Edward VIII ‘was a traitor’ says Andrew Lownie

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in December 1936 less than a year into his reign so he could tie the knot with Wallis Simpson, the “woman he loved”. His wish to marry the twice-divorced American socialite was vehemently opposed by the British public, the Royal Family and the Church of England. Less than a year after ceding the throne to his younger brother George VI – Queen Elizabeth II’s father – Edward was caught in another major scandal.

He and Wallis went on a tour of Nazi Germany in 1937, less than two years before the start of World War Two.

While hosted by Adolf Hitler, Edward gave the Nazi Salute, according to unearthed evidence in a new documentary.

Channel 4’s ‘Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King’ looks at the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s German tour and links to the Nazis.

Royal biographer and historian Jane Ridley told the programme: “This would be all over the world.

“Photographs of Wallis and Edward with Hitler. And this would be acutely embarrassing and unacceptable.”

JUST IN: Royal Family LIVE: ‘Meghan and Harry pay OWN way!’ Sussex Squad fumes at Kate and William

The author A. N. Wilson, who also contributes to the documentary, recalled Edward’s Nazi salute.

He said: “When they went to the SS Death Head camp, it was said that the Duke of Windsor had given a Nazi salute.

“One of the Duke’s defenders at the time said, ‘Well it was simply a matter of good manners’.”

The Channel 4 documentary is based on the work of British historian and author Dr Andrew Lownie.

The expert wrote the book ‘Traitor King’ about the Edward and Wallis’ exile after his abdication.

He unearthed information from German secret service documents, which provide an almost day-by-day account of the Windsors’ ties to the Nazi regime.

Wallis and Edward embarked on their tour of Germany on October 11, 1937, not long after their honeymoon.

The couple arrived by train in Berlin at a station “festooned with alternating Union Jacks and swastikas”.

Dr Lownie recalled in his book how the couple were whisked around Germany, touring several factories.

He also noted the incident where the Duke gave the Nazi salute at one of Hitler’s training camps.

DON’T MISS: 
Princess Diana’s death: The conspiracy theories surrounding tragic royal incident [LATEST]
Prince Harry to leave out detail that would ‘burn the whole Firm down’ in new book [INSIGHT]
‘Angry’ William skipped lunch with Harry and Queen in ‘clear indicator’ of Duke’s hurt [ANALYSIS]

He wrote: “On 13 October, the Windsors visited the Pomeranian Training School of Hitler’s bodyguard, the elite SS Death’s Head or SS Totenkopf.

“Here the Duke was seen to give the Nazi salute – Dudley Forwood later described the gesture as ‘merely good manners’.

“After lunch there was an aerial inspection of a Nazi youth camp along the shores of the Baltic sea, whilst Wallis toured the former Imperial Palaces at Potsdam.”

Not only did the Windsors tour German factories, but the couple were also hosted at Hitler’s mountain retreat in the Bavarian resort of Berchtesgaden by the Führer himself.

It remains unknown what the couple spoke to Hitler about, although the Nazi leader made quite an impression on Wallis, according to Dr Lownie.

He wrote: “Wallis, always drawn to powerful men, later wrote of Hitler’s ‘pasty pallor, and under his moustache his lips were fixed in a kind of mirthless grimace… his eyes were truly extraordinary – intense, unblinking, magnetic’.”

‘Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King’ is available on All 4.

‘Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’ was written by Andrew Lownie and published by Blink Publishing in 2021. It is available here. An updated version has just been published.

Source: Read Full Article