Mrs Simpson as Queen of England

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 287, 4 December 1936, Page 7

Mrs Simpson as Queen of England

IS SHE A SUITABLE PERSON? CABINET THREATENS TO RESIGN Received Thursday, 9.50 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 2. The News-Chronicle, in a leader, says: ‘‘The problem can be simply stated. One of the King’s circle of personal friends is Mrs. Ernest Simpson, a lady of American birth, who has been twice married. It is believed it is the King’s desire to marry her in due course. The issue raised is whether this lady is a suitable person to be Queen of England, and whether this is a matter to be decided by the King himself or by the Government as the mouthpiece of public opinion. ‘‘The answer to this question should not be difficult. It is for the King to say, like every other man, who shall be his life partner; it is for Parliament to say who shall be Queen of England and regulate the succession to the Throne. If the King has the right to make his own decision on the first point, it is indisputable that he must fall in with the advice of his Ministers on a constitutional issue, such as that involved in the second.” Wife or Queen. The Daily Mail says: ‘‘The King may marry whom he pleases, but it is Parliament’s duty to decide who shall be Queen and who shall succeed to the Throne. Thus the King would obtain a consort of bis choice, but any issue of the marriage would be excluded from the succession.” The Daily Mail says: ‘‘lt is understood that Mr. Baldwin informed the King that, unless he accepted Cabinet’s advice, they would resign. He was also in a position to inform the King, should he call on the Socialist Opposition to form a Government, they would not accept a mandate.” According to the Mail, the King refused to accept Cabinet’s guidance.

“ Campaign of Scandal ” The Times, in a leader, says: “A wavo of gossip and rumour from across the Atlantic has spread in over-widen-ing circles to Britain. If there has been no comment hitherto in the English Press, that was due neither to lack of public anxiety, nor to any. form of pressuro upon the newspapers, but simply to common self-restraint, inspired by the hope that some authoritative act or statement would enablei thorn to end it once and for all. “This is plainly necessary now, for, otherwise, the cumulative effect of this campaign of scandal will do serious damage to the monarchy. “Events in the world impose as never before upon the British monarchy a duty to stand as a rock to the world outside amid seething tides of Communism and dictatorships. So it stood a year ago. Bo let us hope it will stand a year hence when a new reign will have been hallowed by thej Coronation, but the public needs omej definite reassurance if the rock is to I be unshaken.”