A British historian estimates that the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, is the one who provided Nazi Germany with the plans for Buckingham Palace, which allowed the German Air Force to attack the building in World War II.
On September 13, 1940, during the German Blitz attacks on Britain, the Royal Palace in London was attacked with six bombs that caused extensive damage, including in the family’s living area. King George VI and his family members were not harmed, and remained determined to remain in their country despite the real risk.
Historian Alexander Lerman wrote in his new book, “The Windsors at War: The King, His Brothers and a Divided Family,” that the king, who was a pilot himself, realized that the Germans needed inside information to launch a targeted attack on the palace. According to Lerman, the king suspected that the person responsible for this was none other than his elder brother and predecessor on the throne – the Duke of Windsor.
The Duke, formerly King Edward VIII, abdicated in December 1936, after only 11 months, due to his desire to marry his lover – the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. The two did not hide their admiration for Nazi Germany, and even hosted Adolf Hitler in 1937. According to Lerman, who gained access to the royal archive documents at Windsor Castle, there is a high probability that the previous king, who made no secret of his ambition to return to his throne if the Nazis occupied Britain, was the one who provided the palace plans to the Germans.
“The Nazis knew what they were doing, and it was because they had inside information from the Duke,” Lerman said during his appearance at the Oxford Literature Festival this week. “I don’t think he wanted to see his brother die, but he was in a position where he knew exactly where everyone was at Buckingham Palace.”