Abdication: The Rise and Fall of Edward VIII by Mark Hichens

Author:Mark Hichens [Hichens, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: amazon
Published: 2020-05-01T01:23:41.799874+00:00

Duke and Duchess of Windsor, 1938

Bridgeman Images

On Thursday 10 December Edward signed an Instrument of Abdication in which he declared ‘his irrevocable determination to renounce the Throne for myself and for my descendants and desire that the effect should be given to this Instrument of Abdication immediately.’ And so the die was cast. A message from the King was then read in Parliament by the Speaker in which he announced what he had done. He made no reference to the private reasons for his abdication, only that he had come to realise that he could no longer discharge his tasks as king efficiently and to his own satisfaction, and had confident hope that ‘the course which I have thought it right to follow is that which is best for the stability of the Throne and the Empire.’

In considering the message Baldwin in adroit and unemotional tones told of the events leading to Abdication, emphasising that there had been no disputes between him and the King and no schemes to get rid of him and that they had both striven together to find a way out of what had turned out in the end to be a hopeless impasse. To this statement the leaders of both the Labour and Liberal parties gave their assent, and even Churchill was to remark that ‘the King’s decision had been taken freely, voluntarily and spontaneously in his own time and his own way.’ For the time being there was an aura of concord and self-satisfaction.

Off the throne one of the first things Edward did was to ask for permission to broadcast to the nation, and this time it was granted. It came from Windsor Castle and was transmitted all over the world. The tone of it was dignified and poignant. His first words were to declare his allegiance to the new king, his younger brother the Duke of York. He then came to the core of his message: ‘I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.’ He then expressed full confidence in his brother to take his place, especially as ‘he has one matchless blessing, enjoyed by so many of you and not bestowed on me – a happy home with his wife and children.’ He also paid tribute to his mother who had stood by him loyally, and to Ministers of the Crown, especially Mr Baldwin, who had shown him every consideration. He ended by declaring that he would always follow the fortunes of the British race and Empire with profound interest, and if at any time in the future he could be found of service to His Majesty in a private station he would not fail. The broadcast was heard in awe and wonder in far-flung places: traffic came to a standstill, cinemas interrupted their programmes and people stopped in their tracks to listen. An American

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