New King & Ham Toast

Upon new King George called last week "The Next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom," as many call hawk-nosed, hawk-minded Chancellor of the Exchequer Neville Chamberlain. Meanwhile a bona fide offer of $1,000,000 to go to Hollywood had been cabled to the Duke of Windsor & Mrs. Simpson (see p. 31) and, however remote acceptance was from their minds, it behooved the United Kingdom not to be niggardly with the Duke. At 5%, the interest on $1,000,000 is $50,000 per year and the Chancellor of the Exchequer was presently reported to have agreed with King George last week that Parliament be asked to vote $125,000 annually to maintain the Duke and problematic Duchess of Windsor. There was no thought of maintaining them in the style to which Mrs. Simpson has become accustomed in the last few months, though she will doubtless receive for Christmas the $25,000 ermine wrap now being completed in Oxford Street.

The question whether some of the many "distinguished Americans" going to the Coronation next May should be "commanded" (invited) to have audience of new King George in Buckingham Palace also arose last week. The late King George had no personal friends of U. S. nationality. As a rule, in the case of "Americans," he gave audience only to Morgan partners. In the last year of his reign, excepting U. S. diplomats on official missions, George V audienced just two "Americans," Morgan Partner Morgan and Morgan Partner Lamont. King Edward VIII, again excepting U. S. diplomats, accorded audience during his reign to no U. S. citizen-- an amazing fact, revealing the grip which permanent Court functionaries maintained over even an extremely pro-American King.

At Marlborough House last week a secretary to H. M. Queen Mary, the Queen Mother, appeared horrified at the question, "Who are Her Majesty's American friends?" He replied, "I cannot answer that question. I believe Her Majesty is acquainted with Mrs. Andrew Carnegie." Significantly not mentioned were Mr. & Mrs. Henry Ford, once asked by Viscountess Astor to tea at her country place on an afternoon when King George & Queen Mary also came for tea (TIME, April 23, 1928). Mr. Ford was, however, twice "commanded" to audience with Edward of Wales, as a special favor before Edward came to the throne.

The issue was up before His Majesty's Government last week because nearly every London newspaper has editorially let slip during the recent crisis its fears that when the next war comes U. S. citizens may have a slogan as important as "Remember the Maine!"--namely, "Remember Mrs. Simpson!"--and be disinclined to rush overseas a second time to help the "Mother Country" fight. Not in the least far-fetched in the United Kingdom today, this authentic fear was giving serious concern in Whitehall. In 1936 thus far Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin has received at No. 10 Downing St. no U. S. citizen of however great distinction, excepting diplomats, and to a member of his own Cabinet who attempted to introduce an American he replied. 'I am really not in the mood to see anyone."

Over at the Exchequer, Chancellor Chamberlain, as sympathetic civil servants readily explain, has been unable for some years to receive "distinguished Americans" because he is a plain, blunt Birminghamer who would have to tell the Yankees to their faces what he thinks of debt-minded "Uncle Shylock" (see col. 2). With all this in mind, the Prime Minister and U. S. Ambassador Robert Worth Bingham were guests at a House of Commons dinner tendered them last week by a group of M. P.'s pledged "to make contacts with Americans interested in affairs and visiting this country."

In a long speech. Mr. Baldwin dwelt upon the evils arising from too little contact between "distinguished Britons," presumably including the King and himself and "distinguished Americans." In his peroration, which seemed to promise eventual cracking of British obstruction to such contact, the Prime Minister cried: "Uninformed criticism on both sides is useless and might, in fact, do each country a great deal of harm!" The U. S. Ambassador is a Kentucky gentleman of the old school, and was much moved when the Prime Minister raised his glass with a bland expression and toasted President Roosevelt's Kentuckian in these words: "Whatever else comes from Kentucky, Kentucky ham is the best in the world!"

Cabinet colleagues of Mr. Baldwin after this, adopted an attitude of stoicism, hoped that distinguished U. S. citizens arriving for the Coronation will realize that both the Prime Minister and the new King-Emperor mean well, that "it is really underlings who are to blame." For example, an unusual British Foreign Secretary had some overseas friends stopping with him in the latter years of George V's reign, and wanted to take them along to a State Dinner at Buckingham Palace. His civil servant secretary told him he would have to write and ask the U. S. Embassy to nominate these guests officially and in so doing assume responsibility for their behavior and character. This note the Minister of the Crown wrote with his own hand. The Ambassador consulted his Counselor and was told of the doctrine that "His Majesty's Government do not wish to be asked" such favors. They could be asked, but the Embassy must not risk a snub, and consequently could not act In these circumstances the U. S. Ambassador wrote back to the British Foreign Secretary to tell him that his British Foreign Office did not wish that Americans be asked to dinner at Buckingham Palace. As the Ambassador and the Minister were friends, they had a good laugh the next time they met.

Last week the U. S. Embassy confirmed "no change" in this British setup, and kindly Ambassador Bingham is the last gentleman from Kentucky who would think of remonstrating officially with British gentlemen. His reply to Mr. Baldwin's 'ham" toast was a speech of which the keynote was: "I think this evening is one of great importance!" Afterward several chagrined M. P.'s said they had an impression that new King George and the old Prime Minister will be "completely inaccessible to Americans who come over for the Coronation."*

On Sunday the Queen had recovered enough from influenza to attend church with His Majesty and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, but to bed with influenza went the Duke & Duchess of Gloucester, while the Duchess of Kent remained secluded in expectation of her child (TIME, Oct. 19). In their absence H. M. Mary, the Queen Mother, H. M. the King, H. M. the Queen, and H. R. H. the Duke of Kent bore the brunt of what His Majesty in his accession address called the "heavy tasks" of the Royal Family.

These included last week signing numerous papers which would have been signed in Buckingham Palace weeks ago by King Edward had he not carried them off to Fort Belvedere, intending to sign them there. A tendency for such papers to become scattered about and even blow out into the garden was a feature of the last reign, and new King George last week was a very great comfort to the British Cabinet in this respect. When His Majesty is asked to sit down and sign a paper by his Principal Private Secretary, the King first observes whether it is the paper it is supposed to be, duly forwarded for royal signature by the proper British authorities, and then His Majesty signs it with his right hand, having broken himself after years of effort of left-handedness.*

* But not inaccessible to J. P. Morgan, who knew new Queen Elizabeth well when she was only the so-called "commoner" daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, his friend and grouse shooting neighbor in Scotland.

* Except in tennis which the King-Emperor plays left-handed.

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