From the august days of Queen Victoria, when the sun never set on the British Empire, to the shocking abdication of Edward VIII and the long reign of Elizabeth II, the saga of Britain’s kings and queens has fascinated the world for over two centuries, regularly dramatized on stage and screen.
No public figure in British history had a longer or more consequential relationship with the royal family than Winston Churchill, justly regarded as the greatest statesman of modern times. As a young officer in Victoria’s army in 1898, he rode in one of the last cavalry charges of the British empire; when he proclaimed a new Elizabethan age upon the accession of her great-great granddaughter in 1952, Britain had entered the atomic age.
Churchill served the monarchy with reverence and devotion all his life, recognizing its essential role in Britain’s island story. But he was never unappreciative of the distinctive personalities who occupied the throne and the foibles, quirks and even peccadillos they brought to their august role.
Join acclaimed historian Lee Pollock as he explores the singular relationship between Winston Churchill and the British crown and sheds new light on one of history’s most enduring institutions.
Lee Pollock is a popular writer, historian and public speaker on the life and times of Sir Winston Churchill and a regular presenter at The Community Library. He serves as a Trustee and Advisor to the Board of The International Churchill Society and was the Society’s long-time Executive Director. He also served as Publisher of the Society’s Journal, “Finest Hour,” and led the development of the National Churchill Library and Center in Washington, DC. A native of Montreal, Canada, Lee is a graduate of McGill University and hold’s a master’s degree from The University of Chicago. He is a frequent editorial writer on Churchill topics for The Wall Street Journal, The New Criterion and other publications. He is the author of Action This Day: Adventures with Winston Churchill.
Image from Wikimedia Commons.
