Description

A fortnight after the coronation of Charles III, Piers Brendon will discuss the career of his great-uncle Edward VIII, a king who was never crowned. Piers compares and contrasts the two sovereigns, throwing a fascinating light on the monarchy?s future as well as its past.

Dr Piers Brendon was born in Poughill and spent the war years in Bude. He is the author of seventeen books, including The Windsors and Edward VIII, and often appears on television to talk about royal matters. Formerly Keeper of the Churchill Archives Centre, he is a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Piers Brendon explores the striking resemblances between King Edward VIII and his great-nephew Charles III, whose coronation takes place on 6 May 2023. Both had unhappy childhoods, matrimonial difficulties and controversial views. But they were also very different. Edward was so impatient with the ceremonial aspects of his role and so besotted with Mrs Ernest Simpson that he gave up the throne to marry her. Charles stuck it out for the long haul, became the oldest Prince of Wales in history and made the love of his life Queen.

As Piers shows, the contrast between them reveals much about the future of the monarchy as well as its past.

Illustration credit: Vyvyen Brendon

Description

The Wharf,

Bude,

Cornwall,

England,

EX23 8LG.