Churchill and the King by Kenneth Weisbrode

Author:Kenneth Weisbrode
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-11-24T05:00:00+00:00

Perhaps he did attach too much importance to what he wore; but then he grew up in an age that cared for such things. Endowed with neither inches nor a commanding presence, [George V] made the most of his modest attributes. His hair was always brushed with care, his beard neatly trimmed and anointed with lavender water, his manicured hands protected by gloves when shooting. Almost at death’s door in 1928, he insisted on sending for a looking glass. He liked to have his family round him as he completed the ritual of dressing for dinner: the winding of the watch, the touch of scent on the handkerchief, the last adjustment to white tie and Garter Star. It was as if the centuries had rolled away and the Sun King reigned once more at Versailles.

George V went to great lengths to dictate matters related to uniforms and comportment, such as ordering his grown son to take his hat off before kissing his mother at the railroad station. His son would retain the habit, at one point insisting, in the case of plans that were being drawn up for the postwar army, that he see and approve all matters pertaining to military dress.

Churchill’s eye was also keen, but it tended to notice things behind the scenes or between the lines, as it were, rather than oversights per se. His attention to detail expressed itself more obliquely. He was known, for example, to pass judgment after asking just a single question. John Peck, an assistant, has recalled going to work for him.

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