ABSTRACT
IF there is a constant factor in Egyptian politics, it is provided by the Palace, 1 for the King of Egypt, although his powers are limited by the constitution, is in practice the unquestioned ruler of the country. In the days between World War I and Egypt's full independence, King Fuad played off the other powers, the Wafd and the British, with consummate skill, and managed always to swing the balance of power back to the Palace. When Farouk came to the throne, an inexperienced youth, just as the 1936 Treaty gave Egypt unfettered independence, the politicians—and indeed the British too—imagined that the influence of the Palace would never again become predominant. But gradually the King reasserted his authority and it was not long before Farouk was an even more dominating factor in the country's political life than his father had been; his interference in everyday affairs became more open, if somewhat less intelligent, than King Fuad's had ever been.
