A historic message such as no English monarch has ever penned
WE HAVE passed through the most anxious and astounding day in the history of our Empire. At its close, no longer did King Edward the Eighth hold the most glorious heritage that ever fell to the lot of a ruler. His ‘final and irrevocable’ abdication of Edward the Eighth of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Emperor of India, fills every heart with an overwhelming sense of tragedy. Indeed, the event far transcends man’s capacity to realise it and all that it implies.
The King’s decision was stated in a historic message, such as no English Sovereign has ever before penned. It was read by the Speaker to a hushed and deeply moved House of Commons.
‘The burden which constantly rests upon the shoulders of a Sovereign is so heavy that it can only be borne in circumstances different from those in which I now find myself,’ declared the King.
The King’s subjects had hoped against hope that the Throne would for many years be filled by a Sovereign so well equipped to lead a great Empire through the difficult days that may lie ahead.
Yet the whole Empire is now aware that King Edward has reached his decision only after heart-searching reflection.
As far back as November 16 he informed the Prime Minister, Mr Baldwin, of his intention to marry Mrs Simpson and that he was ‘prepared to go’.
King Edward was faced by alternatives each awe-inspiring in its implications. He could renounce the Throne or the woman he wished to marry.
The appeals addressed to him from all parts of his loyal Empire he was led by his conscience to reject, deeply though he appreciated the spirit which promoted them. He felt that ‘I can no longer discharge this heavy task with efficiency or with satisfaction to myself’.
Remembering his past inestimable services, both as Prince of Wales and during the few short months he has been our King, our hearts cannot be heavy as we watch him withdraw, followed by the sympathy and regrets of his former subjects, into private life.
The thanks of the Empire are due to Mr Baldwin for the efforts he made to persuade the King to remain.
THE country will share the Prime Minister’s belief that where he failed no other could have succeeded; but nothing will assuage the universal disappointment that the King was unable to respond to the entreaties not only of Mr Baldwin but all of his subjects.
By the Act of Settlement and as the King’s message of Abdication makes clear, the Throne devolves on the Sovereign’s eldest brother, Albert Frederick Arthur George, the Duke of York, who will probably elect to be known as George VI.
At the Coronation, which, it is understood, will be held as already arranged on May 12, the people will seize the opportunity of demonstrating their loyal and abiding affection for their new monarch.
Throughout the great realms to the governance of which the new King is called there will be an instant rally to his side.
It is a supreme and onerous task which he is suddenly summoned to undertake.
Like his predecessor, he has worked indefatigably for the good of his nation and has, in his own words, ‘travelled over the vast extent of our Empire’.
Like his predecessor, again, he saw frontline service in the war, fighting for his country first with the Grand Fleet at Jutland, that ‘battle of the mist’, and then with the Royal Air Force in France.
At his side will sit a gracious and active consort, whose warm interest in social work of all kinds has earned the country’s admiration.
Long live the King!