The Churchill Series – Feb. 21, 2007

(One of a series of weekday posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)

On April 22, 1898 the heir to the British throne, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII wrote a letter to a twenty-three year old subaltern, then stationed in India.

The young officer had recently sent His Royal Highness a copy of his first book, The Malakand Field Force, his account of the recent fighting along what was then the Northwest border area of India but which is today part of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area. The young officer had taken an active part in the fighting.

The Prince had known the officer, Winston Churchill, since he was a boy, and was a very close friend, some say even an intimate friend, of Churchill’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill.

My Dear Winston,

I cannot resist writing a few lines to congratulate you on the success of your book! I have read it with the greatest possible interest and I think the descriptions and the languages generally excellent. Everybody is reading it, and I only hear it spoken of with praise.

Having now seen active service you will wish to see more, and have as great a chance I am sure of winning the [Victoria Cross] as Fincastle had; and I hope you will not follow the example of the latter, who I regret to say intends leaving the Army in order to go inot Parliament.

You have plenty of time before you, and should certainly stick to the Army before adding M. P. to your name.

Hoping that you flourishing, I am,

Yours very sincerely,

A.E.

The Prince knew his young man. The following year Churchill resigned from the Army and contested unsuccessfully in Oldham for his first seat in Parliament.
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The letter is found in Churchill's My Early Life: 1874-2004. (pgs. 155-156)