The King Who Had to Go: Edward VIII, Mrs Simpson and the Hidden Politics of the Abdication Crisis - Hardcover

Adrian Phillips

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1785900250 ISBN 13: 9781785900259

Publisher: Biteback Publishing, 2016

Synopsis

The previously untold story of the hidden politics that went on behind the scenes during the handling of the Royal abdication crisis of 1936.

The King Who Had to Go describes the harsh realities of how the machinery of government responds when even the King steps out of line. It reveals the pitiless and insidious battles in Westminster and Whitehall that settled the fate of the King and Mrs Simpson. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin had to fight against ministers and civil servants who were determined to pressure the King into giving up Mrs Simpson and, when that failed, into abdicating.

Dubious police reports on Mrs Simpson's sex life poisoned the government's view of her and were used to blacken her reputation. Threats to sabotage her divorce were deployed to edge the King towards abdication. Covert intelligence operations convinced the hardliners that the badly coordinated and hopeless attempts of the King's allies, particularly Winston Churchill, to keep him on the throne amounted to a sinister anti-constitutional conspiracy.

The book also shows how the King doomed his chances of keeping the throne by wildly unrealistic goals and ill-thought -out schemes. As each side was overwhelmed by desperation and distrust, Baldwin somehow held the balance and steered the crisis to as smooth a conclusion as possible.

About this title

Review:

"Adrian Phillips has pulled off a remarkable coup. By sedulous research he has been able to shed fresh light on the intricate political manoeuvres surrounding one of most studied episodes in our history - the 1936 abdication crisis. The King Who Had To Go is an elegant and compelling book." --Piers Brendon, author of The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s and Edward VIII: The Uncrowned King

"The King Who Had to Go provides a dramatic and persuasive account of an important episode in British constitutional history. Based on an impressive range of sources, and written with flair, it makes a compelling case for Edward VIII's inadequacy as a monarch." --Richard Toye, Professor and Head of History, University of Exeter

About the Author:

Adrian Phillips worked as an investment analyst in London and Frankfurt with a particular interest in the political background to financial markets for twenty-five years before taking a postgraduate Masters in modern history at Birmingham University, specialising on the policy machinery at 10 Downing Street during the 1930s.

About this edition

• Publisher: Biteback Publishing
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1785900250
• ISBN 13: 9781785900259
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336