What were Churchill's views on the abdication of Edward VIII?

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Despite home and abroad crises Britain had faced since 1910 such as war, social unrest, discontent in the Empire and economic problems, the monarchy had been a stable element in British life.

George V, who reigned from 1910 to 1936, was in many ways the first of the modern monarchs. His respectable lifestyle, in contrast to the mistresses and visits from Parisian houses of ill-repute of his father, was in accord with the desire for respectability of middle-class Britain.

George V had been a solid supporter of the war effort. His bearing was dignified and suitably naval. He broadcast directly directly to the nation, but both he and Queen Mary kept an appropriate degree of reserve and aloofness.

Contrasingly, David, his eldest son, had been seen as neurotic and unstable. He had a reputation as a ******* and, despite doing his duty by serving in the armed forces during the First World War and by carrying out imperial tours and official opening, his private life was less respectable. He had a predilection for older women, regardless of whether they were already married, and for parties more typical of the 'roaring twenties' than the more staid formal gatherings of his parents. He also had a tendency to make off-the-cuff remarks which could be seen as political interference. Some…

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