Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s secret plot

King George VI led the nation through the Second World War with his winsome wife, Queen Elizabeth, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. But as the war drew to a close, the king’s health began to fail. The formerly uninterested Duke of Windsor decided that he and his wife, Wallis, would take advantage of his brother’s illness and return to Britain to reign in his stead.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, Christopher Wilson, an acknowledged expert on the Royal family, has studied copies of the 1946 correspondence between Windsor friend Kenneth de Courcy and the Duke and Duchess. The plan formulated by de Courcy amounted to treason – the Duke would return from exile to reign in King George’s place, even though the Duke had already officially abdicated kingship a decade earlier. He would supplant the king’s daughter, Princess Elizabeth, the rightful heir.

To de Courcy, the ill George VI was similar to King George III during his years of madness – still technically king in name, but increasingly unable to reign. Shunting Princess Elizabeth aside could be explained away as merely keeping Lord Mountbatten from the throne. One letter explained it thus:

“I do not think it too much to say that if the Regency should be one primarily influenced by the Mountbattens [ie Lord Mountbatten and Prince Philip], the consequences for the [Windsor] Dynasty might be fatal… the Mountbattens, thoroughly well-informed of the situation, will do everything in their power to increase their influence…”

It was a plan for the Duke to become King Edward VIII once again, only this time it would be on his terms. Thankfully, such a scenario never occurred. Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II upon the death of George VI on February 6, 1952. The Queen will celebrate 60 years on the throne in 2012.

“Passionate” Prince wants to retain traditional subjects

Prince Charles wants traditional lessons including history and geography to remain in primary schools. His Royal Highness is said to be opposed to government plans to merge 13 stand-alone subjects into six ‘areas of learning’, with history and geography put together into ‘historical, geographical and social understanding’ classes.

Charles’ co-director of the Prince’s Teaching Institute, Bernice McCabe said that the Prince of Wales “…[I]s very passionate about the fact that children need a good grasp of literature and that all children need to understand the history of our country. These subjects should remain in the curriculum. I would hope that the vast majority of people in our society would think that.”

Princess Anne calls on celebrities

Meanwhile, Charles’ sister Princess Anne is appealing for celebrity support for her charity. The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, close to Anne’s heart, needs £6 million a year to run. Anne is calling on many famous face to support her cause.

Speaking to the UK’s popular Hello! magazine, Princess Anne said that “most people will know someone in a caring role. The main thing is that they offer support to someone who is in a difficult position. Greater knowledge and offering financial support is crucial in making the system work. It is also great if celebrities with the right kind of knowledge get involved to help raise the profile.

“It is enormously encouraging to visit these centers. Many of them operate thanks to hard working people and you see how well they manage with very little. Awareness is crucial in making sure that the centers run efficiently.”

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Author Info -  Mandy is an assistant teacher and a student of history. She is currently in the process of obtaining her Bachelor's Degree in History with an eye on a Master's Degree soon after. Read more from Mandy at her blog, The Royal Representative. Read more from this author

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