The King Who Had To Go: Edward Vlll, Mrs Simpson and the Hidden Politics of the Abdication Crisis

In 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was pursuing the divorce of her second. The crisis led to the King's abdication in December of that year. Adrian Phillips reveals the harsh realities of how government responds when a monarch steps out of line, and describes the battles in Westminster and Whitehall that settled the fate of King and Mrs. Simpson. **Adrian Phillips** worked as an investment analyst in London and Frankfurt for twenty-five years. He has a postgraduate Masters in modern history from Birmingham University. 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. "The relationship between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson created a constitutional crisis that has fascinated the public for decades. Unwilling to accept the idea of the twice-married American as future Queen of England, the government was determined to pressure the King into giving up Mrs Simpson and, when that failed, into giving up his crown. The King's phone lines were tapped by his own government, dubious police reports poisoned Mrs Simpson's reputation, and threats to sabotage her divorce were deployed to edge the King towards abdication. The hopeless attempts of the King's allies, particularly Winston Churchill, to keep him on the throne were dismissed as sinister conspiracy, whilst the King wrecked his own chances with wildly unrealistic goals and ill-thought-out schemes that served only to frame him as erratic and unreliable as a monarch. As each side was overwhelmed by desperation and distrust, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin fought to steer events to a smooth conclusion. In this fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the royal abdication crisis of 1936, Adrian Phillips reveals the previously untold story of the hidden political machinations and insidious battles in Westminster and Whitehall that settled the fate of the King and Mrs Simpson"--Publisher's description Title Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Prologue -- HIDDEN SCANDAL -- CHAPTER 1: The Boy Will Ruin Himself -- CHAPTER 2: The Prime Minister and the Super-Civil Servant -- CHAPTER 3: Almost Impossible to Appeal to Reason -- CHAPTER 4: A Job Is Assigned to the Prime Minister -- HIDDEN CRISIS -- CHAPTER 5: Provoking an Outburst -- CHAPTER 6: A Real Jolt -- CHAPTER 7: Queen or Nothing -- CHAPTER 8: The Underworld Gangster Element -- CHAPTER 9: The Battle for the Throne -- OPEN CRISIS -- CHAPTER 10: A Fireside Chat -- CHAPTER 11: Obsessed to Get Away -- CHAPTER 12: A Pistol at His Head -- CHAPTER 13: My First Blunder -- CHAPTER 14: The Long and Sinister Shadow -- CHAPTER 15: Sunday Morning at Hendon Aerodrome -- CHAPTER 16: A Microcosm of the Cabinet -- OVER THE EDGE -- CHAPTER 17: Rather a Facer -- CHAPTER 18: Mission to a Madhouse -- CHAPTER 19: Beyond Recovery -- CHAPTER 20: Lying Like a Gentleman -- CHAPTER 21: A Court of Her Own -- CHAPTER 22: Plenty of People Ready to Knock Her on the Head -- Afterword -- Appendices -- Bibliography -- Index -- Plates -- Copyright The Untold Story Of The Hidden Political Machinations Behind The Handling Of The Royal Abdication Crisis Of 1936.