Reader\'s Digest Australia & New Zealand - June 2018

June• 2018 | 31

READER’S DIGEST

installed Philip as Chairman of the

Coronation Commission early on –

and, unlike the script, it was the Arch-

bishop of Canterbury, not the Duke

of Norfolk, who tried to constrain the

modernising Duke. Royal historian

Hugo Vickers wrote inhe Timesthat

the Archbishop was able to push him

out entirely from “the process and rite

of coronation”, but Philip had his way

when it came to televising.

Philip did not hesitate in paying

homage to the Queen, according to

Vickers’ research into the Archbishop’s

papers, which state that he accepted

going after the Archbishop himself,

despite having the right to go before.

When the Duke of Windsor made

it clear he wanted to attend the coro-

nation, the Queen’s Private Secretary,

Sir Alan ‘Tommy’ Lascelles, wrote to

the former King’s lawyers to quash the

idea. It’s true that Windsor watched it

on television with friends.

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL, PM

T

he congregation standing

forSirWinstonandLady

Churchill as they arrive at

WestminsterAbbeyfortheRoyal

Weddingin1947isafact;butWin-

ston’s disdain for Prime Minister

ClementAttleeisnot.Farfrommock-

ing Attlee, saying “an empty taxi ar-

rivedat10DowningStandAttleegot

out,”Churchill’sPrivateSecretarySir

John ‘Jock’ Colville went on record

saying Winston chastised others for

usingthatjokeatAttlee’sexpense.

Afterwinningthe1951election,

Churchill was expected to retire in

favour of Conservative heir appar-

ent Sir Anthony Eden. But after King

GeorgeVIdied,hestayedontohelp

thenewQueen.Alwaysoneforapa-

rade,hewantedtostayleaderuntil

thecoronationonJune2,1953.By

then,Edenwasgravelyillaftera

botchedgallbladderoperationand

had remedial surgery on June 10.

WinstonsuferedastrokeonJune23

–atadinnerparty,notinbedandnot

followingtheshockofEden’sopera-

tion,astheTVversionportrays.

His conidants kept quiet about the

stroke:Colvilleshooedtheguests

home and Winston’s family and doc-

torkepthimgoingforafewdaysuntil

he made it to Chartwell, his coun-

try home,wherehedeteriorated.

Fatherly advice: Prime Minister

Winston Churchill

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES