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From the august days of Queen Victoria, when the sun never set on the British Empire, to the shocking abdication of Edward VIII and the long reign of Elizabeth II, the saga of Britain’s kings and queens has fascinated the world for centuries, regularly dramatized on stage and screen.
No public figure in British history had a longer or more consequential relationship with the royal family than Winston Churchill, who is widely regarded as the greatest statesman of modern times. As a young officer in Victoria’s army in 1898, he rode in one of the last cavalry charges of the British empire; when he proclaimed a new Elizabethan age upon the accession of her great-great granddaughter in 1952, Britain had entered the atomic age.
Churchill served the monarchy with reverence and devotion all his life, recognizing its essential role in Britain’s island story. But he was never unappreciative of the distinctive personalities who occupied the throne and the foibles, quirks and even peccadillos they brought to their august role.
Join acclaimed historian and popular speaker Lee Pollock as he returns to the Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre to explore the singular relationship between Winston Churchill and the British crown and shed new light on one of history’s most enduring institutions.
Lee Pollock is an historian, writer and public speaker on the life and times of Winston Churchill. He has written about Churchill for the Wall Street Journal, the New Criterion, American Purpose and the Daily Beast and has appeared on CBS, the BBC and other media outlets in the U.S. and Britain. Lee has spoken about Churchill’s legacy and leadership at venues ranging from the U.S. House of Representatives, the Pentagon and the U.S. Supreme Court to leading universities, history museums, non-profit institutions and clubs.
Lee is a Director, Advisor to the Board and Member of the Operating Committee of The International Churchill Society and previously served as the Society’s Executive Director. A native of Montreal, Canada, he is a graduate of McGill University and holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago.
He is the author of a forthcoming book, Action This Day: Adventures with Winston Churchill.