Other letters took a robust attitude on the issue of 'proper values'. A letter from Pennsylvania congratulated Baldwin on your recent triumph in upholding the cause of righteousness and morality . . . That you have forced his hand, and compelled him to either retire or give up a woman of questionable past, deserves nothing but praise from every upright citizen of whatever nationality! More power to you! You have shown us that truth and lofty character still exist, in this time of lax morals and cursed disrespect for the finer and nobler things of life.7
Edith Londonderry assured Baldwin that 'No one besides yourself could have managed the little man in the extraordinary way you have.' It was an issue, she added, 'on which not only the crown but the whole Empire trembled ... I was saying to Charley last night that this was the 4th Sovereign you had served - and that now my refrain would, be - "That kings may come and kings may go - but 'Stan' goes on for ever".'78
The President of the British Legion, Sir Frederick Maurice, told Baldwin that at the National Executive Council of the British Legion there was 'a unanimous & even startling expression of bitter disappointment at the conduct of his late Majesty', as well as admiration of Baldwin.79 This was consistent with information obtained by Walter Runciman, who had been informed that the men of the Legion would not stand for Mrs Simpson as Queen. His informant had 'made enquiries from all parts of the country - & the Legion is of course everywhere & there was no division of opinion.'80 But these enquiries were probably confined to the top brass of the Legion, both in London and in the provinces: it would not have been seen as appropriate to consult the lower ranks of the Legion on such a 'delicate' affair. Moreover, as with the telegrams that were sent to the Dominions, it would have been difficult to frame the question in a neutral way.
Away from the National Executive Council and on the ground, it was a different story. Many of the ordinary members of the British Legion - the poor and the unemployed - unswervingly supported the King. The President of the Spring Hill Branch of the British Legion in Birmingham wrote to Edward to express regret and sympathy: taken our hand, words fail us to show our regret, we know what you have done for Ex-servicemen, Empire and Country, and in our hearts there will always be a joyous remembrance of you. May God Bless you, is our sincere wish.
A message of sympathy and admiration came from the Secretary of the Penrhiwceiber British Legion and United Services Club and Institute, which Edward had visited during his visit to South Wales in November. 'You have all the people's sympathy in this district,' he said,
Parliament can do nothing and the Church are not worth worrying over. If they had only done their duty by the people as you have done it there would not be so many empty places of Worship. So I can only express myself by saying be the Man you were during the War. You went then, into places where the Bishops & politicians would not go such as 'Ducks Bill', Levantie [Laventej, Passchendaele & Pilkin.82
The spirit of these letters echoed others that had been arriving all week from rank-and-file members of the Legion. 'Those who feel their obligations to you', stated a letter from Birmingham, signed 'Legion', 'apologise for the voice of the newspapers and the snobs and other self-centred bodies, we hope you will stand firm and marry who you wish and increase the regard of." From the Honorary Secretary of the British Legion and United Service Fund in Gateshead came every wish for his future happiness: 'I am writing this from my sick bed 8c if we in the British Legion in Gateshead can be of any help to you in encouraging your future happiness [we] will be glad to do so.'84 A member of the Bakewell Branch of the British Legion, who 'had a few kindly words from you, while out in Italy attached in the 140 Field Ambulance, 41st Division', sent loyal support 'upon your pluck'. 'No man understands another man's love', he said,
Vera Brittain heard the announcement of the King's decision to abdicate in the crowded restaurant of a department store. 'After a silence broken only by the opening and shutting of lift gates,' she recalled later, the expected words of the King, read by Baldwin, came over the radio: 'After long and anxious consideration I have determined to renounce the throne to which I succeeded on the death of my father, and I am now communicating this, my final and irrevocable decision ... I have accordingly this morning executed an Instrument of Abdication.'86 Baldwin's speech was then heard verbatim. 'A splendid speech by Mr Baldwin in parliament, explaining all the details, was broadcast from the H of C tonight,' wrote a doctor in Bristol in his diary that night. He added, 'He has acted finely throughout.'8' 'History was made today', wrote the Londoner who belonged to the British Union of Fascists. 'This was, I think, the most thrilling and exciting news I've ever experienced.' He despaired that the King had 'failed in his duty to his people for the sake of a commonplace cow like Mrs Simpson.' Baldwin's speech, he thought, 'was magnificent. He'll go down in history as the saviour of his country on more than one occasion. A truly great man.'88 'What a pity', thought the wife of a Sutton Coldfield dairyman farmer, that 'the man could not find an English Rosebud for a bride? I cannot help but think he is making a mistake - for himself - his mother and as example to his Country . . ,'89 One angry letter to the King did not mince words: 'Dear Ted. I think you are a bugger. Bill.'90
But many poor people were not judgemental, just sad. 'With tears in my eyes and my heart heavy with sorrow,' wrote one man, 'I must write these lines to the Truest Sportsman and Greatest King that Britain has ever known.'91 They were bitterly disappointed to see Edward go - 'The workers, and unemployed have lost their greatest friend, the one man, and a King, who had their interests at heart.'92 Three 'Loyal Subjects' expressed their 'unspeakable sorrow for a most gallant gentleman' and made 'a toast to your return your majesty with your future bride.' A tenant of a pig farm on a Duchy property in Cornwall sent his deepest sympathies and all happiness, 'which you fully deserve'.93 'May God bless you,' wrote an ex- serviceman, who had been in the tunnelling corps and the London Irish Rifles, 'and send you love, joy, happiness and prosperity always'. Though 'powerless to help you', said the author of a letter from Somerset, 'I will storm heaven with my prayers for your happiness . . . Don't leave us.'94
'My mother, father, and I waited for the news,' wrote a family to the King from Trelewis in South Wales on 10 December, 'but when it did come through on the wireless, it gave us a terrible shock, it was like as if a bomb had dropped, and we are only three out of millions I am sure.' They found it difficult to accept the meaning of the news, saying that 'we sincerely hope that you will still reign as our King.'95 To the very end, and even afterwards, many of the general public had still not given up hope that abdication could and would be averted. Referring to the King's time in the war and his visit to South Wales just a few weeks before, a man in Kent begged him not to leave the throne:
You have had personal experience of war, have mixed intimately with the fighting men on the field of battle. You have rubbed shoulders with all sorts of men on the race course, in the slums, in factories, and in the 'distressed areas'. You know by personal observation everything there is to be known about your subjects first hand that is more than half the rulers of the country do know. They cannot hoodwink and humbug you, you want things done not talked about. . ,96
'Go to the people,' urged another letter, 'address them over the air, a vote taken and they will show their loyalty to you.' A woman signing herself 'a loyal rose' counselled delay. 'Do not be hurried into signing anything you may later regret', she begged him. 'Wait until after your coronation. Please do not abdicate. Your people want you. A year soon passes. Then do as your heart tells you.'97 The Church, said another, 'has discredited itself in the part it has taken. In spite of all its power and preachings, it cannot draw men into it, because it stands for hypocrisy. But if ever you came back to us and lifted a finger, you draw all men unto you.'98
Many of the ordinary people, as well as Bevan and Lloyd George, blamed Baldwin and the Government for the abdication. George Bernard Shaw took a different view: 'The royal family settled the affair among themselves.'99 Now Edward had
gone, believed the courtier Tommy Lascelles, the future of the monarchy was secure. Not only would the more reliable Duke and Duchess of York replace Edward, but 'We now have two young Princesses, who will take his place as the Pets of the world, and on one of whom, certainly, great issues will hang."00
Edward had been suspected by the court of being hostile to the idea of the monarchy. It was certainly true that at times his open mind led him to offer opinions that would have been judged as dangerous by the royal household. In 1920, while on a tour to New Zealand, he complained to Freda Dudley Ward that
The more I think of it, all the more certain I am that really (though not on the surface yet awhile with Britishers) the day for Kings & Princes is past, monarchies are out-of-date though I know it's a rotten thing for me to say & sounds Bolshevik!!
'But this railway strike,' he explained, 'which might become a general strike which completely upsets a so-called 'Royal tour' (how I loathe that — expression) makes me do a lot of hard thinking angel & I really do feel rather helpless & bolshie tonight!!101 The tour of New Zealand was exhausting, as were his other overseas tours. What upset him was not the monarchy as an institution, but the more wretched aspects of his job as 'Empire salesman'.
It was said, Edward wrote in his memoirs, 'that I never wanted to be King at all.' It was always possible, he admitted, that if it had been his choice to make, he might not have selected the throne as his career. 'But not to wish to be King was something else.' For once his father had died, he was the King. 'And what was more,' he added, 'I wanted to be a successful King, though a King in a modern way.102 He had no wish to go down in history as 'Edward the Reformer', preferring to see himself as 'Edward the Innovator'. Lloyd George regarded Edward's approach as a breath of fresh air in the arid and sterile atmosphere of the court, and he much admired his 'plucky defiance of protocol-worshipping court officials'.103 Especially because of his time in the trenches, he believed, Edward was 'capable of bringing a new democratic touch to the throne, as one emancipated from the stifling grip of the Court.104
'I had no notion,' insisted Edward, 'of tinkering with the fundamental rules of Monarchy.'105 His solemn respect for its traditions was apparent. For example, at the opening of Parliament on 3 November 1936, his equerry Charles Lambe admired the dignified bearing of the King as he and his entourage entered the House of Lords: 'The candelabra were dull pin-points & the stained glass glowed with colour despite the full outside day. As the King entered, all the lights rose to full brilliance & once again I nearly swooned - such good theatre! He took ample time and did all with great dignity and authority. My only regret', added Lambe, loyally, was that 'more people could not have been there to be impressed as I was.'106
Edward may not have seen himself as any kind of threat to the institution of the monarchy. It is easy, however, to understand why he was seen in this way by other members of the Royal Family and by senior courtiers - and the court was able to be ruthless when it felt that its interests were under threat. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the family of the Tsar Nicholas II, King George V's first cousin, had sought refuge in Britain. But although the Government agreed to provide asylum, King George V refused to have them in the country. His Private Secretary, Lord Stamfordham, wrote to the Foreign Secretary to say that the King was aware of public hostility to the idea of the Tsar and Tsarina coming to Britain, and that this would 'undoubtedly compromise the position of the King and Queen'. The Government concurred, and the Tsar did not come to Britain. He was shot with his entire family by the Red Guards.107
On 11 December, Parliament passed the Act of Abdication, and Prince Albert, Duke of York, acceded to the throne (although he was not proclaimed King until 12 December). He took the title George VI, rather than Albert I, in order to highlight his similarity to his father. The Tories now have 'just the sort of King which suits them', said Lloyd George contemptuously. 'He will not pry into any inconvenient questions: he will always sign on the dotted line without asking any questions; and he will always do exactly what he is told.'108 From New York came a letter to the former King, claiming that 'The Duke of York has no personality and I doubt if he could be anything but a puppet.'1"9 Even Tom Dugdale had been 'depressed by the dullness of the Duke of York' when he met him at Fort Belvedere, but Baldwin had told him that he was 'very like King George V when a young man. George V was most uninspired and dull, only by perseverance, reliability, example to his people, and a sense of duty did he gain for himself the much loved position he held when he died."10
Albert was not a naturally likeable man, thought Sir Stanley Hewett, the physician who had attended King George V in his dying days. He told the courtier John Aird that he thought 'the Duke of York was the worst of the four sons & had a mean character.' Aird, however, replied that 'I should have put him just as being steady & reliable, even if dull."11 There was concern, though, that it would be difficult for him to fill Edward's shoes. Thomas Barnes, the Treasury Solicitor, had wondered whether it would not be a better idea for Queen Mary to become Queen Regent, at least for a while. This would avoid an immediate succession of the Duke of York - 'for a substantial part of the country might still favour the present King and regard his brother as a sort of interloper . . .'112
Some of the British public were delighted with their new King, George VI. if he errs,' noted a man working at the Peter Robinson department store in London, 'it is only the right side of quietness & reserve.' The 'only possible snag', he added, 'is his wife who (now Queen Elizabeth) has shown an unfortunate tendency in the past to play to the gallery on similar lines to Edward.'"3 But for many others, as the Treasury Solicitor had feared, it was 'a dark day', I shall always regard King Edward as my King', said one."4 A young man of nineteen in Kent wrote in a letter to Edward that he would 'always think of you when Royalty is spoken about or the National Anthem is sung.'"5 'I shall always look upon your photo which I have over my bed, each night, [and pray] that God will take care of you and future wife', wrote 'a most heartbroken citizen'. She added, 'You will notice I still call you His Majesty that I shall always do as long as you are living.' As an 'ordinary, humble married man,' wrote a Londoner, 'let me say that . . . your bravery will be most richly rewarded. You, Sir, will always be, to us, the King.'"6 An ex-Coldstream Guard felt certain that 'many hundreds and perhaps millions will never acknowledge your Brother the Duke of York as King and it will cause disruption in this beloved land of ours and perhaps I hope and pray not Revolution.'117
'Your brother The Duke of York is no king for England', wrote a girl who signed herself 'Miss Wales', 'for he is a snob for the aristocrats. You are for the poor & needy. Please reconsider your answer.'"8 One correspondent did not accept the idea of Albert's children becoming the future heirs to the throne. 'While you live I will never acknowledge another as King, - for any other would be (to me) a Usurper & not really King, - & if you have children . . . they will be the true Princes &/or Princesses & legal & true heirs to the Throne, in the mind of thousands.'"9 An old Lancer in Norfolk, who had progressed through every rank up to a commission, said he would go through hell to serve the King. 'Daily whilst I live,' he promised, 'I will be saluting your photo in Welsh Guards uniform which stands in my modest home, and my toast will always be, "My King across the Sea!" And I will also add the words, "scatter his enemies, and make them fall."'120 Letters were sent to Winston Churchill, too, expressing regret at the loss of Edward and at the accession of Albert. 'I have tried time and again to pay homage to our new King George VI,' wrote one man from Staffordshire, 'but believe me, I break down, perhaps you will think I am silly shedding tears at 30 years of age. But I cannot forget, Our Edward King & friend."21
Walter Monckton went to see the Duke of York in his house on
Piccadilly to tell him that Edward would do everything he could to help and to make things easy for him.1" Even so, the challenge for King George VI, of taking over the throne from someone who was adored by so many of the people of Britain and the Empire, must have s
eemed formidable indeed
12 'God bless you both'
On the morning of Friday 11 December, Britain woke up to fog, followed by an icy drizzle of rain. 'All the world is waiting for King Edward to broadcast at 10 p.m. tonight, when as a private citizen he will give his farewell message to the country', noted the Kent schoolteacher in Kent in his diary.1 Finally, Edward would have his chance to speak to the people of Britain. A week before he had requested permission to tell his subjects about his love for Wallis and to ask them to support his marriage. Now, he wanted simply to say farewell. Some members of the Government looked coldly on the idea of a broadcast, and Queen Mary tried to dissuade Edward. But he was determined to speak. 'I did not propose', he wrote in his memoirs, 'to leave my country like a fugitive in the night.'2
Edward had made hurried plans to leave Britain that night for Austria. At midday he was joined for lunch at Fort Belvedere by Churchill, who wanted to see him for one last time and help him to complete his speech. When Churchill left, he was overcome by grief. 'Winston got into my car with tears flowing,' said his chauffeur, 'and silently we drove home to Chartwell.'3 Edward recalled later that,
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