demands from different groups within society. The lobbying, the pressurizing, the shambles that would result, could be extremely socially divisive, necessitating each time the sort of unpleasant class war that is seen every half-decade in General Elections. And people would get thoroughly sick of it, as they do with politics when they are exposed to too much of it. Whatever the talents of the famous and whoever they were, it would take very little time before the thinking public became outraged by the loss of national dignity. The novelty would wear off almost at once, and another restoration of the monarchy could well be the result.
The last time, it took twelve years before the people of Britain invited back their royal family. This time it could be two or even one. It simply is the case that no one else – no individual, no family – has anything like the same experience, the expertise, the training, the social and political neutrality, or, even remotely, the international prestige of the British monarchy. The vast momentum of history and precedent and experience and connections to other peoples that the Windsors can deploy makes any alternative seem confusing, amateurish and pointless. It would be a good deal more difficult to rebuild the reputation and integrity of the country if it were lost.
The monarchy makes perfect sense as a constitutional lynch-pin. Politically neutral, immune to bribes because it has no need to accept them, it keeps the balance between different parties, different factions, different special interests. Because all are excluded, none are excluded. Its favour cannot be bought and it cannot be politically influenced.
It is important to remember that at no time in modern history has any parliamentary party dared to suggest the abolition of the monarchy. Those who actually take part in government, as opposed to those who protest in the streets, very often come to appreciate how useful an institution it is. For all the flirting with the question of the Crown’s future by home-grown pundits and foreign analysts of British society, none have suggested that the demise of monarchy is imminent, or even foreseeable. For all the hot air talked on television and in the newspapers, for all the periodic opinion polls that show dips in support, there has never been an attempt by any elected party to dethrone the sovereign. No politician or party would take the risk, it would be such a vote loser.
Those who expect to seize the opportunity of the present monarch’s eventual death to end the practice of hereditary rule have miscalculated. Her demise, whenever it happens, may well occur quite suddenly, and there will certainly not be time to dream up and put into practice an entire new constitutional system. The notion of ignoring Charles and crowning his eldest son the next king would cause endless legal dispute and William himself, who wishes to continue his career in the RAF for as long as possible, is unlikely to accept any such suggestion. The general attitude may then be one of waiting to see what sort of monarch Charles will be rather than wishing to throw him out untested. Critics have, however, not reckoned with the power of custom, the appeal of the familiar, the love of tradition and celebration, the vast wave of sentiment and gratitude that will follow the departure of Elizabeth II – and appreciation of the many things that the Prince of Wales has already done. King Charles III will come to the throne on a tide of inherited goodwill. And he will not be the last King of England.
While it would take a revolution to overthrow the monarchy, there has already been a quiet one within the institution itself. It has been going on for most of a century, gradual and often unnoticed. It has been carried out not by a mob at the Palace gates, but by those within. It has been so successful that it has calmed annoyance, disarmed criticism and survived detraction. It will continue, for the royal family will carry on learning the lessons of history and adapting to reflect the better instincts of the people over whom it rules.
INDEX
abdication of Edward VIII 91, 95–6, 99, 100–3, 124, 126, 157, 246
Aberystwyth, University of Wales 196
Admiralty Arch 230
Afghanistan 220, 250
Africa 19, 61, 108, 134, 142, 147, 218
South 10, 72, 73, 148, 241
Air Ministry 115
air raids 139–40, 159
Albania 57
Albany, Duke of 22, 54
Albert Edward, Prince see Edward VII, King
Albert Memorial 21
Albert, Prince (Bertie - later George VI) 26, 72, 95–6, 100
see also George VI, King
Albert, Prince (of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) 11, 13–14, 21, 116, 228–9
Albert, Prince, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein 22
Albert Victor, Prince (Eddy) 30–3, 34, 36–8
Alexander II, Tsar 35
Alexander III, Tsar 39
Alexandra, Princess (later Queen) 34, 38, 39, 42, 152, 249
Alfonso XIII, King of Spain 46
Alfred, Prince (son of Queen Victoria) 11
Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Princess 37
Allies, war time 19, 21, 35, 53, 54, 57, 61, 130, 132, 133–4, 141, 143
alternatives to monarchy 263–7
Anderson, Eric 219
Andrew, Prince 170–1, 178, 182, 184–5, 194, 195, 199, 204, 250
Anne, Princess 163, 171–2, 174, 175, 180, 190–1, 195, 197–8, 204, 209, 235, 249
anti-Royalists 239–43, 245, 252–4
architecture, Prince Charles and 207–9
Argentina 178
armed forces, British 10, 50, 140, 215, 220
see also individual forces by name
Armistice (First World War) 58–9
Armstrong-Jones, Anthony see Snowdon, Lord
Army Air Corps 221
Army, British 36, 83, 198–9, 220, 221
Asquith, Lord 50, 59
assassinations 10, 46, 48, 174
Astor, Lady 89
Atlee, Clement 77
Australasia 153
Australia 5, 10, 44, 72, 73, 86, 87, 121, 134, 149, 194, 211
Austria 48, 49, 56–7, 130–1, 133
Austria-Hungary 57, 231, 246
Auxiliary Territorial Service 140, 159
Bacchante, HMS 33
Badminton country house 139
Bagehot 89
Bahamas 104
Baldwin, Stanley 92, 96, 97, 99, 100
Balmoral Estate 101, 123, 139, 154, 161
Baring, Helen 119
Battenberg family 54
Bavaria 61
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) 4, 67, 105, 159, 167
Beatles, The 172
Beaton, Cecil 129
Beaverbrook, Lord 97, 167
Beefeaters (Yeoman of the Guard) 92, 231
Belgium 48, 138, 147
Belize 218
Belvedere, Fort 93, 100
Benenden school 197
Bevin, Ernest 143
Bismarck, Otto von 34
Black and Tans 68–9
Blair, Tony 103
Blitz, the 139–40
Blunt, Anthony 171
Blunt, Dr Alfred, Bishop of Bradford 100
Boer War 43–4, 148
Bognor Regis 74
Bolshevik revolutions 26, 37, 55, 61
Bonaparte, Napoleon 58, 64, 231
Bourbon dynasty 37, 231
Bowes-Lyon, Elizabeth see Elizabeth, Queen (Queen Mother)
Brabourne, Lord 173
Bradford, Dr Alfred Blunt, Bishop of 100
Brighton Pavilion 228
Britannia, HMS 33
Britannia Royal Naval College see Dartmouth Royal Naval College
British Empire 128
Empire Exhibition (1924) 72–3
end of 144–5
George V’s tours 43–4
independence of Dominions 71–3
Indian independence 63–4, 144
British Gazette 89
Bronington, HMS 198
Bryson, Bill 250
Buchan, John 256
Buckingham Palace 19, 41, 58
balcony appe
arances 7, 59, 127–8, 131, 142, 239
birth of Prince Charles 189
bombings 136, 139, 141
Changing of the Guard 78
Diamond Jubilee celebrations 239
Edward VII’s modifications to 230
George VI’s coronation 127–8
Girl Guides 156–7
Neville Chamberlain 131
opened to the public 185–6
Order of the British Empire honours (OBEs) 66
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding day 7
VE Day 142–3
Bulgaria 22, 55, 57, 246
Burma 147
Butler, R. A. 109
Caernarfon castle 83, 174, 197
Cambridge, Catherine (Kate), Duchess of 5–6, 27, 28, 218, 220, 222–3, 235, 251–2
Cambridge University 36, 115, 179–80, 193, 195–6, 198, 218
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall 177, 184, 185, 186, 187, 201, 203, 205
Campbell-Bannerman, Henry 47
Canada 5, 10, 44, 72, 73, 85–6, 121–2, 132, 133, 134, 138–9, 149, 153, 163, 194
Cape Matapan, Battle of (1942) 178
Carl Eduard, Prince (Duke of Albany) 54
Carl of Denmark, Prince see Haakon VII, King of Norway
Caribbean tour, Prince Harry’s 224
Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia 225
Ceausescu, Nicolae 211
Ceylon 147, 149
Chamberlain, Neville 131–2, 133, 134
Chancellors, university 249–50
Changing of the Guard 78
Chapel Royal, Windsor 39
charities 8, 9–10, 89, 209–10, 214
Charles, Prince 176, 181, 182, 186, 211–12, 213–14, 236, 248–9, 250, 258
agricultural interests 207
architecture 207–9
Australia 194, 211
books by 206
British Army 197–8
Cambridge University 195–6, 197
and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall 177, 184, 185, 186, 187, 201, 203, 205
charities 209–10
childhood 149, 162, 171, 173, 190–4
conservation projects 211
education 191–6
girlfriends 200–2
hobbies and sports 198, 206
homeopathy 207
Investiture of Prince of Wales 174, 196, 245
and Lord Mountbatten 199–200
and Prince William 223
and Princess Diana 176–7, 184, 186, 202–5
Royal Air Force 197
Royal Navy 197, 199
University of Wales, Aberystwyth 196, 197
Cheam school 191–2
Chelsea Barracks 208
Children’s Hour 159
Children’s Newspaper 155
Christmas speeches 67, 125, 137, 169–70
Churchill, Winston 61–2, 69, 89, 99, 106, 134–6, 137–8, 140, 141, 143, 144–5
Civil List 62, 67, 122
Clarence, Duke of 83
Clarence House 162, 197
Clark, Kenneth 109
Coburg 13
College of Arms 18, 23
Collingwood, HMS 113, 114
Colville, Commander 172
Commonwealth 5, 73–4, 99, 147, 241
corgis 156
Cornwall, Duchess of see Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
coronations
Edward VII’s 230
Elizabeth II’s 2, 164
George VI’s 127–8, 157
George V’s 46
cost of British monarchy 185–6, 252–3
Coty, René 157–8
Coventry 140
Coward, Noël 102
Craig, Daniel 188
Crawford, Marion 154–5, 156, 158
Cromwell, Oliver 256–7
Cruz, Lucia Santa 200
Cumberland, Duke of 22
currency destroyed, British 102
Curzon, Lord 65
Czechoslovakia 131, 132
Dagmar of Denmark, Princess 39
Daily Mirror 185
Dalton, John 31–2, 33, 36
Dartmouth Royal Naval College 33, 83, 112, 158, 198
Dawson, Godfrey 96
Dawson, Lord 74–5, 101
De Gaulle, Charles 141
de Valera, Éamon 67
death of Queen Mother 243
Deladier, Édouard 109
Denmark 33–4, 134, 138, 231, 232–3, 234
Depression, financial 67, 71, 118
Diamond Jubilee (2012), Queen Elizabeth’s 14, 237–40
Diamond Jubilee (1897), Queen Victoria’s 230
Diana: Her True Story (Andrew Morton) 184, 203–4
Diana, Princess of Wales 28, 103, 177, 179, 182, 184, 185, 202–5, 213–14, 250
death of 186–7, 205, 217
Dimbleby, Johnathan 204
divorces 184–5
Dominions, British 43–4, 65, 71–3, 99, 128, 130, 134, 211
see also Australia; British Empire; Canada; India; Ireland; New Zealand; South Africa
Donaldson, Mary 233
Drottningholm palace 226
Duchy Originals 207
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme 180
Duke of York’s Camps 116–18
Dulanty, John 146
Durbars, Indian 46, 125
Durham, Lord 67
Durham, University of 250
Dutch royal family 4, 138
Easter Rising (1916) 60
economy, royal contribution of British 185–6, 253
Edinburgh, Duchess of (Maria Alexandrovna of Russia) 11, 35
Edinburgh, Duke (Prince Alfred) 35
Edinburgh, Duke of (Prince Philip) see Philip, Prince, Duke of Edinburgh
Edward III, King 83
Edward, Prince 170–1, 173, 179–80, 188, 194, 195, 199, 218, 221–2
Edward, Prince (David - later Edward VIII)
see Edward VIII, King
Edward VII, King 10–11, 14, 40, 43, 44–5, 229–30, 248–9
Edward VIII, King 15, 26, 75, 105–6, 126, 235
abdication 91, 95–6, 99, 100–4, 124, 126, 157, 246
allowance (post abdication) 101, 129
childhood 82–3
death of 105
exile 103–5, 130
first changes made 91–2
First World War 85
Fort Belvedere 93
informal image 89–90
made Duke of Windsor 101
naval career 83, 111–12
Nazi Germany 93, 104, 105, 126–7
overseas tours 81, 85–7
patron of ex-servicemen 89
petulance and thoughtlessness 86–7, 92, 124
as Prince of Wales 26, 62, 78, 83–91
relationship with George V 88
Second World War 104
sports and hobbies 88
visits of run down areas 89, 96
Wallis Simpson 90–1, 93, 94, 95–100, 101, 103–4, 106, 124
Eire 145-7
Elgar, Sir Edward 73
Elizabeth II, Queen 5, 7, 15, 44, 68, 111, 123–4, 151–3, 234
accession to the throne 163–5
Auxiliary Territorial Service 140, 159–60
birth of 121
childhood 153–9
Christmas speeches 169–70
Colonel of the Grenadier Guards 159
corgis 156
coronation 2, 164
death of Princess Diana 103
Diamond Jubilee 14, 237–40
and Diana, Princess of Wales 184, 187
education 154–5, 158
Elizabeth R documentary 184
engagement to Prince Philip 161
Falklands War 178
and father George VI 108, 147, 163–4
fire at Windsor Castle and repair costs 185–6
garden parties 169
Girl Guides 156–7
Golden Jubilee 187
and grandfather George V 17, 76, 121, 122, 153
as heir to the thrown 157–63
horses 156
Malta 148–9, 162–3
Margaret and Peter Townsend 165–6
Maundy Service 63
meets Prince Philip 158
Olympic Opening Ceremony (2012) 188, 235, 251
pays income tax 186
and Prince William 214–15
and Princess Margaret 154
The Queen and I (Sue Townsend) 182–4
radio broadcasts 159, 161
Second World War 137, 139, 159
shot at during Trooping of the Colour 179
Silver Jubilee 176
South African visit with parents 148
Spitting Image 181–2
stranger in bedroom 179
television documentaries 173–4, 184
undertakes royal duties for George VI 149, 163
walkabouts introduced 175
wedding 144, 161–2
Elizabeth, Queen (Queen Mother) 28, 75, 105, 110, 118–21, 126, 127, 129, 130, 148, 150, 152, 182, 187, 190, 216, 221, 243, 249
Second World War 132–3, 135, 136, 139–40, 142, 159
Elizabeth R documentary 184
Empire Exhibition (1924) 67, 72–3
Ena, Princess 46
English National Opera 210
Ernst of Hanover, Prince (Duke of Cumberland) 54
Esher, Lord 42
Eton school 216–18, 236
exile of Edward Windsor 103–5, 130
Falklands War 177–8, 199, 250
fashion
Edward VIII 86, 88
George V’s attitude 77, 88
Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mother) 129
Feathers Clubs 89
Ferguson, Sarah 179, 180, 184–5, 222
fire at Windsor Castle 185–6
First World War 12, 13, 14, 19–20, 22, 25–6, 47–58, 85