"World's Greatest Romance"

Members of the House of Commons last week guardedly declared they were receiving so many letters from constituents objecting to the intimacy of the King & Mrs. Simpson that Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin must prepare himself to be questioned soon in open Parliament as to whether or not His Majesty is resolved to marry her.

This week Hearst's Universal Service and the New York Times were both sure they had the inside track on the Simpson story, but their tracks ran in opposite directions.

Hearst: "King Edward will marry Mrs. Simpson in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace.

"The marriage, which will take place several weeks after the King's coronation next May, will be performed by one of the chaplains to the King.

"Before the marriage takes place Mrs. Simpson will be made a peeress in her own right.

"After her marriage to His Britannic Majesty she will also take one of his ducal titles, becoming the Duchess of Lancaster or the Duchess of Cornwall, probably the former."

Times: "The Queen is an experienced and understanding woman, and it is believed that she is not ungrateful to Mrs. Simpson for the stabilizing influence she has exercised over the Queen's favorite son since she became his closest friend.

"The King is known to be strongly attached to Mrs. Simpson, to whom he admits he owes much. She has given him new confidence in himself, and it is said he now no longer views with aversion the idea of matrimony. But informed circles stress that if he does marry, the bride will not be Mrs. Simpson, although he will remain Mrs. Simpson's friend. . . . It is said Mrs. Simpson's sensible point of view received the approval of the Queen, who invited her to a luncheon at Marlborough House last week."

British chanty leaders continued their efforts to curry favor with Mrs. Simpson. She was induced to attend a meeting of the Salvation Army addressed by General Evangeline Booth who spoke on "The World's Greatest Romance."*

Other political parties in the United Kingdom had not yet decided on their attitude but the forehanded Communist Party reached last week the shrewd conclusion that a marriage of the King & Mrs. Simpson would advance its interests by setting the middle classes to quarreling among themselves. Accordingly the sole British Communist M. P., Comrade William ("Willie") Gallacher, delivered himself at length to reporters in the lobby of the House of Commons. Not a word of this was printed in the United Kingdom, but Mr. Gallacher said:

"I see no reason why the King shouldn't marry Mrs. Simpson if he wishes--even if Mrs. Simpson is an American. It is no offense to be an American. Naturally the 'charmed circle' in this country would be upset, but we Communists certainly shouldn't worry about it. If he wants to marry her, as far as I am concerned I will say: 'Good luck to him, and good luck to her!' We ought to get Socialism and have no King, and when the system goes so will the King."

Journalists in Britain grew more and more restive at their inability to write the story of the King & Mrs. Simpson. London editors cast about for something suppressed in the U. S. which they could print. Although the infirmities of President Roosevelt have been freely chronicled and pictures have been published in the U. S. which show him hobbling about (TIME, Dec. 17, 1934), the London Daily Telegraph salved its conscience for omitting the Mrs. Simpson story by declaring: "Actual view of the President's disability never fails to surprise the public. Neither the reporters nor the photographers have prepared them for it. The crowd invariably falls silent when Mr. Roosevelt moves down the ramp and gives an enthusiastic cheer of relief when he reaches the bottom. Secret Service men will seize any camera that shows this incident or the President getting into a motor car, and will tear out the film. Their right to do so appears doubtful, but nobody so far has ever questioned it."

In British court circles indignation mounted among those members of King Edward's entourage who are out of sympathy with his continued attentions to Mrs. Simpson during the probationary period of her divorce, which will not end until next April 27. This Palace group permitted U. S. correspondents to ascertain that the official Court Circular was being faked--i.e., its assertion that His Majesty has spent the day in such & such a locality can no longer be depended on. Most of Edward VIII's subjects still have absolute confidence in the Court Circular and imagine that when they see the King's personal standard hoisted over Buckingham Palace it means that Edward VIII is there, as was always the case when the standard of George V was unfurled. His Majesty, however, has never made any secret of the fact that in his case the royal standard means nothing and last week it was joined by the Court Circular.

In Portland, Ore., college students last week launched the first "Simpson for Queen" movement (see p. 85): Its motto: "God Save the King!"

* Miss Booth referred, of course, to the growth of the Salvation Army.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.