Tessa Dunlop

What possessed the Duke of Windsor to visit Nazi Germany in 1937?

Whether it was from hurt, spite or genuine fascist sympathies, his surprise at his family’s response simply confirms his stupidity

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, photographed with Hitler in 1937. [Alamy] 
issue 11 March 2023

Bombs start exploding at the beginning of this book. Buckingham Palace was targeted by the Nazis early on in the war in an act of extraordinary audacity – and one that backfired. George VI noted in his diary: ‘We all wondered why we weren’t dead.’ Little did he realise that Hitler had gifted him his first wartime ace.

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