My brother..he was a look out for a crime ...doesn't to this day understand why mother had him sent to industrial school. Later after parents passed away accused father of rapping him as a 3 yr old...really that did happen top us other boys. Unfortunately murder isn't legal
My uncle. He was one of Moseley's Blackshirts in London in the 30s. I know he disliked the police and not a pleasant character to be around, especially growing up next door to him. He used to make my mother shake and he was far too ready with his fists. Dementia got him in the end after he was put in a home. I was surprised, when the house was cleaned out, that the ceiling washed a clean white when they were an ochre yellow. He was a chain smoker. He disliked and taunted my father who was partially disabled due to contracting TB in the late 40s, who was a good, decent and kind man and a hard worker. So, yeah, my uncle, whom I remember as a grey entity in my family's life. The bane of my life is that I inherited the same skin condition that he had, so I have a constant reminder that we are related. As if I needed it.
Yep, definitely not a fan. 😊 There was a doc on YT where the funniest closing line was the speaker said given how things turned out Wallis should have a column in Trafalgar Square built for her😂
she had the best script, what were the others to work with? charles drama then diana drama. they cut out all the international politicking in favor of cheap family drama. the writing fell of a cliff once the personal took over the global.
@@davidellis8052 Each Queen actor played the passing ages of the Queen beautifully. I am a fan of all three of them. I am 75 so am intimate with the aging process.
Tommy Lascelles was the definition of old school British drip. Nerves of steel, impeccable manners, an ice cold manner of dealing with problems, and enough acid in every sharp worded comment he ever made to eat through plate steel.
Manner of speech, both with the posh and the cockneys usually communicated far more than the words themselves. They stay civil and almost soft spoken, but when that pitch of voice drops low and the cadence very deliberate, you know you got an unhappy customer.....
I agree, it's also funny how in English productions they tend to get actual German speakers who may even speak a bit too clearly (that Willkommen sounded like it was from Duolingo). In an American production they just google translate the English text into German, then have some random guy read it with a stereotypical accent as best he can.
Read Britain's Gulag by pulitzer winner Caroline Elkins for some inconvenient truths about British atrocities. The monarch has the highest security clearance in the country, which makes squeamish contrast with the Saxe Coburg/Windsor propaganda.
One of my favorite parts of the entire series. Their interaction was masterful. His use of words, voice inflection and her use of facial intonation and movement. Just a masterpiece.
It is evident that he was a traitor to his position and people. However, even worst he was a traitor to his own Kings regiment in Northern France at the German invasion of 1940. Apparently, his brother George approved of his appointment as honorary commanding officer of his own kings regiment during the phoney war period. He spent most of his time on the officers cocktail circuit. Complaining about everything. Worst rarely visited his men let alone to barely bother to familiarise himself of how the regiment functioned or what its role was . When the German invasion began he immediately fled to a comfortable mansion in Portugal. Abandoning his regiment which was involved in heavy combat and was cut to pieces. That alone would have resulted in a high level court martial. But he got away with it. What a scum bag.
As a German I can’t understand how the Germans back then could believe or trust him. Someone, who could that easily betray his own country, isn’t trustworthy. It’s even worse, because he was a member (and king) of the crown.
I had read/seen enough about him to know he was a scumbag, but being an American I had no idea of the extent of his scumbaggery. A lot of royals over time have been useless, but he was much worse than useless. I've read that his later life wasn't very happy and that he was frequently humiliated by his wife. He deserved worse.
-friends with Nazis -shared state secrets -visited Hitler -hatched a plot to regain the throne -visited SS schools and concentration camps -helped the Germans take France. AND WORST OF ALL…
Whilst Governer of the Bahamas, in the early stages of the war, he actively attempted to dissuade the US from entering the conflict on the side of the UK. If he had not been royal, he would have been tried for treason, but it was considered that this would have lowered morale. Hence it was all hushed up for years. There are many papers held under lock and key at Winsor Castle, perhaps one day they will be released for posterity.
Until they are, you’ll need to provide some other convincing source for your claim. The irrelevant elder brother of a King has no influence with any of the allies, although he was popular with the public.
@@Kate-lk6tw Indeed. What I did read, though, is that the Nazis concocted a crazy ass plan to abduct him while he was in Spain (and just before he went to take over as governor of Bahamas) and use him to influence the UK government to sue for peace and give free rein to Germany in Europe. While the Germans were setting all this mess in motion, the Spanish man who was providing a house for him to live in tried to convince him to stay, reject the governorship and talk to them. He rejected, saying that he had a duty that was set upon him by the King. This, unlike this scene in The Crown, is well documented. That is as far as I've seen where the Duke was in any way involved in WWII.
What makes Edward's betrayal so heartbreaking for Elizabeth is how she'd defended him and maintained fairly cordial relations with her uncle. Now she finds out his crimes were infinitely worse.
@CCEkeke There is no history to read. This is a drama with zero historical basis. There is absolutely no evidence of Edward betraying Britain during WWII. Any evidence is locked and hidden away in the Royal and Government archives. Edward is remembered by us Brits as a man who chose marriage over kingship and empire.
@@kincaidwolf5184 The worse details in here are still unproven, but that the Duke of Windsor was sympathetic to Hitler is beyond all doubt. It's not soemthing the man himself was ashamed of - he was quite open about his views on this. And we do know that the Nazis had plans to put him back on the throne if they got the chance.
@@CCEkeke There is no history to read lol. This is a drama without any factual basis. Anything suggested would be held at Top Secret and buried in the archives.
Wonder if the Tommy actor hires himself out for funeral eulogies. My life is pretty boring and straightforward forward, but with his voice he would make it sound sinister and fascinating.
I wonder if they kept his dialog a secret from her to help make her reaction more genuine. While some romanticized his abdication for Wallis, very few knew this was the real reason why he was forced to abdicate the throne. Less of a scandal to abdicate for love than for being a traitor to his country and people.
Edward VIII both ascended to the throne and abdicated in 1936 (January and December, respectively) ... well BEFORE WW II started on 1 Sep 1939. He couldn't be a "traitor" to his Country and former Subjects until AFTER a state of war existed (which was AFTER he abdicated). He was forced to abdicate because Wallis Simpson was a 2x divorcee, a "commoner," and a foreigner who would NEVER be accepted by the majority of the British People -- and Edward wouldn't give her up. Impasse, so Edward abdicated. His treason occurred after he was no longer King.
While everybody wants to comment on the political side ,my comment is,have you ever seen an actress that says more then a thousand words with just one look ? Claire Foy is the most expressive actress I have ever watched ,she was magnificent in The Crown ! And yes her uncle was a horrible nazi follower ,ready to betrayed his country at any time !
I was thinking exactly the same. To tell of her shock horror, just in her face, and no words, a acting masterpiece. She reminded me of Russel Crowe's acting in A Brilliant Mind.
Actually the late Queen Elizabeth had a very expressive face both Princes William and Harry have said you can tell by expression if your in trouble or not
I'm shocked. I know all about how this man abdicated from the throne to be with his beloved, didn't really think much of it. But I never imagined that he was a traitor passing on sensitive military secrets to the enemy. Anyone else would have had to answer for it, but I dare say royalty gets away with such things. A bit like Andrew... Nothing changes
@@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n Idk this "even" kinda sounds like you think of Churchill as dumb. "Even (dumb) churchill knew." What should this even mean? You can only acknowledge something after the fact, right? So kinda obvious he acknowledged that B was better than A, after B did a lot for the defense of britain, while A showed to be a n*zi. Well enough I'm not that bored...
Thank God. The fool hardy chap would have been blackmailed, at least, or worse, Hitler would have broken his agreement with him and conquered Great Britain, as well as Europe. Hitler similarly lied to Stalin after their non-agression pact.
Yes erect another statue for a Nazi sympathizer. There is a lot of evidence she was the driving factor in his relations with the Nazis. She grew up in a segregated Baltimore and often talked about how things should be segregated. The fact is they were both horrible people that we should be happy had as little effect on history as they did.
What a great actress is Ms. Foy the first time I saw her was when she was quite young and she played little Dorrit in the Charles Dickens novel set to film by the same name and she was just marvelous and anything I've seen her in since she's been very very very good
Wow! I thought I knew. a fair amount of the Windsor's history, and I'd heard about the Duke's "sympathies," but this clip gave so much detail in such a clear, concise manner. Well done!
Check out The Mark Felton channel. Great historian on WWII. He has some great videos on the Duke's secret dealings with the Nazis. He also has some other videos on the House of Windsor's acts to protect their German relatives during the war
yup. if he'd stayed in France, he was at risk to be used by the Nazis. If he'd come to Britain, he would have demoralized the nation AND been a constant risk to the reign of his younger brother, King George VI; he STILL complained all through the war about wanting more allowance-money and wanting official recognition of his wife as "Her Royal Highness", which was unilaterally refused by the Government and the Crown. Sticking him in Bahamas kept him stashed away harmlessly.
Effectively exiling him which is still perhaps more merciful than what would have happened to him if he had been a similar situation even in the previous century. That ship wouldn't have reached the Bahamas. At least not with him on it.
After that he does to her all hurt and accuses her and fer family of being cold and dismissive of their own flesh and blood. And she gives him that look that says "THE AUDICITY OF THIS MAN" and simply say "We all closed our eyes, our ears, of what was being said of you" We being the Royal 'We'. "We dismissed it, as fabrication... But when they truth came out. The Truth. It makes a mockery ofeven the central tenets of Christianity. There is no possibility of my forgiving you. The question is: how on earth can you forgive yourself?"
To think England could have been saved from the illegal African migrants instead the British gave away their whole history, heritage, culture, and heritage to woke political ideals that now leave the UK in ruins.
Imagine what it must have been like for the young Queen, someone who herself served in the armed forces during the war, who watched her own people being killed night after night, watching her father put the soul of his country before his own health and then finding out her uncle was a traitor. And she carried this knowledge for her entire life.
Which is why Churchill sent him to Barbados, furthest away for Europe, and no possible secrets were given to him from the British government. As Churchill said keep your friends close and enemies closer.
Sir Cyril Newall was appointed the Governor General of New Zealand in 1941, having lost Churchill's confidence as chief of the (UK) Air Staff. Had the timing been a little different, he might well have been sent to the Bahamas, and the Duke of Windsor sent to NZ.
the whole reason the monarchy speak "the Queens english" is because it hid their accents back in the day. They tried to hide they were german like we didnt know lol
So many people don’t realise just how close the issue was balanced if he hadn’t chosen to abdicate. The pm was told by military commanders in no uncertain terms that they could not guarantee the support of the army in the event that he forced a showdown with the king. If the king had called for support from the army history could have been very different . My father who was serving in headquarters at the time told me just how panicked the top brass were and divided the army was because all serving members of the armed forces swear an oath of allegiance to the monarch their heirs and successors. Breaking it is treason.
English history has precedents for this. After his defeat by the parliamentary army, Charles I was tried, convicted and beheaded for the treason he committed by taking up arms against Parliament. A generation later, at "the glorious revolution," parliament invited William and Mary to depose James II by force.
and yet to this day every officer in the armed forces still swears an oath to the monarch. the UK should give itself a [modern] written constitution and make it an oath to uphold the constitution.
@@embreis2257 The problem with written, rather than evolving, constitutions, is that they are difficult to modify with the passing years (2nd Amendment anyone?).
@@michaelwilkinson2928 don't take the US as an example. they are outliers. other countries change their constitution just fine but the US is dysfunctional. they need a complete overhaul. their 18th century constitution was set up to be difficult to change and Congress wasn't supposed to do much
@embreis2257 No lol, the military rightly swears to the monarchy. The US Constitution is just copied and pasted from English Common Law and political theory.
I don’t think anyone can forgive crimes perpetrated against other people. I can forgive someone for hurting me, but I can’t really forgive someone for hurting another person. Especially I cannot forgive someone who had some part in the murder of millions. Someone like that needs to work hard at gaining forgiveness on their own, and should be prepared not to ever receive it.
I agree totally!! I am crazy about CLAIRE FOY!! I have seen her in many English films and TV series!! (including on MASTERIECE on PBS on Channels WNET 13 and WLIW 21)
The story of his abdication to be with the woman he loved always rang hollow. The Royal Family has always tried to keep this information very quiet, but it was simply known to far too many people to remain secret.
Taken out of the movie and into the real life it is from. I am not surprised, but more and more horrified at how an increasing amount of people willfully reject a faithful analysis of the evil of Hitler and others in favor of double standards, expediency, and honorless weaponization of events we should learning from. That is how the same things happen again and again, with each iteration being worse than the one before: see the book of Judges for a great portrayal of this self-induced, downward spiral. That isn't learning from history to avoid it, but just to avoid making the same mistakes the villains did. A sort of putrid excellence. Tyrannical murder sprees just need hypocritical, useful idiots to flourish. May we not repeat these moral failures.
Perhaps (probably in fact) but he did not really have a choice. If he wanted to marry he had to abdicate. The British simply would not allow him to remain King once he married that woman. Times have certainly changed since then!!
It almost brings me to tears that Her Majesty had to hear this. For someone so devoted to her duty to have to face the fact that her uncle was a traitor must have been devastating.
IMHO he was not really a traitor but more of a sympathizer. He was dong only what he thought was necessary to keep German occupation from becoming too dire for the British.
@@scottrichardson8158 Are you seriously saying that encouraging the Germans to bomb Britain wasn't an act of the utmost treachery ? What planet do you live on ?
@@scottrichardson8158 Edward sent word to Nazis about discovered plans on invasion of France, encouraged Nazis to keep bombing Britain in Blitz, and made a deal w Nazis to take the throne again post invasion. It’s one of the worst cases of high treason of all time, and his above the law escape of the noose is a direct line to why Britain has an above the law out of control autocratic govt today, which you deserve.
That’s how George V sons were raised. Weak and vulnerable to exploitation. The deep thick moroncy of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon is vastly preferable to the sadistic Nazism of Wallis W.S.S. Windsor.
Never really cared for the Royal Family or any news of them...BUT WOW this show was completely binge worthy for the acting alone!!!! What an amazing production.
I knew there were people high up in England (and in the US for that matter) who were pro Nazi but didn't know the Duke of Windsor was one of them. Also if he planned to return to the throne, giving it up for love isn't so special any more is it?
Name the people "high up in the US" who were pro-Nazi. You can't. There was a significant number of Americans who didn't want to get involved in a European War. That didn't make them pro-Nazi.
I love my country, the USA, but not blind to its shortcomings. But it is my country and I would never betray it. Next to the USA, I have the deepest affection for the UK.🇬🇧
This part is one of the reasons why I would felt immediately reassured like "oh Thank God you are here" everytime after seeing Tommy appeared in season 1 for those things caused by the royal members😂
I knew something of his involvement with the Nazis but not to this extent. This episode was gripping as were the arresting archival images of the Duke of Windsor* touring an SS training camp. Thanks to here_we_go_again2571 for correcting me!
@ Aramanth *Not the "Duke of Edinburgh ---* He was an officer in the UK Navy! *You must mean the* *Duke of Windsor* (and his wife Wallis Simpson). The Duke of Windsor had been King Edward VIII (the 8th) before he abdicated "to marry the woman he loved" -- Wallis Simpson.
What archival images? This is all dramatic fiction in which the writers took a guess at who did and said what. All the images in this were shot sparing little expense on props and costumes. Any film shot back in the day would have been black and white.
Fun Fact! The Duke of Saxe-Coburg is the grandson of Queen Victoria. His sister Princess Alice is the Duke of Windsor's maternal aunt by marriage when she married Queen Mary's younger brother Lord Athlone in 1904.
When I watched this show I liked the Duke of Windsor and then I saw this scene and I was like Oh, he is a real jerk isn't he. Being friends with the same people who tried to obliterate your home country.
Love that they pulled no punches on recounting DoW's treachery. They didn't even mention his fleeing his post after the invasion of France, his money laundering in Bermuda, grubbing off of every rightwing fashy fat cat the rest of his life. The feller was a purebred weasel. I'd love to get the actual skinny on his abdication - that was nice work.
How are things going in the UK nowadays, huh? Prosperity and peace all around? No daily stabbings, children being murdered? But hey, atleast you're not speaking german, eh.
I used to watch the miniseries Edward And Mrs. Simpson - I think it was made before all this fully came out. I wonder if a remake would include it, or just beg off covering his life at all.
That reminds me of our Emperor. He was a big fan of the Nazis, saw many of their successes as his own, hoped for the restoration of the German monarchy for a long time. Disgusting. I admire the Queen's mother, who was described by Hitler as the “most dangerous woman in Europe”. She was clever and courageous.
the nazi's hated educated people which is one of the reasons why they were so against the jewish population, couldn't stand the fact that they got their wealth through knowledge rather than enforced idealism.
iirc Wilhelm wasn’t so much a fan of their ideology and the moustache man personally (some even claim he mocked men like Göring), he was more so a fan of their military successes. After all, in the end, monarchists too were put to the chopping block because even they maintained a semblance of integrity the Nazis did not have.
@@DallasBurgher spoke? Her duty as monarch was to have him tried and executed. That failure was a loud message that monarchy can be excused for whatever foul shitt it might do, and thus the autocratic UK govt today. Commit high treason? Well u might have to go write a book in the Bahamas. Can’t believe the US was stupid enough to allow traitor Brits into the Manhattan Project.
It's staggering how selfish and thoughtless that couple were. The way they merrily went along with little or no consequences for their actions. Edward was spineless and weak, but she was just evil... a dreadful combination. Can we even imagine the horrors if he had successfully regained the throne?
Claire Foy does a fantastic job of portraying one of the greatest monarchs of all time of either gender. That Lady was an immovable monument of British culture and tradition for such a long time that the British are now only second to the Jew as traditionalist in the history of humanity. Even if human civilization should last another 10,000 years, there will not be another her equal. God rest her soul and may God strengthen King Charles in his trials ahead. They may not be the magnitude that his mother faced, but they will certainly try a man of his age. May God also prepare Prince William, he will certainly face his father's trials soon enough.
There’s a really great what-if novel by Timothy Findley called Famous Last Words. About the British who were sympathetic to the Nazi cause. It was banned in the UK because some of the people mentioned in it were still living at the time of publication.
A shame decorum dictated that a traitor who allowed the sacrifice of untold numbers of his own countrymen was given the sheen of civility until the end of his life. Yes, he was tossed out of the family but in a just world he and Wallis would have been put up for trial as any traitor would have.
When WWII broke out, Edward was appointed as a general (despite having no relevant military experience) and served in the British army that had been deployed to France. That would have put him in position to hear about the crash of the German plane and the capture of the plans. Putting someone only two degrees away from von Ribbentrop (which would put you three degrees from silly mustache man himself) anywhere near the British Army was beyond stupid. He was good for nothing, and remained an enormous security risk. But rank must have its privileges. They soon after appointed him Governor of the Bahamas, which at least moved him to a less security area, but even house arrest in some cabin in the Hebrides was far more than he deserved.
I will say something that will be unpopular. In the 1930's the British Govt. and the establishment in general admired Hitler and the Nazis for standing up for their country and bringing the economy around during the great depression. This included Edward VIII and Winston Churchill. Churchill only started to become wary of Germany when she began rearmament and violating the 1919 treaty. Churchill admitted, at the time, that he was following long established British foreign policy of opposing the most powerful country by creating a coalition of smaller states to oppose it. Most of the other politicians were indifferent to what Germany did with its internal affairs. For instance when German troops entered the Rhineland they said Germany was only going into its own backyard. At the time the people of Britain were dead set against another war with Germany and King George V supposedly said if the Govt. was prepared to go to war with Germany that he would be out on the street with his people protesting against it. Further proof was the reaction of the British people to the Munich Agreement. Given that context it is possible that Edward VIII may have believed it was in the best interest of his country, now that he was no longer constrained by his position, to try to make an understanding with Hitler. I also don't consider the things said by Tommy to automatically be accurate because the Crown is not a documentary and it is known that both Tommy and the Queen Mother hated the Windsors, and it makes the show more dramatic to exaggerate some of the later foolish actions of Edward VIII. The only real things we know about his thoughts were in the letters he sent to his wife and he was clearly a snobby and unsympathetic person. Unfortunately we'll probably never know what was really going on since all the people involved are dead and the files are, and probably will remain, classified for for a long time in the future.
Whenever I hear someone defending Edward against charges that he was self-centered, selfish and immoral, I remember that he was also a traitor. The thought that Charles sympathizes with him makes me feel ill. I'm not even British.
If this storyline was true, wouldn't von Ribbentrop have been informed of Edward's plans to abdicate by Simpson; and if so, would the Germans not have moved heaven and earth to have Simpson dissuade Edward and have him stay on the throne? For the Germans it would have been better he remained rather than abdicate. Edward was known to be pu$$ywhipped by Wallis, and I'm sure Berlin could have offered her immense riches to convince Edward to stay on the throne.
not if that were to expose their correspondence and reveal Edwards betrayal to his country. Also any involvement with the Nazi's being discovered would have abolished the monarchy in England altogether and we wouldn't have had King George V or Queen Elizabeth II let alone Edward VIII there would have been a revolution of hatred for the monarchy similar to that of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI
A lot happened between 1936 and 1939. Berlin didn't even think the French and British would lift a finger to defend Poland in 1939, let alone Czechoslovakia or Austria in 1938. There was no expectation among any of the countries that war was imminent. Also, Edward was terribly arrogant and self-conceited. On a matter of his own love life, it doesn't seem likely he would have listened to anyone else. And the British establishment had long had their own issues with him prior to the Abdication Crisis. They were happy to see him step down. George VI was a much more reserved man, far, far less likely to cause trouble.
She did attempt fiercely to dissuade him. That she failed is very significant because she controlled him. My grandmother made it gospel in our house that god intervened to get rid of him!
The storyline is largely fiction. Germany was not at war with Britain in 1936 when Edward VIII abdicated and at that point nobody in Berlin or London thought war was imminent. The notion that some sort of a plot was hatched between the Duke and the Nazi government to re-install him on the British throne as Edward VIII after the German defeat of the UK during this visit is complete rubbish since the two countries were still at peace in 1937 when the visit occurred.
No wonder Hess was never allowed to leave Spandau alive, was only allowed one letter a month, one visit a month from a family member and always closely supervised. I think there were many others in the aristocracy involved...
There is a Mercedes Benz 1939 770K of the kind used by Hitler in parades on display at the Southward Car Museum at Paraparaumu in New Zealand. It is believed to have been intended as a gift for Edward VIII after the planned German invasion of Britain... so if you are traveling in NZ you can see the car to be given to a puppet king who you wanted to feel grand, at least in his own mind...... a question might be, why was it hidden away in the colonys?.... Was this to hide the degree of Nazi collusion by Edward VIII?
This is a very common misconception but Edward VIII wasn't a nazi and hitler given you a car wasn't anything special he basically gave every world leader who wanted one a car Infact hitler mocked the former king both in his face and behind his back
@Limeegg1 unfortunately it's true. Sorry that you feel let down. The tragic history of the boys themselves is a burdensome testament to the truth of their story
He was not the only member of the British high nobility to sympathize with the nazis. During his reign, Hitler was not seen as the monster, he later became.
Much as many people in the west were taken by both Mussolini's supposed (sham) fascist efficiency, and the presentation of communism as successful and actually promoting of the workers' rights. Any time there is a new political system promoting Utopia, there are credulous people who believe the lies. At least until the truth gets out, as it always does.
Yes, but this is beyond sympathy. She knew he was a sympathizer, but this revealed him to be a collaborator. Very different. It’s one thing to admire a popular foreign leader. Quite another to plot with him to overthrow your own country.
@@pjhey947 Doesn't it make it worse? And to make that absolutely clear: To identify a tyrant after he left everything around him in smoking rubble is not very difficult. To sort them out, before they start to maraud functioning democracies is the harder bit.
Of course they will scream about how inocent the rest of aristocrats were. The truth is quite different. Like in Spain, this was a class war, and the aristocrats knew who were their allies. It was about saving capitalism. Not one of them had any problems with Hitler or Mussolini. Churchill considered them natural allies against the Soviet Union
Who's the black sheep in your family?
You go first.
My brother..he was a look out for a crime ...doesn't to this day understand why mother had him sent to industrial school. Later after parents passed away accused father of rapping him as a 3 yr old...really that did happen top us other boys. Unfortunately murder isn't legal
Sorry didn't happen to us other boys
My uncle. He was one of Moseley's Blackshirts in London in the 30s. I know he disliked the police and not a pleasant character to be around, especially growing up next door to him. He used to make my mother shake and he was far too ready with his fists. Dementia got him in the end after he was put in a home. I was surprised, when the house was cleaned out, that the ceiling washed a clean white when they were an ochre yellow. He was a chain smoker. He disliked and taunted my father who was partially disabled due to contracting TB in the late 40s, who was a good, decent and kind man and a hard worker. So, yeah, my uncle, whom I remember as a grey entity in my family's life. The bane of my life is that I inherited the same skin condition that he had, so I have a constant reminder that we are related. As if I needed it.
I had an unusual brother, beloved by my mother, but he was not criminal like this supposed prince.
Tommy is so put together but you can still feel the utter contempt dripping off him.
It's really fantastic acting.
He was one of the best parts of the series!
I’d put it more as rage, barely contained, utter rage.
He is really good in the show Versailles!!
Yep, definitely not a fan. 😊
There was a doc on YT where the funniest closing line was the speaker said given how things turned out Wallis should have a column in Trafalgar Square built for her😂
Claire Foy was without question the best of the 3 Queens.
I agree.
Best looking too.
she had the best script, what were the others to work with?
charles drama then diana drama. they cut out all the international politicking in favor of cheap family drama. the writing fell of a cliff once the personal took over the global.
@@davidellis8052 Each Queen actor played the passing ages of the Queen beautifully. I am a fan of all three of them. I am 75 so am intimate with the aging process.
@@HisameArtwork it hurts me to agree with you. I absolutely loved the crown, but you're right.
Tommy Lascelles was the definition of old school British drip. Nerves of steel, impeccable manners, an ice cold manner of dealing with problems, and enough acid in every sharp worded comment he ever made to eat through plate steel.
I love this comment
Beautifully written!
Plus the jawline to back up the menace of his words.
Manner of speech, both with the posh and the cockneys usually communicated far more than the words themselves. They stay civil and almost soft spoken, but when that pitch of voice drops low and the cadence very deliberate, you know you got an unhappy customer.....
He’s so hot.
It’s amazing how much costuming, set decoration, and extras went into these cutaway shots (like his visit to Germany) that last only a few seconds.
I agree, it's also funny how in English productions they tend to get actual German speakers who may even speak a bit too clearly (that Willkommen sounded like it was from Duolingo). In an American production they just google translate the English text into German, then have some random guy read it with a stereotypical accent as best he can.
Except the yellow no parking lines, which didn’t appear until the 1960s
British productions have amazing costume collections at their disposal.
@@ffrederickskitty214 A little bit of time travelling don't hurt.
@@rm0986in fairness, England is a lot closer to Germany than the US.
Claire Foy absolutely NAILED that role !
Highly debatable
Yeah no
Read Britain's Gulag by pulitzer winner Caroline Elkins for some inconvenient truths about British atrocities. The monarch has the highest security clearance in the country, which makes squeamish contrast with the Saxe Coburg/Windsor propaganda.
I love her
And the irony of your comment is I'd absolutely nail Claire Foy. Lol!
One of my favorite parts of the entire series. Their interaction was masterful. His use of words, voice inflection and her use of facial intonation and movement. Just a masterpiece.
It is evident that he was a traitor to his position and people.
However, even worst he was a traitor to his own Kings regiment in Northern France at the German invasion of 1940.
Apparently, his brother George approved of his appointment as honorary commanding officer of his own kings regiment during the phoney war period.
He spent most of his time on the officers cocktail circuit.
Complaining about everything.
Worst rarely visited his men let alone to barely bother to familiarise himself of how the regiment functioned or what its role was .
When the German invasion began he immediately fled to a comfortable mansion in Portugal.
Abandoning his regiment which was involved in heavy combat and was cut to pieces.
That alone would have resulted in a high level court martial.
But he got away with it.
What a scum bag.
As a German I can’t understand how the Germans back then could believe or trust him.
Someone, who could that easily betray his own country, isn’t trustworthy.
It’s even worse, because he was a member (and king) of the crown.
Don't hold back. You are right of course. He had less class than a brothel toilet.
I had read/seen enough about him to know he was a scumbag, but being an American I had no idea of the extent of his scumbaggery. A lot of royals over time have been useless, but he was much worse than useless. I've read that his later life wasn't very happy and that he was frequently humiliated by his wife. He deserved worse.
Tommy does NOT fuck around.
Nope!
Bravo 👏 👏 👏
Tommy’s a boss!
@@enprise7335Just imagine what the REAL Alan Lacelles was like!
-friends with Nazis
-shared state secrets
-visited Hitler
-hatched a plot to regain the throne
-visited SS schools and concentration camps
-helped the Germans take France.
AND WORST OF ALL…
Whilst Governer of the Bahamas, in the early stages of the war, he actively attempted to dissuade the US from entering the conflict on the side of the UK. If he had not been royal, he would have been tried for treason, but it was considered that this would have lowered morale. Hence it was all hushed up for years. There are many papers held under lock and key at Winsor Castle, perhaps one day they will be released for posterity.
Until they are, you’ll need to provide some other convincing source for your claim. The irrelevant elder brother of a King has no influence with any of the allies, although he was popular with the public.
@Kate-lk6tw He was the ex Monarch. Hardly irrelevant
@@Kate-lk6tw Indeed. What I did read, though, is that the Nazis concocted a crazy ass plan to abduct him while he was in Spain (and just before he went to take over as governor of Bahamas) and use him to influence the UK government to sue for peace and give free rein to Germany in Europe. While the Germans were setting all this mess in motion, the Spanish man who was providing a house for him to live in tried to convince him to stay, reject the governorship and talk to them. He rejected, saying that he had a duty that was set upon him by the King. This, unlike this scene in The Crown, is well documented. That is as far as I've seen where the Duke was in any way involved in WWII.
Who cares. The USA did nothing till the war arrived on their doorstep at Pearl Harbour. Selfish arrogant assholes.
No it'll bring the windies into disrepute Their family have German roots
What makes Edward's betrayal so heartbreaking for Elizabeth is how she'd defended him and maintained fairly cordial relations with her uncle. Now she finds out his crimes were infinitely worse.
It's just drama lol. He wasnt supporting Hiter lol.
@@kincaidwolf5184 Might want to reread your history about Edward & Wallis then try again.
@CCEkeke There is no history to read. This is a drama with zero historical basis. There is absolutely no evidence of Edward betraying Britain during WWII. Any evidence is locked and hidden away in the Royal and Government archives. Edward is remembered by us Brits as a man who chose marriage over kingship and empire.
@@kincaidwolf5184 The worse details in here are still unproven, but that the Duke of Windsor was sympathetic to Hitler is beyond all doubt. It's not soemthing the man himself was ashamed of - he was quite open about his views on this. And we do know that the Nazis had plans to put him back on the throne if they got the chance.
@@CCEkeke There is no history to read lol. This is a drama without any factual basis. Anything suggested would be held at Top Secret and buried in the archives.
Her look of shock and horror, she knew he was a bastard but didn’t think of him as a traitor.
And has been covering it up ever since
Ummm unless there is a photo of the queen looking in horror what you are seeing is just an actress doing a dramatic scene with little truth about it.
Looks like the lineage continues in the Royal Family today ...
@@BangNguyen-ux4ie Who cares about the royal family? It is 2024.
@user-dp5nr5mk5c There are always people like you who knew everything and other people didn't. Thank God LOL
Wonder if the Tommy actor hires himself out for funeral eulogies. My life is pretty boring and straightforward forward, but with his voice he would make it sound sinister and fascinating.
That is such a good idea. Get a few men in dark suits and dark glasses to stand back from the main service to add extra spice.
I thought same 😂
@@chrisdavies9821 And of course, the mysterious veiled woman...
You cannot beat Morgan Freeman nor Samuel L. Jackson.
@@GreatWhiteShark75 Pip can. The right voice and accent.
That little finger rubbing thing he does is the closest Tommy gets to demonstrating high emotion
I wonder if they kept his dialog a secret from her to help make her reaction more genuine. While some romanticized his abdication for Wallis, very few knew this was the real reason why he was forced to abdicate the throne. Less of a scandal to abdicate for love than for being a traitor to his country and people.
Edward VIII both ascended to the throne and abdicated in 1936 (January and December, respectively) ... well BEFORE WW II started on 1 Sep 1939. He couldn't be a "traitor" to his Country and former Subjects until AFTER a state of war existed (which was AFTER he abdicated). He was forced to abdicate because Wallis Simpson was a 2x divorcee, a "commoner," and a foreigner who would NEVER be accepted by the majority of the British People -- and Edward wouldn't give her up. Impasse, so Edward abdicated. His treason occurred after he was no longer King.
Usually, I don't like Tommy, but kudos to him here!
While everybody wants to comment on the political side ,my comment is,have you ever seen an actress that says more then a thousand words with just one look ? Claire Foy is the most expressive actress I have ever watched ,she was magnificent in The Crown ! And yes her uncle was a horrible nazi follower ,ready to betrayed his country at any time !
I dont look, nor care about "acting quality" only plot
@sanhcman666 The best actors are the ones who's acting is least noticeable.
@@sanhcman666 : "acting quality" is very important, second only to the plot. The best plot in history can be ruined by bad acting.
I was thinking exactly the same. To tell of her shock horror, just in her face, and no words, a acting masterpiece. She reminded me of Russel Crowe's acting in A Brilliant Mind.
Actually the late Queen Elizabeth had a very expressive face both Princes William and Harry have said you can tell by expression if your in trouble or not
Claire Foy is an incredible actress. Her facial expressions tell a thousand words. Super underated actress. Class act.
I'm shocked. I know all about how this man abdicated from the throne to be with his beloved, didn't really think much of it. But I never imagined that he was a traitor passing on sensitive military secrets to the enemy. Anyone else would have had to answer for it, but I dare say royalty gets away with such things. A bit like Andrew... Nothing changes
Check out the Channel 4 documentary THE TRAITOR KING
yes, and certainly the fact that he encouraged the Germans to intensive their bombing campaign is very low character
History always repeats itself
Look at what Trump has got away with. Two tiered justice system everywhere.
@@pascaledowling6309 Yes absolutely right.
Like someone said, someone should build a statue to Wallis Simpson for getting him to abdicate. Imagine him on the throne during WWII….
Even Winston Churchill acknowledged that George VI was the better man for the job than his big brother!
@@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n Idk this "even" kinda sounds like you think of Churchill as dumb. "Even (dumb) churchill knew." What should this even mean?
You can only acknowledge something after the fact, right? So kinda obvious he acknowledged that B was better than A, after B did a lot for the defense of britain, while A showed to be a n*zi. Well enough I'm not that bored...
Thank God. The fool hardy chap would have been blackmailed, at least, or worse, Hitler would have broken his agreement with him and conquered Great Britain, as well as Europe. Hitler similarly lied to Stalin after their non-agression pact.
Yes erect another statue for a Nazi sympathizer. There is a lot of evidence she was the driving factor in his relations with the Nazis. She grew up in a segregated Baltimore and often talked about how things should be segregated. The fact is they were both horrible people that we should be happy had as little effect on history as they did.
Wallis "Gator" Simpson, formerly married to Homer J. SIMPSON
What a great actress is Ms. Foy the first time I saw her was when she was quite young and she played little Dorrit in the Charles Dickens novel set to film by the same name and she was just marvelous and anything I've seen her in since she's been very very very good
Tommy pulled no punches. He was the man.
❤❤❤❤❤
Wow! I thought I knew. a fair amount of the Windsor's history, and I'd heard about the Duke's "sympathies," but this clip gave so much detail in such a clear, concise manner. Well done!
Check out The Mark Felton channel. Great historian on WWII. He has some great videos on the Duke's secret dealings with the Nazis. He also has some other videos on the House of Windsor's acts to protect their German relatives during the war
It is not a documentary. It's fiction. It's entertainment.
@@jenniferpierno6108
That part isn't. Look it up.
@@jenniferpierno6108 It was true.
Unbelievable acting, script, cinematography, directing. One of the best series ever.
It is all that. But, the series also has so many fictional elements that I never watched beyond #2.
@@angelareimann6433 do continue, there's absolutely fantastic bits coming up.
This is probably why they sent the Duke of Windsor to the Bahamas for the remainder of WW2
yup. if he'd stayed in France, he was at risk to be used by the Nazis. If he'd come to Britain, he would have demoralized the nation AND been a constant risk to the reign of his younger brother, King George VI; he STILL complained all through the war about wanting more allowance-money and wanting official recognition of his wife as "Her Royal Highness", which was unilaterally refused by the Government and the Crown. Sticking him in Bahamas kept him stashed away harmlessly.
Effectively exiling him which is still perhaps more merciful than what would have happened to him if he had been a similar situation even in the previous century. That ship wouldn't have reached the Bahamas. At least not with him on it.
After that he does to her all hurt and accuses her and fer family of being cold and dismissive of their own flesh and blood. And she gives him that look that says "THE AUDICITY OF THIS MAN" and simply say "We all closed our eyes, our ears, of what was being said of you" We being the Royal 'We'. "We dismissed it, as fabrication... But when they truth came out. The Truth. It makes a mockery ofeven the central tenets of Christianity. There is no possibility of my forgiving you. The question is: how on earth can you forgive yourself?"
Oh, I'm sure David could come up with several justifications for his behavior!
To think England could have been saved from the illegal African migrants instead the British gave away their whole history, heritage, culture, and heritage to woke political ideals that now leave the UK in ruins.
Imagine what it must have been like for the young Queen, someone who herself served in the armed forces during the war, who watched her own people being killed night after night, watching her father put the soul of his country before his own health and then finding out her uncle was a traitor. And she carried this knowledge for her entire life.
@@enikata7349 why didn’t she execute him? Anyone else would have been, and many were.
Which is why Churchill sent him to Barbados, furthest away for Europe, and no possible secrets were given to him from the British government.
As Churchill said keep your friends close and enemies closer.
Sir Cyril Newall was appointed the Governor General of New Zealand in 1941, having lost Churchill's confidence as chief of the (UK) Air Staff. Had the timing been a little different, he might well have been sent to the Bahamas, and the Duke of Windsor sent to NZ.
The irony is dripping here...
"Send your enemies as far far away as possible, because you must keep your friends close and enemies closer..."
The Duke was sent to govern the Bahamas, not Barbados.
Amazing performances.Claire Foy and Pip Torrens…so amazing
Pip Torrens ... what a great actor!!!
He should read audiobooks. His voice is amazing.
Herr Starr!
@JasminMernica Pip Torrens actually does read the audio book of Tomny Lascelles' memoir. Check it out.
Thank God the government manuvered his abdictation.
Thank God for Mrs Simpson . Edward abdicated and we got a true hero , King George
They wanted him out for his nazi sympathising. Simpson was just cover @kevq761
Yawn. And the purpose of having a monarch is what? To have foreign spies in the UK government?
Yes this nation dodged a massive bullet losing that disgraceful man and his ego.
@@leightonolsson4846 And yet the UK allowed Germany to invade Frane. Go show chaps!
I love Claire's reaction in this scene
While in The Bahamas, he lived a high life while others dealt with rationing.
Smart guy 😮😂
The name Mountbatten was famously changed from Battenberg to sound less German after WW1
Similar story when you study the history of the House of Windsor.
the whole reason the monarchy speak "the Queens english" is because it hid their accents back in the day. They tried to hide they were german like we didnt know lol
@@Bananas904 And the House of Teck renamed themselves the House of Cambridge.
Sax Coburg Gotha, became House of Windsor.
The Royal Irony of England is that the bloodline of the monarchy is... French.
Sounds about right. Her uncle was a real piece of work.
So many people don’t realise just how close the issue was balanced if he hadn’t chosen to abdicate. The pm was told by military commanders in no uncertain terms that they could not guarantee the support of the army in the event that he forced a showdown with the king.
If the king had called for support from the army history could have been very different .
My father who was serving in headquarters at the time told me just how panicked the top brass were and divided the army was because all serving members of the armed forces swear an oath of allegiance to the monarch their heirs and successors. Breaking it is treason.
English history has precedents for this. After his defeat by the parliamentary army, Charles I was tried, convicted and beheaded for the treason he committed by taking up arms against Parliament. A generation later, at "the glorious revolution," parliament invited William and Mary to depose James II by force.
and yet to this day every officer in the armed forces still swears an oath to the monarch. the UK should give itself a [modern] written constitution and make it an oath to uphold the constitution.
@@embreis2257 The problem with written, rather than evolving, constitutions, is that they are difficult to modify with the passing years (2nd Amendment anyone?).
@@michaelwilkinson2928 don't take the US as an example. they are outliers. other countries change their constitution just fine but the US is dysfunctional. they need a complete overhaul. their 18th century constitution was set up to be difficult to change and Congress wasn't supposed to do much
@embreis2257 No lol, the military rightly swears to the monarchy. The US Constitution is just copied and pasted from English Common Law and political theory.
This was the episode that hooked me. After this I knew I had to watch the whole thing.
Churchill had the measure of Hitler and was offered similar terms. Never surrender, he said, whatever the cost.
and now we dither about again with pootin, we've learned nothing.
@@HisameArtwork Russia helped us destroy Hitler.
@@HisameArtwork Pretty sure Poland wasn't given billions in military equipment by a western alliance at the time, unlike Ukraine now.
I don’t think anyone can forgive crimes perpetrated against other people. I can forgive someone for hurting me, but I can’t really forgive someone for hurting another person. Especially I cannot forgive someone who had some part in the murder of millions. Someone like that needs to work hard at gaining forgiveness on their own, and should be prepared not to ever receive it.
Claire Foy is brilliant!
I agree totally!! I am crazy about CLAIRE FOY!!
I have seen her in many English films and TV series!!
(including on MASTERIECE on PBS on Channels WNET 13 and WLIW 21)
The Iphones going off at .43 is hilarious!
Tommy Lascelles actor is so good
The story of his abdication to be with the woman he loved always rang hollow.
The Royal Family has always tried to keep this information very quiet, but it was simply known to far too many people to remain secret.
Mrs Wallis was his handler, always check out the partners!
Perhaps, but his loyalty should have been to his country, his people and to freedom from those evil bastards. He was a weak, pathetic man.
Yes. The former king was a weak man, and they can be terrifically dangerous.
@@marymorris6897 yes, dictators and their sycophants often are.
@@marymorris6897 Sound familiar?
@@snoproblem Yes.
No matter what your social standing were, people always have that one crazy uncle in their family
Crazy is one thing- willing to sell you out to the enemy for power is another! I don't have any of those kind of uncles.
Taken out of the movie and into the real life it is from. I am not surprised, but more and more horrified at how an increasing amount of people willfully reject a faithful analysis of the evil of Hitler and others in favor of double standards, expediency, and honorless weaponization of events we should learning from. That is how the same things happen again and again, with each iteration being worse than the one before: see the book of Judges for a great portrayal of this self-induced, downward spiral.
That isn't learning from history to avoid it, but just to avoid making the same mistakes the villains did. A sort of putrid excellence. Tyrannical murder sprees just need hypocritical, useful idiots to flourish. May we not repeat these moral failures.
Thank you for this thoughtful reply. It's clear you understand the pattern. Oh, dear. We cannot remedy the way people think and act.
The whole world dodged a major bullet when he abdicated.
Perhaps (probably in fact) but he did not really have a choice. If he wanted to marry he had to abdicate. The British simply would not allow him to remain King once he married that woman. Times have certainly changed since then!!
It almost brings me to tears that Her Majesty had to hear this. For someone so devoted to her duty to have to face the fact that her uncle was a traitor must have been devastating.
It’s her job to know these things you nut!
IMHO he was not really a traitor but more of a sympathizer. He was dong only what he thought was necessary to keep German occupation from becoming too dire for the British.
@@scottrichardson8158 Are you seriously saying that encouraging the Germans to bomb Britain wasn't an act of the utmost treachery ? What planet do you live on ?
@@scottrichardson8158 Edward sent word to Nazis about discovered plans on invasion of France, encouraged Nazis to keep bombing Britain in Blitz, and made a deal w Nazis to take the throne again post invasion. It’s one of the worst cases of high treason of all time, and his above the law escape of the noose is a direct line to why Britain has an above the law out of control autocratic govt today, which you deserve.
Imagine abdicating for a woman sleeping with von Ribbentrop.
That’s how George V sons were raised. Weak and vulnerable to exploitation. The deep thick moroncy of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon is vastly preferable to the sadistic Nazism of Wallis W.S.S. Windsor.
The “Duke of Windsor” was just a vulgar, foul-mouthed, simp.
he was probably a nonce anyway
Maybe he fancied a ménage a trois. At least it shouldn't be ruled out.
@@donkiel9988 The Duke of Windsor always did seem a little light in the loafers.
This was such an excellent episode.
Never really cared for the Royal Family or any news of them...BUT WOW this show was completely binge worthy for the acting alone!!!! What an amazing production.
The historical footage at the end of the episode is the real gut punch. The producers showing they're not dramatizing at all.
I knew there were people high up in England (and in the US for that matter) who were pro Nazi but didn't know the Duke of Windsor was one of them. Also if he planned to return to the throne, giving it up for love isn't so special any more is it?
Name the people "high up in the US" who were pro-Nazi. You can't. There was a significant number of Americans who didn't want to get involved in a European War. That didn't make them pro-Nazi.
A line from Doctor Zhivago comes to mind: "In the future, everyone will be judged politically."
In the US, that future is here.
He was a political figure. He deserves to be judged politically. And what he did is appalling.
LOL, this was a political matter through and through. So how else should he have been judged?
Crazy to think this guy WAS the King. Imagine where things could have potentially gone if he hadn't been forced to abdicate.
This movie has sent me scurrying for more information on this period I never knew and it is fascinating
I love my country, the USA, but not blind to its shortcomings. But it is my country and I would never betray it. Next to the USA, I have the deepest affection for the UK.🇬🇧
Clair Boy is a gifted actress...think I'll watch it again.
Who is Clair Boy? Is she related to Claire Foy?
This part is one of the reasons why I would felt immediately reassured like "oh Thank God you are here" everytime after seeing Tommy appeared in season 1 for those things caused by the royal members😂
I loved how they kept calling on his expertise after he retired. They couldn't do without him!
I knew something of his involvement with the Nazis but not
to this extent. This episode was gripping as were the arresting
archival images of the Duke of Windsor* touring an SS training camp.
Thanks to here_we_go_again2571 for correcting me!
@ Aramanth
*Not the "Duke of Edinburgh ---*
He was an officer in the UK
Navy! *You must mean the*
*Duke of Windsor* (and his
wife Wallis Simpson).
The Duke of Windsor had
been King Edward VIII (the
8th) before he abdicated
"to marry the woman he
loved" -- Wallis Simpson.
@@here_we_go_again2571 Oops... There goes my Royal Knowledge credentials LOL!
I have corrected it!! Thank you!!
@@Aramanth 😁😁
What archival images? This is all dramatic fiction in which the writers took a guess at who did and said what. All the images in this were shot sparing little expense on props and costumes.
Any film shot back in the day would have been black and white.
@@keithammleter3824 At the end of the episode, they showed actual photos of him cavorting with the Nazis.
Pip killed every sceen he was in I looked forward to every time he came on.
I am crazy about CLAIRE FOY!!
I have seen her in many English films and TV series!!
(including on MASTERIECE on PBS on Channels WNET 13 and WLIW 21)
Fun Fact!
The Duke of Saxe-Coburg is the grandson of Queen Victoria. His sister Princess Alice is the Duke of Windsor's maternal aunt by marriage when she married Queen Mary's younger brother Lord Athlone in 1904.
all one big happy family,no wonder some of the english german upper oxford crusts became communists in the 30s
I wonder what Tommy had to say about Lord Mountbatten.
When I watched this show I liked the Duke of Windsor and then I saw this scene and I was like Oh, he is a real jerk isn't he. Being friends with the same people who tried to obliterate your home country.
Love that they pulled no punches on recounting DoW's treachery. They didn't even mention his fleeing his post after the invasion of France, his money laundering in Bermuda, grubbing off of every rightwing fashy fat cat the rest of his life. The feller was a purebred weasel. I'd love to get the actual skinny on his abdication - that was nice work.
Edward Windsor should have gotten death penalty.
How are things going in the UK nowadays, huh? Prosperity and peace all around? No daily stabbings, children being murdered?
But hey, atleast you're not speaking german, eh.
@@MrFichstar 'germen'
@@nonegone7170 Thank you for the correction, sir.
I used to watch the miniseries Edward And Mrs. Simpson - I think it was made before all this fully came out. I wonder if a remake would include it, or just beg off covering his life at all.
That reminds me of our Emperor. He was a big fan of the Nazis, saw many of their successes as his own, hoped for the restoration of the German monarchy for a long time. Disgusting. I admire the Queen's mother, who was described by Hitler as the “most dangerous woman in Europe”. She was clever and courageous.
the nazi's hated educated people which is one of the reasons why they were so against the jewish population, couldn't stand the fact that they got their wealth through knowledge rather than enforced idealism.
You mean the Kaiser?
@@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n: That's the German word for Emperor, yes.
Where is your emperor now? Is his descendants still alive
iirc Wilhelm wasn’t so much a fan of their ideology and the moustache man personally (some even claim he mocked men like Göring), he was more so a fan of their military successes. After all, in the end, monarchists too were put to the chopping block because even they maintained a semblance of integrity the Nazis did not have.
I am guessing that there was a line that if Ed8 had crossed it. Churchill would have ordered his threat to the kingdom be eliminated..
I am surprised that she ever spoke to that traitor again.
@@DallasBurgher spoke? Her duty as monarch was to have him tried and executed. That failure was a loud message that monarchy can be excused for whatever foul shitt it might do, and thus the autocratic UK govt today. Commit high treason? Well u might have to go write a book in the Bahamas. Can’t believe the US was stupid enough to allow traitor Brits into the Manhattan Project.
How incredible to learn all this history, especially as it affected my late mother.
The Marburg files.
It's staggering how selfish and thoughtless that couple were. The way they merrily went along with little or no consequences for their actions. Edward was spineless and weak, but she was just evil... a dreadful combination. Can we even imagine the horrors if he had successfully regained the throne?
If this is not a fictional dramatization, this is absolutely shocking.
You might want to read about the Marburg Files.
It's probably worse than this
Claire Foy does a fantastic job of portraying one of the greatest monarchs of all time of either gender. That Lady was an immovable monument of British culture and tradition for such a long time that the British are now only second to the Jew as traditionalist in the history of humanity. Even if human civilization should last another 10,000 years, there will not be another her equal. God rest her soul and may God strengthen King Charles in his trials ahead. They may not be the magnitude that his mother faced, but they will certainly try a man of his age. May God also prepare Prince William, he will certainly face his father's trials soon enough.
The problem with Britain today is the lack of men, and women, with the resolve of Tommy Lascelles.
There’s a really great what-if novel by Timothy Findley called Famous Last Words. About the British who were sympathetic to the Nazi cause. It was banned in the UK because some of the people mentioned in it were still living at the time of publication.
It's actually season 2 episode 6.
A shame decorum dictated that a traitor who allowed the sacrifice of untold numbers of his own countrymen was given the sheen of civility until the end of his life.
Yes, he was tossed out of the family but in a just world he and Wallis would have been put up for trial as any traitor would have.
I knew the Duke was a Nazi sympathizer but was he really involved to that extent in real life?
yes
Yes he was
Yes, there’s no doubt if he’d been anyone else he’d have been shot for treason.
Dont be SO NIAVE !! Both he and that horrible wife of his were TRAITORS !! ...( just look up Jimmy Donohue and Wallis ...)
When WWII broke out, Edward was appointed as a general (despite having no relevant military experience) and served in the British army that had been deployed to France. That would have put him in position to hear about the crash of the German plane and the capture of the plans. Putting someone only two degrees away from von Ribbentrop (which would put you three degrees from silly mustache man himself) anywhere near the British Army was beyond stupid. He was good for nothing, and remained an enormous security risk. But rank must have its privileges. They soon after appointed him Governor of the Bahamas, which at least moved him to a less security area, but even house arrest in some cabin in the Hebrides was far more than he deserved.
Of all the royal scandals, past and present, this one will live forever in the history of this country!
I will say something that will be unpopular. In the 1930's the British Govt. and the establishment in general admired Hitler and the Nazis for standing up for their country and bringing the economy around during the great depression. This included Edward VIII and Winston Churchill. Churchill only started to become wary of Germany when she began rearmament and violating the 1919 treaty. Churchill admitted, at the time, that he was following long established British foreign policy of opposing the most powerful country by creating a coalition of smaller states to oppose it. Most of the other politicians were indifferent to what Germany did with its internal affairs. For instance when German troops entered the Rhineland they said Germany was only going into its own backyard. At the time the people of Britain were dead set against another war with Germany and King George V supposedly said if the Govt. was prepared to go to war with Germany that he would be out on the street with his people protesting against it. Further proof was the reaction of the British people to the Munich Agreement. Given that context it is possible that Edward VIII may have believed it was in the best interest of his country, now that he was no longer constrained by his position, to try to make an understanding with Hitler. I also don't consider the things said by Tommy to automatically be accurate because the Crown is not a documentary and it is known that both Tommy and the Queen Mother hated the Windsors, and it makes the show more dramatic to exaggerate some of the later foolish actions of Edward VIII. The only real things we know about his thoughts were in the letters he sent to his wife and he was clearly a snobby and unsympathetic person. Unfortunately we'll probably never know what was really going on since all the people involved are dead and the files are, and probably will remain, classified for for a long time in the future.
Whenever I hear someone defending Edward against charges that he was self-centered, selfish and immoral, I remember that he was also a traitor. The thought that Charles sympathizes with him makes me feel ill. I'm not even British.
After the war he should have been treated as a traitor.
No black sheep in my extended family, but talk about 40 shades of gray!
Whenever this guy briefs the Queen it’s never good news and generally gets much worse the more he talks.
If that is true I can't think of anything worse that could have made things fatal for Britain.
If this storyline was true, wouldn't von Ribbentrop have been informed of Edward's plans to abdicate by Simpson; and if so, would the Germans not have moved heaven and earth to have Simpson dissuade Edward and have him stay on the throne? For the Germans it would have been better he remained rather than abdicate. Edward was known to be pu$$ywhipped by Wallis, and I'm sure Berlin could have offered her immense riches to convince Edward to stay on the throne.
not if that were to expose their correspondence and reveal Edwards betrayal to his country. Also any involvement with the Nazi's being discovered would have abolished the monarchy in England altogether and we wouldn't have had King George V or Queen Elizabeth II let alone Edward VIII there would have been a revolution of hatred for the monarchy similar to that of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI
Did you you not understand, if UK would've defeated in the war then hilter would've made Edward the king like his puppet, to control UK ....
A lot happened between 1936 and 1939. Berlin didn't even think the French and British would lift a finger to defend Poland in 1939, let alone Czechoslovakia or Austria in 1938. There was no expectation among any of the countries that war was imminent.
Also, Edward was terribly arrogant and self-conceited. On a matter of his own love life, it doesn't seem likely he would have listened to anyone else. And the British establishment had long had their own issues with him prior to the Abdication Crisis. They were happy to see him step down. George VI was a much more reserved man, far, far less likely to cause trouble.
She did attempt fiercely to dissuade him. That she failed is very significant because she controlled him. My grandmother made it gospel in our house that god intervened to get rid of him!
The storyline is largely fiction. Germany was not at war with Britain in 1936 when Edward VIII abdicated and at that point nobody in Berlin or London thought war was imminent. The notion that some sort of a plot was hatched between the Duke and the Nazi government to re-install him on the British throne as Edward VIII after the German defeat of the UK during this visit is complete rubbish since the two countries were still at peace in 1937 when the visit occurred.
No wonder Hess was never allowed to leave Spandau alive, was only allowed one letter a month, one visit a month from a family member and always closely supervised. I think there were many others in the aristocracy involved...
Love how brutally honest this Tommy Lassles is ! Savagely ripping people a new one if needed.
There is a Mercedes Benz 1939 770K of the kind used by Hitler in parades on display at the Southward Car Museum at Paraparaumu in New Zealand. It is believed to have been intended as a gift for Edward VIII after the planned German invasion of Britain... so if you are traveling in NZ you can see the car to be given to a puppet king who you wanted to feel grand, at least in his own mind...... a question might be, why was it hidden away in the colonys?.... Was this to hide the degree of Nazi collusion by Edward VIII?
Nah the museum probably bought it. I live down the road from it and it's a fascinating place.
This is a very common misconception but
Edward VIII wasn't a nazi and hitler given you a car wasn't anything special he basically gave every world leader who wanted one a car
Infact hitler mocked the former king both in his face and behind his back
@@palastofhistory4026 +
"Not a nazi". That's your assumption. A dangerous traitor definitely.
He was never fit for a King. The throne for Queen Elizabeth was destiny.
What a scene
"But the thing betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies"-Lawkeeper Equity Mlp Ace Attorney EOJ
Imagine how she felt when she found out that Mountbatten was shipping little boys to his Castle in Sligo from Kincora Boys home for his delectation
@Limeegg1 unfortunately it's true. Sorry that you feel let down. The tragic history of the boys themselves is a burdensome testament to the truth of their story
@Limeegg1 There is no need to apologise. You should look it up and make up your own mind about whether it is true or not.
Seems as if at present these are unproven allegations, not investigated in court.
The King's abdication was a blessing.
He was not the only member of the British high nobility to sympathize with the nazis. During his reign, Hitler was not seen as the monster, he later became.
True. Even people here like JFK’s father was a Hitler fan.
Much as many people in the west were taken by both Mussolini's supposed (sham) fascist efficiency, and the presentation of communism as successful and actually promoting of the workers' rights. Any time there is a new political system promoting Utopia, there are credulous people who believe the lies. At least until the truth gets out, as it always does.
Yes, but this is beyond sympathy. She knew he was a sympathizer, but this revealed him to be a collaborator. Very different. It’s one thing to admire a popular foreign leader. Quite another to plot with him to overthrow your own country.
@@pjhey947 Doesn't it make it worse? And to make that absolutely clear: To identify a tyrant after he left everything around him in smoking rubble is not very difficult. To sort them out, before they start to maraud functioning democracies is the harder bit.
You can hear the sheer disgust in his voice...
Of course they will scream about how inocent the rest of aristocrats were. The truth is quite different. Like in Spain, this was a class war, and the aristocrats knew who were their allies. It was about saving capitalism. Not one of them had any problems with Hitler or Mussolini. Churchill considered them natural allies against the Soviet Union
Not much has changed in those circles, same loyalties same agenda only broader now.