The royals - Kitty Kelley [85]
The Britannia, officially designated as a hospital ship during war, suspended its cruise. Philip was in constant radio contact with the Palace, which relayed hourly news bulletins. He learned that most of the world opposed the Anglo-French alliance with Israel and their use of military force. At the United Nations, America, England’s staunchest ally, denounced the invasion, and Britain’s currency plummeted. Still, England and France continued to veto the UN’s cease-fire proposals. Finally the White House made it clear that if they continued to use force, the United States would not support them. Just as terrifying to England, France, and Israel was the hectoring threat from Russia to “crush the aggressors” and “restore peace… through the use of force.” With no U.S. support and the rest of the world against them, they yielded and announced a cease-fire.
The Queen was too young and inexperienced to exercise her royal prerogative and advise her new Prime Minister, Anthony Eden. Instead she listened to him and accepted his proposals. She knew that he had been brilliant as Winston Churchill’s Foreign Secretary but did not realize he was in over his head as Prime Minister. Struggling on five hours of sleep a night, he became addicted to amphetamines, which distorted his judgment. She was at the racetrack when his messenger reached her with an urgent proclamation requiring her signature, calling out army reserves. In between horse races, she signed. Britain was ready to go to war.
“In a few weeks’ time,” predicted Laborite John Strachey, “this country is going to wake up to the fact that we have marched into Egypt, marched out of Egypt, caused the canal to be blocked, stopped our oil, made every Arab in the world into an enemy, opened the Middle East to Russian penetration, split the Commonwealth, quarreled with the Americans, and ruined ourselves—all for nothing.”
Prime Minister Eden collapsed and flew to Jamaica in December to recuperate. Randolph Churchill compared Eden’s leadership to Hitler’s in marching his troops to Stalingrad and leaving them there to freeze to death. “Except,” said Winston Churchill’s son, “Hitler, with all his faults, did not winter in Jamaica.” Sir Anthony returned three weeks later to find gas lines blocking the roads as a result of emergency rationing brought on by the crisis. The next month he resigned as Prime Minister. As his replacement, the Queen chose Chancellor of the Exchequer Harold Macmillan.
The country was reeling from international humiliation. The British press lashed out at everyone connected with the debacle. Even Philip, thousands of miles away, was berated for not being at his wife’s side. But the Queen said privately that she was relieved not to have her husband around. “I’m glad he wasn’t here,” she said. “All hell would have broken loose.”
After four months on board the Britannia, Philip headed for a family reunion in Lisbon with his wife before their state visit to Portugal. First he had to stop in Gibraltar to say good-bye to his equerry, who was no longer allowed to be in the Queen’s presence. Days before, news of Michael Parker’s divorce had leaked and the press was full of stories that his wife, Eileen, was suing him for sexual misconduct and demanding alimony on the grounds of alleged adultery. He was forced to resign. Philip raged about the hypocrisy of a broken marriage being an impediment to royal service when the former Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden, had been married twice and divorced. Philip