7 King of England Edward VIII Quotes on Colonialism

King of England Edward VIII quotes on colonialism

5. To John Kenneth Galbraith, who had been appointed American ambassador to India, 'I hear you are going to In-jea. A most interesting country. I had a very good time there in my early youth. You must do the pig-sticking in Rajasthan. And you will find the people most agreeable in their own way. They have been most uncommonly decent to my niece.' (Galbraith, Ambassador's Journal, 36)

6. To Gore Vidal (who described the Duke as having 'always had something of...riveting stupidity to say on any subject'), 'British Empire. First trip to India. Glorious. Never would have believed it would all be gone in my lifetime. Not possible, I'd've thought. I am the last king-emperor, you know. My brother was, for a time, but had to give it up. I didn't' (Vidal, Palimpsest, 206)

12. Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan, Canadian Indians: 'I've told you what a foul decadent lazy crowd they are & what I think of them !! But this camp is pitched right inside an Indian reserve ... & we have hundreds of the mouldy local tribe camped around us' (6 October 1919)

13. Barbados: 'A proper bum island this Barbados....It's a unique sort of scenery, very ugly, & I didn't take much to the coloured population, who are revolting.' (26-27 March 1920)

14. Panama: '...a deadly spot the end of the world almost....There are 20,000 British coloured people working on the canal...; they are mostly from Jamaica & smell too revolting for words....the Panamanians are a very queer people, all dagoes of course, though very pompous and dirty' (31 March - 1 April 1920)

16. Outside Adelaide, Australia: '...they showed us some of the native aborigines at a wayside station in the great plain yesterday afternoon though they are the most revolting form of living creatures I've ever seen !! They are the lowest known form of human beings & are the nearest thing to monkeys I've ever seen' (11 July 1920)

17. Acapulco, Mexico: '...queer, dirty little dago town....The people are too revolting for words, super dagoes & some of them are quite black as a result of Spaniards inter-breeding with the Indians; & of course they only speak Spanish' (9 September 1920)