On April 9 the news broke that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s biological father was Anthony Montague Browne, private secretary to Winston Churchill at the end of his peace-time premiership in 1955 (and beyond).
It was a time of great stress for Churchill’s staff who included Welby’s mother, then Jane Portal; after the conception of her son in March 1955, she left No 10 very suddenly to marry Gavin Welby in the United States at the beginning of April.
In a letter published in The Times on April 11, Alistair Lexden speculated that the tension in Downing Street might have been a key factor in what happened.
Sir, Justin Welby’s conception in March 1955 (News, Apr 9) occurred as Churchill struggled to reconcile himself to his forthcoming retirement as prime minister on 5 April. It was an exceptionally difficult time for his staff. “ You will find the P.M. very depressed”, Welby’s mother, who had typed up Churchill’s last major speech in the Commons, told his doctor, Lord Moran, on March 21.” He has given up reading the newspapers and sits about staring into space”.
Eight days later, reinvigorated, he told the Queen that he was thinking of putting off his resignation. As his private secretary, Anthony Montague Browne bore the brunt of Churchill’s moody irresolution. Could the drinking session during which Welby was conceived have been an escape from the stress of these circumstances?
Lord Lexden
House of Lords