CHURCHILL, Clementine S.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Typed letter signed, to Major Menzies, on the passing of Winston Churchill's former love interest Muriel Warde. Clementine Churchill writes shortly before Winston Churchill's death to commiserate on the passing of Muriel Warde: "Your letter has been a shock to me. No, I did not know Muriel had died. She was a very old friend of ours, especially of Winston's. I think when he was a young man he was very much in love with her."The recipient was a nephew of Muriel Warde (née Wilson, 24 March 1875 - 19 October 1964). Muriel was one of Churchill's oldest associates, having known him since his youth, when she helped him overcome his stammer. Muriel was an heiress to a Hull shipping fortune and a great beauty. Churchill proposed to her, but she rejected him - "it is said she did not think he had much of a future", his daughter recorded (Soames, p. 36). They nonetheless remained friends throughout their lives. Clementine concludes, "I hope she did not have a long, dreary illness but slipped away easily." Winston Churchill died on 24 January.Provenance: the collection of Steve Forbes, chairman of Forbes Magazine and presidential candidate in the 1996 and 2000 US elections.

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