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New Biography
Lloyd George and the
Abdication Crisis
By a Reuter Correspondent in London
If the dramatic events which, in 1936, led to the abdication of
King Edward VIII. from the British throne, had moved less
swiftly, two of Britain's, greatest statesmen might have thrown
their joint influence into the scales in favor of a morganatic
marriage with Mrs. Wallis Simpson.
ONE OF THOSE
men was David
Lloyd George
British Prime
Minister in World War
I. The other was
Winston Churchill, Bri-
tish Prime Minister for
the greater part of
World War II.
These facts are revealed in
Mr. Malcolm Thomson's official
biography of David Lloyd
George, written in collabora-
tion with the former Prime
Minister's widow, and just
published.
At the time when the King
Edward-Mrs. Simpson romance
reached a climax, following a
denunciation by the Bishop of
Bradford, Lloyd George, then
an "elder statesman" out of
office, was on holiday in
Jamaica
According to Mr. Thomson,
while Mr. Stanley Baldwin,
the then Prime Minister, was
pressing for the King's abdi-
cation, Mr. Churchill did his
best to obtain a postpone-
ment of the decision, in the
hope that some other solu-
tion might be found.
"Away in Jamaica, Lloyd
George was profoundly dis-
tressed as news of the swiftly
unfolding tragedy came
through to him," writes Mr.
Thomson.
"He agreed that Mrs. Simp-
son could not become Queen,
but he did not want to lose
the King, for whom he felt so
affectionate a loyalty, and
would, have been willing to al-
low a morganatic marriage, by
which she would be the King's
wife, but not his Queen.
Baldwin's Haste
"From his temporary exile,
he sent messages asserting the
King's right to choose his wife,
and made preparations to dash
back to England to join
Churchill in trying to avert
any irrevocable step.
"But Baldwin struck
swiftly. He did not allow
any debate in the House of
Commons. Taking the mat-
ter into his own hands, he
compelled the King on De-
cember 10, to sign an act of
abdication naming his
brother, George, Duke of
York, his successor."
"In view of the line he had
taken, Lloyd George was
rather dubious as to what his
reception at Court would be
when he attended the Corona-
tion celebrations.
"But he was received most
cordially by their Majesties,
and was instantly and com-
pletely captivated by the
charm of the Queen."
It was not the only occa-
sion on which "the "Welsh
wizard"— as Lloyd George be-
came known to his admirers —
proved unorthodox in his atti-
tude to Royalty.
His widow, in her introduc-
tion to the book, discloses that
he disliked court functions.
"King George V, after 'L.G.,'
(as Prime Minister) had
DAME MARGARET LLOYD ; GEORGE. i Help
DAME MARGARET LLOYD
GEORGE.
avoided several invitations, in-
cluding one to Windsor, mildly
rebuked him for what he con-
sidered to be bordering on a
discourtesy," she writes.
Mr. Thomson recalls an oc-
casion when King Edward
VII., father of George V., and
grandfather of Edward VIII.,
administered a "firm and dig-
nified reprimand" to Lloyd
George.
As Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, Lloyd George made
what aristocratic circles re-
garded as an inflammatory
speech in London's East End
in 1908. King Edward VII.
sent for Herbert Henry As-
quith, the then Prime Minis-
ter, and asked him to restrain
his colleague.
When Lloyd George heard of
the interview, he at once wrote
to the King, explaining his
position.
King and "L.G."
Replying in his own hand;
King Edward VII. told the
Chancellor that he had used
language "calculated to set
class against class, and to in-
flame the passions of the work-
ing and lower orders against
people who happen to be
owners of property."
The King, Mr. Thomson
adds, then summoned Lloyd
George, and told him that
his friends would be hard
hit by the new land taxes
Lloyd George was propos-
ing.
"I am an old man, and I
am giving you advice," the
King explained. "Why not
tax sugar, instead?"
Lloyd George replied that
his party was pledged not to
tax sugar. "We,, what about
tea?" asked the King.
Lloyd George explalned that
old people depended on tea as
their beverage. "Yes, yes, that
is so," the King replied. "We
will not tax their tea."
"So," Mr. Thomson adds,
"Lloyd George left, after pro-
mising to bear in mind what
the King had put to him. But
thinking it over did not lead
him to any change of atti-
tude."
The story of Lloyd George's
rise to fame is well known.
Born the son of a school mas-
ter, brought up in a cottage
in a North Wales village, he
became a solicitor when he left
school, a member of Parlia-
nent In 1890, a Cabinet Minis-
ter in 1905 and Prime Minister
in 1916.
After the armistice he was
hailed as "the man who won
the war," as was Mr. Winston
Churchill in the last world
war. But, also like his famous
successor, he was later turned
out of office — in 1922.
The two men had much in
common: colorful personali-
ties, restless energy and the
highest oratorical gifts.
Lloyd George's widow stresses
that her husband's only real
friendship after he came to
high office was that with Mr.
Churchill.
Two Great Men
"I think Mr. Churchill was
the only one of 'L.G.'s' friends
who called him 'David,' " she
states. "From the earliest
political days these two were
strangely ahd prophetically
drawn together. Each divined
in the other the quality of
genius which separated them
from the ordinary run of
men and drew them together
—the village boy and the
Duke's grandson."
When the first world war
began, Mr. Churchill wrote to
Lloyd George urging him not
to align himself with those who
opposed Britain's entry into
the war.
"All the rest of our lives we
shall be opposed," Mr. Chur-
chill wrote. "I am deeply at
tached to you, and have fol-
lowed your instinct and
guidance for nearly ten
years."
Twenty-six- years later,
when Winston Churchill him-
self headed a coalition Govern-
ment, his thoughts again
turned to the role of his
friend, now aged 77, silver-
haired and tired, but with
vast experience and widely re-
spected.
"Churchill very much
wanted to bring his old
friend, Lloyd George, into his
administration, and both he
and Lord Beaverbrook
brought great pressure to
bear to persuade him to join
the Cabinet in some capacity
which would not put too
great a strain upon his
physique," Mr. Thomson
states.
"In view of his special in-
terest In agricultural develop-
ment the idea was mooted of
his taking a supervisory charge
of the national effort for food
production."
But Lloyd George felt that
he was past giving his best in
Cabinet office, and declined.
For four more years he ap-
peared in Parliament, until in
1944 he retired to his Welsh
home in the mountains. He
died the following year, a
couple of months after the
King had made him a Peer.
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