The abdication crisis of 1936, when Edward VIII declared he could not be King without the support of the woman he loved (American divorcee Wallis Simpson), is seen here from the perspective of the Royal Family, and in particular Queen Mary, the King's mother.
It is a compassionate, multi-faceted view and one's sympathies swing this way and that.
The truth is that there was right and wrong, intolerance and inflexibility on the part of all the parties involved.
At the core was a fierce defence of the institution of the monarchy.
Royce Ryton's script, written 36 years ago, before many of the subsequent crises within the House of Windsor, is uncannily prophetic.
David (as Edward VIII was known to his family) tried to force the state and the church to bend to his will, so that he could marry a divorcee and still be King and his wife Queen. He said change was inevitable, and the change has come, slowly but surely, but whether for the better or not is a matter for debate.
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Crown Matrimonial, By Royce Ryton
Theatre Royal Bath
Patricia Routledge is a magnificent Queen Mary, conveying a ramrod moral attitude and insistence on David sacrificing personal happiness for his inherited duty. At the same time one senses an underlying compassion for her son's dilemma.
Rufus Wright is headstrong and naively stubborn as David, convinced he will get his own way and ultimately hurt and bewildered by his permanent rejection by his own country.
Richard Hansell as the young, diffident Bertie, Duke of York who took his brother's place to become King George VI, is totally convincing in both looks and manner. As his wife, Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, Emma Handy is feisty but sometimes rather hard to hear.
There is an excellent supporting cast. The play is in Bath until Saturday.
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