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There was a Soviet spy in Buckingham Palace and the truth was hidden from Queen Elizabeth for 10 years

2025-01-14 19:27:56Histori SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
There was a Soviet spy in Buckingham Palace and the truth was hidden from Queen
Professor Anthony Blunt and Queen Elizabeth in 1970

The veil is lifted on the mysteries of the famous "Cambridge Five", the network of Soviet spies who infiltrated the top of the British elite.

Newly released documents from London's secret services reveal that Queen Elizabeth was kept a secret from her for nearly ten years: She did not know that Buckingham Palace's curator of paintings, art historian Anthony Blunt, was actually a Kremlin agent.

Blunt was the so-called “fourth man” of the “Cambridge Five” (along with Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess and John Cairncross), all recruited in the 1930s at the famous English university: young idealists, in some cases, who saw the Soviet Union as the only bulwark against fascism, and outright mercenaries in others. It was the largest Soviet infiltration in the West, a source of extreme embarrassment for London when it all came to light.

Covering the “Blunt” case

But in the “Blunt” case, the British ruling elite chose a cover-up, rather than admitting that Kremlin tentacles had entered the royal household.

He had been appointed curator of the Buckingham Palace painting collection by King George VI, Elizabeth's father, in 1945: but already in the 1950s, after the unmasking of other members of the espionage network, suspicions had begun to circulate about him as well.

However, it was only in 1964, after rigorous interrogation, that Blunt admitted to being a Moscow agent.

But at that moment the incredible happened: to avoid a scandal involving the monarchy, the art historian was kept in his place and everything was covered up in silence.

And above all, it was decided not to inform Elizabeth: only her very powerful private secretary, Martin Charteris, and her deputy knew the truth.

The secretary explained that telling the queen everything would bring no advantage and would only add to her worries.

And so Elizabeth, unaware of everything, continued to meet Blunt, although according to Charteris this happened rarely.

Episode of “The Crown”

It was not until 1973 that the Queen was made aware of the unspeakable secret. Elizabeth apparently reacted very calmly and without much surprise, although she said she had been informed "in general terms" beforehand.

But a full briefing was only made then, a full year after Blunt had quietly retired, at the age of 65 when he had reached the age limit.

Even the prime minister of the time, Alec Douglas-Home, was not informed of Blunt's confession in 1964: it was only in 1979 that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher revealed the whole story in Parliament and denounced the collaboration of the old elite she hated.

Blunt died in London in 1983, at the age of 75, after being stripped of his title of Sir: his story is also at the center of one of the episodes of "The Crown", but only now it is revealed that in order to protect the Kingdom he had chosen to keep it hidden even from the Queen. / Corriere della Sera


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