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23 January 2011

Why the cult of Churchill lingers on

The historical inaccuracies in The King's Speech are a sign of cynical populism

By Nick Greenslade

London 1936. Edward VIII is about to abdicate and Winston Churchill is airing his views on the departing monarch in a private audience with his successor, his brother the Duke of York: “He was careless with state papers. He lacked commitment and resolve. There were those that worried where he would stand when war with Germany comes.War with Germany will come, and we will need a King behind whom we can all stand united.”

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