She publicly outed him in the House of Commons in November of that year and a media storm followed. Is the Confessions of Nat Turner a reliable source? Macron faces May Day protests over divisive French pensions law. As it turns out, it had already been lurking inside the palace for years. But did Anthony Blunt really threaten Philip in this way? The Queen was also informed of his confession. He began working for the Royal Collection during these years, writing a catalogue of the French old master drawings at Windsor Castle. Blunt claimed he had sketches of the duke made by Stephen Ward, the osteopath the royal had visited for a neck problem. The revelation of her sex with him helped bring down the Tory Government a year later. READ NEXT: Was Harold Wilson a Russian Spy? Did Prince Phillip defeat William of Orange? And memorably, to fund his trial expenses, Ward put some of his artwork up for sale, including his portraits of Prince Philip, Princess Margaret, and her husband Lord Snowdon, the New York Times reported in 1963; however, these portraits of royalty were a part of a series, assigned to Ward by a magazine. .css-gegin5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#9a0500;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-gegin5:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}The Crown introduces a curious new figure in season three: a buttoned-up curator, well-practiced in the art of espionage. The KGB agent went undetected for years, and was. But in Season 3, the recast of Charles Dance makes him a much more complex figure, none more so than when his sister, Philip's mother, Princess Alice, turns up after living as a nun in Greece for decades. Blunt was born in Hampshire country in the south of England and was educated at Cambridge. At the end of The Crown 's first episode of season three, Prince Philip tries to castigate Anthony Blunt for betraying his country. Ward was also the high-class pimp who, in 1963, introduced call girl Christine Keeler to War Minister John Profumo. 06:24 EDT 04 Apr 2021. Prince Philip (Tobias Menzies) tells the Queen about conspiracy theories he heard at a luncheon. ", Other historians dispute this, however. Was John Brown married to Queen Victoria? The Crown Got It Right: Anthony Blunt, Queen Elizabeth's Art Curator, Was a Soviet Spy, What the Stars of The Crown Look Like in Real Life, Everything We Know About 'The Crown' Season 3, latest additions to Meghan Markles staff, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. If youre in a pinch and lack a coffee machine and a grinder, you can try making whats called cowboy coffee. This might not be the tastiest cup of joe, but itll certainly get the job done. Later, as journalists neared the truth about Blunt, Margaret Thatcher outed him in speech to the House of Commons. For the first 19 of those years, he operated undetected as a spy for the Soviet Union. Was Queen Victoria a descendant of King David? But although Blunt is believed to have owned some of the sketches, The Crown writer Peter Morgan admits the blackmailing stand-off probably never happened. He also gets credit for bringing Blunt over to the Soviet side. Something went wrong, please try again later. Anthony Blunt was born the youngest son of a vicar, the Reverend Arthur Stanley Vaughan Blunt, in Bournemouth, Hampshire. Daily Mail reports that Blunt died four years after being exposed. - Quora Answer (1 of 16): I don't think Prince Philip would have allowed himself to be blackmailed. Was John, Duke of Burgundy, at Agincourt? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. While a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, in the 1930s Blunt became a member of a circle of disaffected young men led by Guy Burgess . Did Philip and Elizabeth fight over their last name? It also suggests that Blunt blackmailed Prince Philip with a portrait of him done by osteopath Stephen Ward, referencing the scandal that rocked the royal marriage in season two. Read news from 100s of titles, curated specifically for you. The episode implies that this was to protect the reputation of Britains intelligence forces. He was an author and intellectual, writing a book called Artistic Theory in Italy, 1450-1600, but some considered him a prig, The Guardian reported. That, combined with their concern for workers' welfare, made Marxism seem appealing. French mass in May 1 show of anger against Macron pension reform. Michael Straight, an American whom Blunt had attempted to recruit at Cambridge, informed British intelligence of Blunts espionage after years of wrestling with the knowledge. It was an undignified end for a man who had shown so much promise. Philip confronts Blunt only to be met with blackmail over the Profumo affair, the Russian spy sex scandal that had toppled a conservative prime minister. Blunt was also a third cousin of the Queen mother, and he was knighted in 1956 for his work with the royal art collection. Queen Elizabeth was informed at the timeand this big reveal is what's depicted on The Crown. This scandal and Philip's suspected links to it were dramatised in the second season of The Crown. , updated Its 1964, and the air in Buckingham Palace is rife with fear of communism as frustration with the tax-guzzling monarchy swells outside the palace gates. Philby was head of counter-intelligence for MI6, while Maclean was a Foreign Office official and Burgess worked for the BBC. Was Prince Harry related to King Henry V? Only a few months later, in June 1963, he felt he had no option but to step down from his post. Sir Anthony Blunt was one of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring that operated from the early '30s throughout WWII, up until at least the mid-'50s. Are you a fan of The Crown? Like many of The Crown's storylines, this improbable ordeal is based in fact. Did Henry VII murder the princes in the tower? In the memoir, he described how the atmosphere at Cambridge was so intense, the enthusiasm for any anti-fascist activity was so great.. Sir Anthony Blunt and Queen Elizabeth II. But is The Crown Season 3 historically accurate? After all, he did variously work at the BBC, the Foreign Office, MI5, and MI6, and provided the Soviets with 4,604 documentsmore than double Blunt's total. He says: The Crown reminds people of the important realities of our history, not just in the Palace but in the Government, and other important issues. This scandal and Philip's suspected links to it were dramatised in the second season of The Crown. On the other hand, The Crown doesn't play around with history when reenacting one of the most horrible tragedies of the 1960s in Wales, the Aberfan mining disaster. Then he confessed in exchange for immunity from prosecution, and remained in the palace for eight more years. Catching up on previous seasons of The Crown before diving into .css-gegin5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#9a0500;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-gegin5:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}season five? The answers are yes. According to archives cited by Carter, Blunt provided Soviet intelligence officers with 1,771 documents between 1941 and 1945. "I think they were clearly snapped up, but I don't think it was Blunt," Andrew Lownie, the author of Stalin's Englishmen, told Town & Country. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (KCVO) in recognition of his services. The Kremlin knew their education, and the British class system, would ensure they got jobs at the top of society. Let us know in the comments below. Blunt said in his memoirs that he was a tutor at Trinity College when he was recruited by the NKVD, which later became the KGB. Anthony Blunt gave his Russian spymasters a collection of Royal letters so compromising, it could have been used to blackmail the Windsors, according to a leading figure in the KGB. The Crown Got It Right: Anthony Blunt, Queen Elizabeth's Art Curator, Was a Soviet Spy. Did King James of Scotland snub Henry VIII? The maddening answer is well sort of. Blunt claimed he. The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Afterwards, he was faced with a wave of anger and homophobic abuse in the press. Chef baffles fans with plan to add semen-based dish to menu as some 'sickened' by it, If you're adventurous with your food, DiverXO in Madrid may be your perfect restaurant - chef David Muoz is soon to be serving a dish that contains fish semen in it, Kids cartoon characters that use AI to customize responses help children learn. The episode implies that this was to protect the reputation of Britains intelligence forces. (Blunt had been the Surveyor of the Queen's Picturesand the King's before thatfor years before stepping down. In reality, there is no evidence that Blunt blackmailed Prince Philip to stay quiet over his identity as a Russian spy because he knew about Philip's involvement in the Profumo Affair, nor is there any evidence that Russia was involved in secret-keeping around that sex scandal. Queen Elizabeth And The Spy In The Palace airs on Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday. The opening episode of the third season of Netflix royal drama The Crown sees The Queen faced with rumours of a KGB spy in the upper circles of British establishment, and even causing her to suspect new socialist Prime Minister Harold Wilson (Jason Watkins). Stephen Ward with Christine Keeler (top right). At the time, it wasn't uncommon for liberal, college-educated youth to be sympathetic to the Communist party. Did John Brown die before Queen Victoria? '. Copyright 2023 inkl. In fact, Margaret's "triumphant tour" of America is a complete fabrication. The first episode introduces us to Surveyor of the Queens Pictures, Sir Anthony Blunt (played by Samuel West), .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}who held the position for 27 years. They dont want the embarrassment or worsening relationships with the Americans, so the Queen agrees to play along. Anthony Blunt, a former MI5 agent and Russian spy. And how does his secret dossier still resonate even today? We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. As someone outside the establishment, she was furious at the apparent conspiracy to protect a traitor because he was one of them. After World War II, he wrote that his beliefs changed. In fact, the links between the Prince and the scandal are tenuous at best and has already been accused of being one of the most heavily fictionalised elements in the series by Marie Claire. In them, Blunt confesses that spying was the biggest mistake of my life. Perhaps well meet him again in season four of The Crown to watch his public fall from grace. Was John Blair in favor of the Bill of Rights? Afraid of the outcome, Prince Philip did not disclose Blunt's association with the Russians. By the end of the episode, MI5s director douses the Queens suspicions about Wilson, saying that, although there were clearly attempts by the KGB to recruit Wilson while he was on trade missions to that country, the evidence was weak that they succeeded. According to the documentary, he microfilmed the letters and sent them to Moscow in a diplomatic bag. According to the Times, a spy inside the KGB wrote at the time that "the Russians had in fact received a lot of useful information from Profumo from Christine Keeler, with whom Ivanov had established contact, and in whose apartment Ivanov had even been able to lay on eavesdropping operations at appropriate times. The show takes creative license to tell the stories of these people, what might drive them to make the choices they do, and why they are characters worth watching and sympathizing with. Anthony Blunts memoirs were only released to the public in July of 2009. MI5, it turned out, had at one point hoped to turn Ward into a double agent, hoping he would be able to use Keeler to get information on Ivanov. Anthony Blunt (1907-1983) was a highly-respected art historian and member of the Royal Household who was unmasked as a Soviet spy. MI6, too, had apparently been aware of their relationship. Did Anthony Blunt blackmail Prince Philip? Lauren Kranc is the assistant content strategy editor at Esquire, where she runs the brands social media accounts and covers pop culture and television, with entirely too narrow an expertise on true crime shows, .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux Open Up, The Spookiest Urban Legend in Every State, 'Succession' Showed It's Not Fun Ruling the World, Eight Shows to Watch After 'The Diplomat', The True Story Behind HBO's 'Love & Death', 'The Diplomat' Has Me Ready For More Keri Russell, The 'Black Mirror' Trailer Will Give You Anxiety. Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. As we know, Anthony Blunt had insider knowledge of the Duke of Windsors correspondence with the Nazis, which the Queen was determined to keep secret from the world. As a distant cousin of the Queen Mother, Blunt was a trusted member of the Household after joining the Palace in 1945. So the reconstructions of events are either conjectures based on news reports, or in tabloid rumors of the era. GettyHer Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. And then, rather quickly, we're hit with the real story. A year later, aged 57, Blunt confessed and it is believed the Queen was informed. Hes Sir Anthony Blunt, the Queens surveyor of pictures. Blunt was offered immunity in exchange for a confession and cooperation in ongoing investigations. Youll recall that the palace worked tirelessly to bury those. ), Ward was a colorful character: by trade, an osteopath, but also a socialite, artist, andmost unfortunate for Profumoa Soviet ally. 20th November 1979: Anthony Blunt at a press conference following revelations that he was the fourth man in the Burgess, Maclean, Philby spy scandal of the 1950's. Did those portraits actually exist or was Blunt bluffing? Blunt flipped the script on Philip, threatening to reveal his involvement in the Profumo Affair if he crossed him. He was also removed of his knighthood. Did Robert the Bruce kill the Prince of Wales? But it was the information that came out immediately after the war. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Some also believe that Blunt's homosexuality may have prepositioned him to rebel, as he was not accepted into the British social order of the time. April 04, 2021 - 20:24 BST Emmy Griffiths. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. They were frustrated with the U.K.'s policy of appeasement toward Hitler, and thought that the Communists might be the only ones able to defeat the fascists. The cover-up seems incredible and is still shrouded in mystery but it is believed the secret services felt it was better to keep Blunt where they could see him. (This being despite the U.S.S.R.'s own regressive ideas about sexuality.). Robert also points out that the Queen had red boxes crammed with confidential government documents delivered to her. Recalling his meetings with Modin, writer and historian Roland Perry tells the programme: 'I said to him, 'Could you have blackmailed the Royals?' The espionage story was only broken to the world in 1979, by the late Margaret Thatcher. As a boy he visited his aristocratic relatives home in Londons Mayfair, birthplace of the Queen in 1926, and they later became close friends through their love of paintings. "I said that there had been no impropriety," Profumo wrote in his letter of resignation, per the New York Times. (He most likely didn't blackmail Philip into silence over the Promo Affair though, . Blunt wrote in his memoirs that he was influenced by Burgess, according to The Independent, which quoted him as writing, I was thus faced with the most important decision of my life. What did Anthony Blunt blackmail Philip with? The ring of Cambridge-educated spies came to the publics attention when Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess, both British diplomats, suddenly fled to the Soviet Union in 1951. Margaret's upper-class party girl persona and Lyndon B. Johnson's working-class bruiser politician somehow magically found kindred spirits, causing him to sign a bailout worth millions to save the U.K. economy. According to Daily Mail, Blunts familial ties to the Royal Family came through his mother, Hilda, who was a second cousin of the Queen Mothers father, the Earl of Strathmore. Kim Philby, the third member outed, was a British intelligence officer who managed to keep his cover until 1963 despite serious suspicion. HE was art curator to the Queen and her dad before her but one of Britains most prolific spies, leaking some 2,000 secrets to Soviet intelligence at the height of the Cold War. View our. Blunt remained in his prestigious palace role until 1972. It sounds like something the show would make up, a documentary, filmed over a year of the Queen's life.