The Crown: Did the Duke of Windsor really collude with Hitler?

[31RueCambon75001]

I'm on season two but it's not really a spoiler if it is history. My mind is blown. I had always thought that he was shunned and it was a bit harsh but he hid behind wanting peace but what he meant was he would bend over backwards to accommodate Hitler if Hitler could then later reinstate him as King. As per ''mauburg file'' referred to in the crown.

I am on the edge of my seat here. Holy fucking moly with uncles like that who needs frenemies.

Nah. It was a Nazi plot to take the windsors hostage and then use them as puppet rulers. I don’t think Hitler would have approved it though because he was a socialist fascist and so against monarchies on principle. Which is why he supported both Mussolini in Italy and Franco in Spain.
The Windsors had visited Hitler in 1937 but so did a lot of british aristocrats because they did not know the Holocaust was going on behind the glamour and pomp.
They did want peace, but so did a large % of british because the memory of WWI was very strong. Hitler took advantage of that sentiment by lying about his world domination plans.
The Windsors then voluntarily agreed to be sent off to the Bahamas to get them away from Paris when they learned from the British Gov of the Nazi agents and plotting going on. The Windsors had even been told by the Nazis that the British Government planned to assassinate them. So they knew they could not stay in France, so they went to the Bahamas so that they would not be a liability.

Hitler even sent Goering to the German kaiser who was in exile in the Netherlands since the end of WWI back in 1931 to tell him point blank you will never be invited back to the German throne. The kaiser then tried to ingratiate himself with Hitler...sending congratulatory wires.
So when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1941 the Kaiser ended up coincidentally dead pretty soon after the Nazis kicked out the Dutch guards at the Kaisers house.

Thanks @DoctorAllcome,so the duke of windsor didn't collude in that nazi plot?

I've just finished the last episode of season two. I keep googling things to see if they're true. Very good programme.

I really don’t think he did. There isn’t any evidence that he actively colluded. If he had, he would not have gone to the Bahamas to be British Governor there.
I doubt too that the royal family would have kept paying his allowance.

I have read a lot about Wallis Simpson and Edward and honestly, I think Edward did not want the throne anyway. He could have forced the CofE to accept a divorcee if he really wanted to. After all, Henry VIII, the founder of CofE divorced two of his wives!

I think there was some anecdotal stuff after WW2 written about Wallis Simpson in particular being a sympathiser, but public feeling in Britain about her was such that I can’t imagine the press missing a chance to fan those flames.

I hope it’s not true, but that episode was brilliant. Claire Foy played the pain and disappointment beautifully

Yes she was excellent. She portrayed strength and hurt at the same time.

Cant wait for season 3

I doubt that there was active collusion either, however he got in a lot of hot water because he was so incredibly indiscreet with his comments. He also stayed in France when the British government was telling him to evacuate. I mean, he did leave, but it was very last minute. They flat out didn't trust him to not to follow government "suggestions" and he simply couldn't keep his mouth shut.

🤔 is that incomplete?