ABDICATION OF KING BELIEVED DEFINITE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 306, 10 December 1936, Page 5

ABDICATION OF KING BELIEVED DEFINITE

INDICATED BY LATEST EVENTS Mr. Baldwin will Make Statement DECISION REACHED AT FATEFUL FORT BELVEDERE DINNER REGRETFUL CONCLUSIOOADFBniEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT MS MAJESTY APPARENTLY DETERMINED TOMARRY MRS SIMPSON 9 (Press Association Extraordinary.) j (Received 10 a.m. To-day.) LONDON, December 9. ' ' Parliamentarians of all parties have regretfully come to the conclusion that the abdication of His Majesty King Edward VIII is indicated by the course of events. ’-f ‘ Np official pronouncement to this effect has yet been made, but following the fateful dinner at Fort Belvedere last night, when the King dined with the Dukes of York arid Kent arid the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Mr. Stanley Baldwin, Government members of the House of Commons have been advised to cancel any engagements they may haye in the country to-morrow, so that there will be a full attendance to hear Mr. Baldwin make a statement.

V It was not expected that the news of the King’s decision would be made known today, but the conclusion that was arrived at at Fort Belvedere was of such magnitude that it could not but leak out. In the House of Commons, after the Fort Belvedere dinner, Mr. Baldwin was still reticent, though the gravity of his utterances revealed that the secret he was keeping was hardly likely to be the happy solution that millions hoped Would still be found. In a cablegram received from London at 9.30 a.m. to-day it was stated that House, Mr. Baldwin, replying to Major Attlee, who asked for light on the position, said: “I regret I am not in a position to add anything to-day, but I hope to make a statement to-morrow.” , Major Attlee: Is there good hope of the statement to-morrow, as anxiety is increasing throughout England and the Empire? . Mr. Baldwin: No one realises it more than I. Mr. F. J. Bellenger: Grave financial difficulties are facing a section of the population, due to the delay. Will you suggest to His Majesty the necessity for an early decisibn? Cries of “No, no!” Mr. Baldwin: That has not escaped me. Stock markets closed weak, due to the absence of a further statement. All yesterday’s improvement was lost. Cabinet assembled at 11 a.m. and ended at 1.15 p.m., but no statement was issued in regard to the King. Mr. W. Monckton, attorney-general for the Duchy of Cornwall, after visiting the Palace for half an hour and seeing members of the King’s staff, returned to No. 10 Downing Street at noon. Later in the afternoon Mr. Monckton arrived at Fort Belvedere. A dispatch rider, summoned to Downing Street from Kensington Barracks, motor-cycled to Fort Belvedere with a dispatch case. MRS. SIMPSON STILL STAYING AT FRIENdTvILLA AT CANNES

INDIGNANT DENIAL GIVEN BY LORD BROWNLOW TO RUMOURS (Received 10 a.m. To-day.) LONDON, December 9. A member of Mrs. Simpson’s household is credited with saying that Mrs. Simpson would certainly not want to re-open her London house for many months, if ever. A denial is given of rumours that suggested Mrs. Simpson had made a written statement guaranteeing to give up the idea of marrying King Edward. A certain scandalous rumour in connection with Mrs. Simpson is denied with the contumely it deserves. Both rumours arose from the joint visit to Cannes of Mr. Theodore Goddard, one of Mrs. Simpson’s solicitors, and Dr. Douglas Kirkwood. Dr. Kirkwood accompanied Mr. Goddard and his clerk (Mr. Sidney Barron) because Mr. Goddard was not thought well enough to risk the air journey to France without the company of his medical adviser. Mr. Goddard and Mr. Barron have left Cannes for Paris, and Dr. Kirkwood has gone to Marseilles, where he will take a ’plane for London. Mr. Goddard, after three and a-half hours’ interview with Mrs. Simpson, declined to make a statement. Lord Brownlow, in a further statement, said that Mrs. Simpson had signed no document whatever. Her lawyer’s visit was solely for the purpose of discussing his client’s London business. Lord Brownlow replied fully to a list of written questions which journalists submitted to him. He said: “Mrs. Simpson signed no document whatever. Mr Goddard’s visit, as I stated last night, was purely for the purpose of discussing Mrs. Simpson’s business in London. Dr. Kirkwood left for Marseilles early this morning. His presence in the ’plane was due to the fact that Mr. Goddard had been advised not to fly or make any undue effort without a medical attendant. I can tell you that Dr. Kirkwood’s visit was not announced to me until now. It was not till seven o’clock last night I even knew Mr. Goddard was coming. I understand Dr. Kirkwood is a private practitioner with an office in d Sloane Street and is a friend of Mr. Goddard. I have just telephoned Mr. Goddard at his hotel here. He told me that this being the first time he had flown, and being in bad health, he asked his doctor to accompany him. Dr. Kirkwood is leaving to-day for Monte Carlo. “These rumours are of such a damaging nature that too many precautions cannot be taken to guard against them. There is no grain of truth in them. So far as 1 know Dr. Kirkwood is a private practitioner. I know nothing of his being a gynaecologist, but if he is, he is certainly not here in relation to Mrs. Simpson.”