Extract from a handwritten letter from Desmond FitzGerald to Mabel FitzGerald (Dublin)

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The other night Prince of Wales commented to Tody¹ on youthful appearance of Hogan and me - Tody said that in spite of that we were his Majesty's oldest ministers. Prince said glad to hear him say that. Tody said that we are oldest government? No said Prince but to hear you refer to my Father, I thought you or at least your people wanted to cut him out. Tody suggested that though some might have thought about various forms of government and decided against monarchy that the real thing had always been against English control and that what we were occupied with the was getting rid of every form of seal or apparent power of British government. Prince said hadn't the last vestige gone. Tody said a few other things occupied us still. Prince said you have referred to an individual - I may be that individual some time - so I am interested to have all those things cleared up - again later he said - as I said I may some time occupy a position now held by my Father - you and your colleagues there will be my advisers - I am glad to know that I shall be getting good advice. I don't remember off hand all the conversation but you see that Prince has in mind that he will be King some time. He also made it clear that if anything he thought that we were on the right line in our constitutional demands.

Tody has a bit of an ordeal in front of him talking to the King - but he will explain our line quite clearly and unflinchingly. That is why I told Thomas not to worry. They are worried - or they say they are - that we are going so strong that we are attacking the whole existence of monarchy - we are not doing that at all. But we are attacking everything else. I think that we shall get a certain amount and what we don't get will be merely postponed a short while. Knowing the history of these last years as I do I am amazed at the way we have changed the situation. Of course you will not think as much of it as I do. But the only difference is that Free State is (or will be in a couple of years without even a vestige of any form even to mar it) just a constitutional monarchy with only that to mark the difference between it and an Irish Republic. In the matter of independence and sovereignty there is no whittle of difference. Of course what the future may do I cannot say. But accepting the treaty we certainly are getting all that the most perfervid supporters claimed for it and more. And we have educated the British and the Dominions in a very short time. Points of view that previously were attributed to our revolutionarism are now just presumed as natural by the others. The trouble is that they don't always realise the implications in things. Of course another trouble is that the government here is conscious that it is in momentary jeopardy - and are in terror of anything that can be presented in an unpopular light and used against them. And I suppose that knowing that there will be disappointment on the economic side they want to prevent its being said that having got nothing on that side they gave away everything (or anything) on the other.

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