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. The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. As on the show, the royals' hands were tied, even if they wanted to discipline Blunt; the Queen's private secretary asked what should be done, and was informed that no action should be taken, for fear of exposing Blunt as a spy. True Story of Anthony Blunt, Queen Elizabeth's Art Curator & Russian Spy Was John Blair in favor of the Bill of Rights? When the top job at the Collection was vacated, Royal Librarian Owen Morshead, who'd forged a friendship with Blunt, recommended him for the position. He was interviewed by spooks 11 times but only in 1963 did they get definitive proof, from US spy Michael Straight. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Blunt remains one of Britain's most notorious double agents. Youll recall that the palace worked tirelessly to bury those. 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. 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). All rights reserved. See full answer below. Explore the role of the British monarchy and the royals and who King Charles III is. 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. In 1951, Burgess and Maclean were exposed as double agents - but after being tipped off by Philby they were able to escape to Moscow. How Prince Philip Was Connected to the Profumo Affairand How Anthony Blunt May Have Covered For Him, How The Stars of 'The Crown' Compare to Real Life, Everything We Know About 'The Crown' Season 3, Profumo had a five-month affair with Christine Keeler, latest additions to Meghan Markles staff, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. But Blunt effectively blackmails Prince Philip using the Profumo scandal, and the drama seems to imply this might have contributed to Blunt keeping his liberty and his job. But Blunt effectively blackmails Prince Philip using the Profumo scandal, and the drama seems to imply this might have contributed to Blunt keeping his liberty and his job. If you're curious about the Profumo Affair, and how Prince Philip was connected to it, read on: It was one of the 20th century's biggest political scandals on the other side of the pond, but many Americans have never heard of the infamous Profumo Affair. It would have been brilliant. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. The show doesn't emphasize it, but Philip's mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, leading first to an asylum and later into religious life. (The whole immunity deal was, of course, arranged to keep this secret.) Anthony Blunt was interviewed 11 times by MI5 between 1951 and 1964, when the American FBI told their British colleagues they had identified him as a spy. A KGB spy worked in Buckingham Palace for decades. Did Philip and Elizabeth fight over their last name? The Crown introduces a curious new figure in season three: a buttoned-up curator, well-practiced in the art of espionage.The Crown Got It Right: Anthony BluntAnthony BluntAnthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 - 26 March 1983), styled Sir Anthony Blunt KCVO from 1956 to November 1979, was a leading British art historian who in 1964, after . Despite the scene showing Anthony Blunt suggesting he would out Philip's links to the Profumo Affair scandal that were previously dramatised in The Crown, there is no evidence that the Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures delivered such a threat to the Duke of Edinburgh in real life. 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. Especially on the heels of the Profumo Affair, which had reflected poorly on MI5 and MI6's competency in counterintelligence, higher-ups believed that keeping Blunt's crimes under wraps would be best. Blunt, also a distant cousin of the Queens, was recruited, according to Radio Times, to be a Russian spy while studying at Cambridge and passed information to Russian handlers. "I said that there had been no impropriety," Profumo wrote in his letter of resignation, per the New York Times. The KGB agent went undetected for years, and was. 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. It wasn't until 1979, when he was outed by Thatcher, that he lost both job and knighthood. Profumo had a five-month affair with Christine Keeler, a sex worker and sometimes model, in 1961. Profumo, photographed inside a car in 1962. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The Crown only tells part of the story. 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. The Queen stripped Anthony Blunt of his knighthood immediately after the news broke, and though he remained in London, Blunt lived as a recluse until he died of a heart attack in 1983 at age 75. As the war came to an end, King George VI, the Queen's father, personally asked Blunt, who spoke German, to accompany Royal librarian Owen Morshead on a secret mission. 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 worked alongside Yevgeni Mikhailovitch Ivanov, a Soviet spy working undercover at his country's embassy in London, to extract information from Profumo. Is Jahangir and Prince Salim the same person? Get access to this video and our entire Q&A library, The Royal Family: History, Roles & Powers. For the first 19 of those years, he operated undetected as a spy for the Soviet Union. At the time, it wasn't uncommon for liberal, college-educated youth to be sympathetic to the Communist party. And she did come back to live at Windsor (where she was born) after the 1967 Military junta, where she lived out the last years of her life. The Crown Season 3 starts with Queen Elizabeth IIs suspicions that Russian spies have infiltrated the highest reaches of British government (Warning: There will be spoilers for The Crown, Season 3, episode 1 in this article.). That meant access to the greatest secrets, with least suspicion. However, the publication reports that few were allowed in on the secret outside of Queen Elizabeth II. All of the significant dates and events shown in Season 3 did happen. In her biography of Blunt, Anthony Blunt: His Lives, Miranda Carter notes that in 1963, the art historian may have stepped out of his semi-retirement to help the royal family out of a bind. Sir Anthony Blunt (played by Samuel West), who held the position at the palace for 27 years. Despite the scene showing Anthony Blunt suggesting he would out Philip's links to the Profumo Affair scandal that were previously dramatised in The Crown, there is no evidence that the. Olivia Colman on how she prepared for the role of the Queen, Samuel West as Sir Anthony Blunt in The Crown, 1958: Sir Anthony Blunt (1907 - 1983) and Princess Margaret (1930 - 2002) examining a detail on an antique trunk. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (KCVO) in recognition of his services. The 'Cambridge Five' spying scandal rocked the Establishment by revealing Soviet double agents at the heart of many of Britain's most important institutions. Did Edward VIII meet King George VI after his abdication? Was Queen Victoria a descendant of King David? It remains to be seen if The Crown will continue to focus on the story in the fourth season. The Queen, with the audience, learns of Blunt's past as a Soviet spyand she, like us, is bewildered. Robert also points out that the Queen had red boxes crammed with confidential government documents delivered to her. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Blunt attended Trinity College at Cambridge, and stayed on to continue his studies after graduation. Anthony Blunt was at once a Soviet spy and, for decades, the royal family's chief art curator. Yes, Anthony Blunt blackmailed Prince Philip. Did Arthur and Catherine of Aragon consummate their marriage? Kim Philby, the third member outed, was a British intelligence officer who managed to keep his cover until 1963 despite serious suspicion. In real life, Anthony Blunt was even closer to the family than depicted, being a cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and being one of the individuals who retrieved the documents on Edward, the Duke of Windsor's links to Nazi high command, as depicted in the second season episode Vergangenheit. Then he confessed in exchange for immunity from prosecution, and remained in the palace for eight more years. Anthony Blunt, in full Anthony Frederick Blunt, also called (1956-79) Sir Anthony Blunt, (born Sept. 26, 1907, Bournemouth, Hampshire, Eng.died March 26, 1983, London), British art historian who late in his life was revealed to have been a Soviet spy. After Blunt was found out in 1963, not only did Her Majesty keep his deception quiet, she had to watch him continue in his job until his retirement nine years later, aged 64. Did any royals attend Richard III's reburial. Its a true story. 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. Let us know in the comments below. All 10 episodes of The Crown are available to watch on Netflix. Hopefully that could lead to answers as to exactly who knew what, when they knew it and why a KGB agent was allowed to operate, then remain, in Buckingham Palace., News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The long-anticipated third season of Netflixs The Crown opens on the eve of Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilsons election following 13 years of conservative rule in Britain. Robert says: All secrets pass across the Queens desk and go through her private office. Are you a fan of The Crown? Anthony Blunt appears first as a courteous and knowledgeable professional, well-liked even by Queen Elizabeth, who readily admits her limited understanding of his chosen field. He says: There are no sources where I know that happened, but I think we would have a pretty good idea as to what Philips attitude to someone like Blunt would have been. Anthony Blunt was a Soviet spy who worked for the royal family. The episode implies that this was to protect the reputation of Britains intelligence forces. One of a series of close-ups of Anthony Blunt, when he made his first public appearance since the sensational disclosure last week that he was a Russian spy. Is the Confessions of Nat Turner a reliable source? Afraid of the outcome, Prince Philip did not disclose Blunt's association with the Russians. Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux Open Up, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. How Prince Philip Was Connected to the Profumo Affairand How Anthony Ward was charged with "living off immoral earnings," but committed suicide in August 1963, before the trial had ended. Who Was Anthony Blunt? The Spy in Buckingham Palace That made his betrayal all the worse.

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