* * * * There was much speculation, when the
House met last week to vote the address of condolence and to swear fealty to King Edward VIII, as to what' changes, if any, would be made in court procedure or the forms of the constitution with the accession of the new King. It was generally agreed that the court might be stripped of some of its ceremonial splendours. King Edward has no liking for the more elaborate forms of State etiquette. Uniforms give him no thrill. He would always prefer, if the occasion admitted of it, to appear in a lounge suit rather than in scarlet and gold. My chief memory of him at successive openings of Parliament is of a young man, rather shy and self- conscious in the splendour of his robes, and nervously tugging at his collar which clearly he was feeling was too tight for him. Where great functions are necessary he will perform them with all the necessary dignity and decorum, but I imagine that there will be as few of them as possible. It is significant that throughout his reign as Prince of Wales he has remained at St. James's Palace, preferring the comforts of a modest bachelor establishment to the gilded splendours of Marlborough House. When he moves in due time to, Buckingham Palace, as of course he will do, it will be with reluctance and with many regrets for the old quiet mode of life that his new and vast responsibilities force him to abandon. In that he will reflect the spirit of his time. It is an age that likes simplicity.
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