Louise Wardle

The Manners of Downton Abbey

Detailing the daily lives, responsibilities, and dress of the upper class, Alastair Bruce, historical Downton Abbey advisor, takes us on a journey through 1900s Britain.

Edward VIII: The Plot to Topple a King

Ever since King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, the official explanation had been simply that the government disapproved of his marriage to a twice-divorced woman. However newly-released documents, embargoed until recently, suggest that Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, played a large part in a plan to make certain that Edward VIII abdicated, not only because of his marriage to a divorcee but also because the archbishop disapproved of the King's whole lifestyle and modern attitudes to life.