ALL EYES NOW ON FORT BELVEDERE

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 64, 9 December 1936, Page 11

ALL EYES NOW ON FORT BELVEDERE

Duke of York’s Long Visit

“MYSTERY CAR” ARRIVES AT 2 A.M. (Received December 9, 12.20 a.m.) London, December 8. All eyes are now set on Fort Belvedere, where the Duke of York spent five hours -last night, not leaving till 1 a.m. A terrific frost made the roads to Fort Belvedere like sheets of glass in the morning, causing havoc with traffic and resulting in dozens of motor breakdowns. A large Royal limousine conveying Mr. Monckton to London at 8.45 a.m., had literally to. crawl its way through stranded cars and lorries. There was little traffic to Fort Belvedere overnight, witli the exception of the "mystery car” at 2 a.m.. which is believed to have brought documents. It seemed a quiet night within, and only one light was visible in the upper story after midnight. It is still impossible to assess the

prospect of a solution arising from Mrs. Simpson’s statement. The lobbies last night seemed to re-echo hope as there was a distinct belief that it had paved the way for a termination of the crisis in His Majesty’s acceptance both of the new position and the will of the people. There is a disposition to under-

line the fact that Lord Brownlow gave out Airs. Simpson's statement. The Central News Agency telephoned Lord Brownlow at breakfast time, but he

declined to add anything to his previous announcement. Asked if any developments were likely iu the next few hours, Lord Brownlow said, “I don't know, anything about that.” Lord Brownlow is an intimate friend and confidant of His Alajesty, Lord and Lady Brownlow belong’ to the Inner As evidence of the immense growth of mail to Fort Belvedere, hitherto a motor-cyclist has coped with it all. Now a postal delivery van is necessary. It is understood that the increase is due mainly to letters from the King's subjects. An idea of the size of the King’s mail may be gathered from a statement by the Hungarian Post Office that during the last live days 2000 telegrams of sympathy have been sent to King Ed ward by Hungarian women of all classes, in addition to 500 dispatched to London florists ordering Howers to be sent to His Majesty. Sir John Simon nnd Sir Samuel Hoare were the first callers on Mr Baldwin to-day, otherwise Downing Street was quiet.

Contemporaries Taken to Task WHAT A SPECIAL LAW WOULD MEAN (Received December 9, 1.13 a.m.) London. December 8. The announcement from Cannes of Airs. Simpson’s willingness Io erase herself came so late that, most of the national -dailies did not alter their earlier editorials. “The Times” had two editorials, the first devoted to morganatic marriage and the second to “Confused Controversialists,” in which, so unusual for "The Times,” it look to task by mime two contemporaries and roundly rated Lord Rothermere.