The Churchill Series - Aug. 5, 2008

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

In yesterday’s series post, I said it was tough for me to write about Churchill’s role in the abdication crisis in 1936 brought about by King Edward VIII’s determination to marry the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.

I simply don’t know enough to post now on the matter. I’ll continue reading various accounts and hope to post soon on it.

Today, I want to share with you a reader’s comment about Churchill that is on the money and helps explain why, just about alone among the Members of the Commons, Churchill, as it was said at the time, “took up the King’s cause.”

Winston Churchill was fanatically loyal to his friends, and to a set of ideas he held about British royalty. His wonderful mind was almost medieval in his fealty to these ideals.

Perhaps the best analogy is to religious faith. Those who have it are unshakable. So was Winston.

There’s a great deal of Churchill captured in that five-sentence comment. You could write a fine, lengthy Churchill book themed on just them.

I say some more about the comment tomorrow.