Last night, viewers of Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King questioned why the monarch wasn’t executed because they learned that he had told Nazis to bomb England throughout WWII.
The former king, who abdicated in 1936 to marry the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson, also passed information to Germany that aided the fall of France in 1940, according to the Channel 4 documentary which aired last night.
The Royal Archives holds a number of captured German documents to back up its claims.
After years of academic research on how closely the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were to Nazism, as well as the impact of his friendships upon the war, the damning accusations have been made.
Andrew Lownie explained that the documentary was based on his book: “The Duke believes that continuing severe bombing would make England more ready for peace.
It is amazing – this is the ex-king of Britain saying that if you bomb your family or country it is the best way for peace to be achieved.
“He is willing to travel to great lengths in order to accomplish these goals. It is very chilling, disturbing and quite shocking.
In the following year, Germans attacked Buckingham Palace and literally missed the King’s feet.
Edward VIII encouraged Nazis to invade Britain in World War Two, bomb it and make him King. Above: Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator in Nazi Germany, was met by Edward VIII (the former King) and Wallis Simpson (the wife of Simpson).
One viewer was stunned and said: “Mind boggling, the treachery of the man.”
Another said: “Unbelievable, I can’t believe it…shocking to see what a traitor he was.”
A.N. appeared in the documentary. Wilson spoke out about how Hitler was attracted by the Duke, who was flashy and fashionable.
Anna Pasternak stated that Wallace had not experienced the pomp and grandeur of the royal tour, which caused Wallace to be ‘blinded.
Andrew Lownie was the author of the documentary. He said that his findings were ‘chillingly sinister’.
He stated, “He was too susceptible to flattery. And he succumbed.”
Wilson added: Wilson stated that the Duke said once to a friend living in exile, “He didn’t have one drop of English blood in his.” He was pure German.
Andrew continued, explaining that “The Duke was strongly pro-Nazi” and “a strong supporter of Hitler.”
Wilson said, “He felt like an injured child. The person who entered the playground to help the child with his injuries was Adolf Hitler.”
The Duke had a Paris office and broadcast May 1939 in which it said that Britain should do everything possible to reach an agreement with Nazi Germany.
Anna said, “He did not listen to any advice that was inappropriate for him. He was a fool.”
The revelations left many viewers shocked and calling Edward a traitor.
In a May 1939 speech which was never broadcast, and accessed by the historian through the BBC Sound Archive reference card, the Duke asked the British to surrender to Hitler before the war began.
Wilson stated that the BBC was furious. They felt the BBC’s impartiality would be violated. The BBC felt like the Nazis were using their duke to propagandize themselves, which they of course were.
“No one knew exactly what would happen in May. But, it became quite obvious later.”
Anna said that the Duke was “terrifyingly open” to Germany, and offered him a lot of things.
Andrew stated in the meantime that repeated references were made to the Duke’s hope to be restored to his throne by the Germans via telegrams.
Anna explained that he was attracted to anyone who made him feel strong and important.
“His motivation was his rejection of England. I believe he didn’t really get over that.
It goes on to describe how the Duke provided information about weaknesses in French military forces to a Nazi informant.
While living in Paris, the former King had already written four reports about France’s First Army that detailed its bad leadership and poor morale.
British officials ignored the reports, but German diplomatic cables captured by German diplomats showed Edward revealing this information to Charles Bedaux, a close Nazi informant.
The Germans invaded France and aimed at the same weaknesses that Edward identified.
Edward and Mrs Simpson fled the invading Germans to Lisbon, Portugal, where they met German sympathizers and agents.
According to new documentary, the former King, who abdicated in 1936 in order to wed Wallis Simpson, a divorced American socialite, passed on information to Germany which helped to fall France in 1940.
A second captured diplomatic cable was obtained from the German Ambassador to Portugal authorities. The Duke is reported to have said that representatives of Francoist Spain had told them that “continued severe bombardment would make England ready and for peace”.
Andrew explained that Edward had hoped to be back in the role of a pro-Nazi leader. He describes himself as a strong supporter of peaceful arrangements with Germany.
‘He was so disloyal to his brother, he was calling for the bombing of Britain as a way of subjugating them.’
“The Duke encouraged Germans to bomb London. That’s exactly what they did.”
According to the historian, Edward VIII was so disloyal that he’d do anything to seize power from his brother.
They bombed Buckingham Palace on 13 September 1940.
He continued: ‘Let’s look at it in personal terms, this is a man who will stop at nothing to usurp the throne, even if it requires the death of his own brother.’
Wilson continued, however: “In my mind that was the most appalling thing that he did ….to tell the people of your country to be bombed.”
Unherd editor Freddie Sayer asked if he felt that ‘vindication would come’ if the whole house falls apart’.
Another captured diplomatic cable, which was obtained from the German ambassador in Portugal, shows that the Duke told Francoist Spain representatives that continued severe bombing would “make England ready to peace”. Above: A young boy is pulled out from the wreckage of a London building that was bombed during the Blitz by a fireman.
Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister at the time and removed the Duke of Europe. He became the Governor for the Bahamas.
Edward, while on his way to Germany, sent a coded message to an associate of the Nazis indicating that he would like to go back to Europe.
Dr Lownie says this suggests that Edward was aware Operation Willie (the German plan to return the Duke to the throne at the head of an ad hoc state)
These allegations will also be detailed in Dr Lownie’s forthcoming book Traitor Kings, due out in May.
Edward Wallis and Wallis were on a 1937 tour of Germany when they met Hitler and his officers. Edward gave the Nazi salute above while in Germany.
Although the documents Dr Lownie used as evidence were in Royal Archives for many decades, a policy change recently allowed researchers greater access to new documents and provided more information.
Edward Wallis and Wallis met Hitler in 1937 during a trip to Germany.
Edward, who was then in the area, gave a Nazi salute. Later, Edward also visited industrial facilities, including a concentration camp whose guard towers were said by Edward to be meat stores.
It was claimed that the ex-king had said, as recently as 1941, that Hitler was the right and logical leader the German people.
Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII enjoying a lavish Mediterranean cruise after the abdication crisis which saw him leave his throne in favor of George VI
Edward’s proposal to marry Wallis – whilst divorce proceedings with her second husband were still ongoing – sparked a constitutional crisis which culminated in Edward’s decision to abdicate. Pictured is the couple at their 1937 wedding