The Rise of Australasia

However, becoming a godfather to a relative was, after all, nothing extraordinary. Additionally, given the good relations between Australasia and the United Kingdom, such an act might showcase the close ties between Britain and Australia, or at least that’s what William thought.

"Godfather? Of course I don’t mind; it would be an honor for me and the child," Duke George hastened to say.

If he had been the heir to the throne, Arthur’s offer would have come as no surprise. But as the second in line to the throne, and with his elder brother in good health, Arthur’s initiative to become the godfather of an ordinary prince’s child was somewhat like a demotion for himself.

In fact, this was to be expected, as anyone who was not a time traveler could not possibly understand Arthur’s intention.

Because Duke George was none other than the famous George VI in history, and his first daughter was Queen Elizabeth, the renowned monarch who later restored the stability of both the British royal family and the country’s rule.

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Of course, speaking of which, George VI’s brother Edward VIII was also quite notorious. This monarch, who truly epitomized the saying "preferring beauty over the realm," also went down in British history as both the first and only monarch to abdicate voluntarily.

To give up the British throne for what he believed to be love, that was perhaps a deed only Prince Edward could carry out.

Yet, interpretations of the behind-the-scenes story of Edward VIII’s abdication were manifold and messages kept emerging.

Officially, Edward VIII abdicated because he fell in love with a woman who had been married twice; after all, divorce and remarriage were not permitted by the Church of England, and such an act that angered religious sentiments was met with opposition from all the British citizenry at the time.

However, the true reason behind Edward VIII’s abdication entailed Germany’s influence.

Information obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States indicated that the real reason forcing Edward VIII to abdicate was the suspicion that his wife, Mrs. Simpson, was a German sympathizer.

Certainly, this suspicion was eventually confirmed, which became the reason Edward VIII had no choice but to abdicate.

Mrs. Simpson was not only a staunch supporter of Germany but also had close interactions with the German ambassador to the United Kingdom at the time.

How close were they? Not only were they connected through the exchange of critical information, but their bodies were also intimately involved.

They were even so bold that the German ambassador to Britain would give Mrs. Simpson 17 pink carnations every day, which represented the number of times they secretly met.

Even when Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson were exiled to France, the contact between Simpson and the German ambassador did not cease.

Their dual connection, both physically and information-wise, not only turned the story behind Edward VIII’s abdication into a scandal for the British Royal Family but also a state secret that was never disclosed at the time.

Although the Germany of this world had changed a great deal, the animosity between France and Germany still existed, and Mrs. Simpson was unlikely to become chaste.

Arthur may not have had ambitions for the British throne, but laying the groundwork for the throne’s successors early on was clearly in line with Australasia’s interests.

Besides, speaking plainly, Edward VIII was not a suitable heir to the throne. Long before he became the prince’s son, he was bullied at the military academy.

It was only after his subordinates saw Prince Edward crying and conducted an investigation that they discovered the cadets were bullying him, simply so that they could boast to others in the future that they had kicked the King.

This incident in the British Royal Family not only signified a significant decline in the prestige of the royal family among the civilian population, but also reflected Edward’s weak character.

At that time, he was the eldest son of the Crown Prince and the second in line to the throne. Despite such a status, he could still be bullied by ordinary cadets at the naval academy to the point of tears, which already doomed Edward’s reign to be fraught with difficulties.

When the lower classes lost their reverence for the royal family, it meant that the royal family’s status was effectively gone and could be overthrown by overwhelming public discontent at any moment.

Although Arthur valued the opinions of the lower classes, the royal family was still the royal family and not to be trifled with by ordinary people.

In just a few words, the matter of Arthur becoming the godparent of Duke George’s first child was settled.

In Western concepts, a godparent is someone who, at a child’s baptism, bestows the religious name and guarantees to undertake responsibility for their religious education.

The influence of a godparent on a person is substantial, as for Westerners, the importance and role of religion far exceed the significance it holds in the hearts of Easterners.

After concluding this episode, William accompanied Duke George on a visit to King George V and took up residence in Buckingham Palace.

The scheduled time for this diplomatic visit was one week. With ample time available, there was no rush on this day.

The primary goal of this diplomatic visit, besides finalizing some new partnerships, was to discuss with the British their views on currency devaluation and the gold standard.

Currency devaluation and the abandonment of the gold standard were already well-trodden topics of the era, drawing attention from various countries.

Especially France, which had formally adopted the policy of currency inflation with paper money, was unable to control the speed of the Franc’s devaluation. Yet, the profits from devaluation filled the French government’s coffers to the brim.

It was thought-provoking that Britain and Italy, which had not devalued their currencies, were suffering from unemployment crises, whereas France, with a devalued currency, did not have many unemployed, far from a crisis level.

This tempted many countries, fearing that without precautions, all might follow in France’s footsteps, sparking a new round of currency devaluation competition.

Who could have imagined that currency devaluation would become a competition? But the benefits it brought made it worthwhile for countries to engage in it. Rather than maintaining currency value and enduring losses, it is better to initiate currency devaluation proactively and benefit from the competition.

One of the purposes of this visit was also to strengthen cooperation with the British and build a new Pound and Australian Dollar Monetary System to advance and retreat together in this competition of currency devaluation.

The French’s deliberate currency devaluation had left the Latin Monetary Union in name only, and the monetary systems of countries were once again in disarray.

As the most powerful country, the stability of the Pound was widely recognized. If it could be combined with the Australian Dollar, creating a British-Australian Pound Monetary System, it was theoretically possible to unify currency.

Of course, this unification did not mean that other countries would adopt the Pound and Australian Dollar as their official currencies, but rather use them as a common currency directly linked to the currencies of other countries, thereby influencing the entire world’s economic situation.

The good news was that the Australian Dollar had been pegged to the Pound from the beginning, making it easy to combine the two currencies.

The Penny and Shilling within the Australasian system were not significantly different from the Penny and Shilling under the British system, laying a solid foundation for the union of the Australian Dollar and the Pound.

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