Churchill, Winston | A poignant piece of Churchill material, related to the accession of Elizabeth II

The Passion of American Collectors: Property of Barbara and Ira Lipman

Churchill, Winston

Typescript memorandum signed ("Winston S. Churchill"), to Queen Elizabeth II, offering guidance on the Queen's Accession 

1 page (190 x 240 mm) on a leaf of wove paper with "E.R." monogram blindstamped in upper left corner, and autograph addendum reading "And with humble duty remain Yr Majesty's faithful & devoted servant Winston S. Churchill"; minor toning and offsetting, one or two spots, hole punched to upper left corner. [With:] Modern photographic reproduction of the printed declaration, and image of Elizabeth II and Churchill. Matted, framed, and glazed together; not examined out of frame. 

A remarkable Churchill document, evoking his half-century of public service, which began under Queen Victoria

'In 1937 His late Majesty was advised to make this Declaration omitting the words "of my Realm" on the grounds that they did not take account that they did not take account of the independent status of the Dominions which had been affirmed by the Statute of Westminster...' 

The present memorandum begins by referencing the start of the reign of George VI—Elizabeth's father—and outlines the constitutional reasons for the wording of the Declaration, while acknowledging that the Queen must define her own style. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on 6 February 1952, and opened Parliament as the reigning Monarch on 4 November, where she made and signed the Declaration of Accession.