The Peoples King by Susan Williams Page A

remarkably resourceful woman. After losing her wealth in the crash of 1929, she set up a very successful business in interior decoration, which popularized the vogue for English chintz. When her husband died in February 1936, she had to move out of her grand home, Argyll House, to a much smaller home on Lord North Street in Westminster. But despite the relative shortage of space, money and time, she continued to be an influential hostess. The number of her acquaintances was vast. 'I would so like to ask someone to meet you,' wrote the novelist E. M. Forster to Lady Colefax, 'whom you don't know, but whom do I know whom you don't know, I don't know.' 109 Unusually for a social hostess, Lady Colefax was politically left of centre and usually voted Labour; she invited Labour politicians and their wives to her soirees and was a great admirer of the radical economist John Maynard Keynes. 110
    Sybil did not meet Wallis until the summer of 19 3 5, but they quickly became friends. Not only did Sybil like Wallis, she also approved of her as Edward's companion in life: 'His first great love was always hard and in love with someone else . . . His second awful (Lady Furness). Wallis tactful, helpful and wise and I've seen her at it." 11 Sybil hosted formal occasions for Wallis and Edward. To one dinner at Argyll House she invited Perry Brownlow and his wife Kitty, the Duchess of Buccleuch, Lady Diana Cooper and Duff Cooper, Lord and Lady Vansittart, and Mr and Mrs Artur Rubinstein. It was a summer evening, and through the great double doors, which were open, the guests could see the garden with its spreading lawns and a sea of green trees, lit by Chinese lanterns, 'pale moons of white' floating in the branches. 112 Later in the evening, Lord Berners, Winston Churchill and some other men joined the gathering. Rubinstein played Chopin, which delighted Sybil (Rubinstein did not like playing for social gatherings) but also caused her some anxiety, as Edward was not keen on classical music. Bruce Lockhart wrote in his diary that the 'King sat down on a little stool beside Mrs Simpson. Seemed rather bored, but stayed on.' After he had finished, Noel Coward was asked to sing, which cheered the King immensely - he 'bucked up and looked quite amused. He did not leave till nearly one. Came with and left with Mrs Simpson. Quite unattended. No ADC etc.' 113
    It was by no means unusual at this time for social hostesses to lionize people with a particular claim to attention by Society. Albert, the Duke of York, and his Duchess, Elizabeth (the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth), were cultivated by Mrs Ronnie Greville, who had a house on Charles Street in London and an immense country estate in Surrey, Polesden Lacey. Here, Albert and Elizabeth spent a part of their honeymoon. Born the illegitimate daughter of a Scottish millionaire brewer, Mrs Greville had managed to put this behind her and establish a position among the elite and many of the royal family. Edward disliked her and thought her behaviour to royalty was syco­phantic. People such as the Coopers and Cecil Beaton held her in contempt because of her zealous pursuit of titles to attend her recep­tions (of sixty-one names mentioned on one evening, over fifty were titled, and on most occasions there was at least one royal). Cecil Beaton thought she was a 'galumphing, greedy, snobbish old toad who watered at the chops at the sight of royalty.'" 4 Menus were pre­sented in French, and at one large Christmas party, one of the seven courses was 'Oeufs Due d'York' in honour of the most important guest." 5 Mrs Greville, like many of her circle, was an enthusiastic supporter of Adolf Hitler. She was fawned upon by Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German ambassador, and was present at a Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg; she was furious at the British Embassy for not sending a representative. 116
    Because of her intimacy with Edward, Wallis was eyed as a passport to the King. 'Of course anyone who can