The Archive Hour - The King and Dr Cannon

Sean Stowell tells the strange story of a yogic doctor from Yorkshire and his role in the Edward VIII abdication crisis. Dr Alexander Cannon was a qualified psychiatrist who practised hypnosis and, according to archives, used spirit mediums to 'advise' the King on how to deal with problems, including his heavy drinking. He also dabbled in the occult, which heightened the Church and prime minister Stanley Baldwin's concern about his role as a close confidante to the King. New research and access to previously unheard tapes shed new light on the Yorkshire Yogi's part in the abdication crisis and suggests a cover-up between the Establishment and the contemporary press.