At the time of writing (December 16th) ministers of State and dignitaries of the Established Church show much solicitude that the mysterious events which culminated in the abdication of Edward VIII should be forgotten (and some would piously add, forgiven) as soon as possible. Since so many of the attendant circumstances still remain unexplained, the solicitude may appear to some to be sinister. But it is in no spirit of obstreperousness that we recall the remarkably non-conformist attitude adopted by our Catholic press during the “crisis.” It seems probable, though the fact would be hard to verify, that among no one section of the community was there such sympathy for His former Majesty than among Catholics of all classes; and nowhere more widespread suspicion, founded or unfounded, that the affair was in some way a “frame-up.”

On Thursday, December 3rd, with a uniformity in diversity that Dr. Goebbels might well envy, the London press—on the pretext of a constitutional crisis whose very existence was shortly to be denied—released the long-suppressed story of “the King’s desire.” Before the public had recovered its breath, The Tablet was out the following morning with a memorable leader on “The King's Matter” which was as remarkable for its penetration and its independence as for its promptness. The Editor of GK’s Weekly followed shortly on a similar line.