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. Except it has the benefit of being real. Anthony Blunt was born the youngest son of a vicar, the Reverend Arthur Stanley Vaughan Blunt, in Bournemouth, Hampshire. He passed away on Friday morning (local time) at Windsor Castle. Prince Philip has died aged 99, the royal family confirmed. and he said, 'Yes. But heads of state and top politicians including prime ministers visited or telephoned the palace daily to discuss confidential matters much of it overheard by staff. Did King Richard III kill the princes in the tower? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Was Queen Victoria a descendant of King David? The answers are yes. Despite the suspicion surrounding Philby, he avoided detection until 1963, when he too defected to the USSR. Anthony Blunt (left), photographed in 1929 with his friends from Cambridge. Anthony Blunt: The Russian Spy Who Collected Royal Secrets Queen Elizabeth: Love, Honour and Crown: the true story behind Anthony Blunt flipped the script on. The photograph that won an international photography competition that same month wasnt a real photograph. He wasnt publicly revealed as a spy until 1979 when Margaret Thatcher revealed he had been such. And how does his secret dossier still resonate even today? Writer Peter Morgan is known for taking royal history and dramatizing it, from 1997's The Queen to 2013's The Audience. During his time there, he encouraged the royal family to open up somewhat, and at times exhibit their private treasures publicly, among other projects. Blunt claimed he had sketches of the duke made by Stephen Ward, the osteopath the royal had visited for a neck problem. In fact, the links between the Prince and the scandal are tenuous at best and has already been accused of being one of the most heavily fictionalised elements in the series by Marie Claire. He had always insisted the information he passed to the Russians was 'almost exclusively about German intelligence services'. Educated at Marlborough College, Blunt was a contemporary of John Betjeman and British historian John Edward Bowle. "To my very deep regret I have to admit that this was not true.". 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. (The whole immunity deal was, of course, arranged to keep this secret.) But Robert says: The Queen has a strong sense of patriotism and would have felt deeply betrayed and terribly hurt by Blunt. 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. Are you a fan of The Crown? Lauren Kranc is an editorial assistant at Esquire and Masters student at New York University. Was Nat Turner arested for the rebellion? Did Prince Charles fight in the Falkland Islands War? Clive Irving, author of The Last Queen, told the programme: 'Churchill sanctioned this mission, as well as George VI, because they both understood the threat potentially caused by knowledge of how far back this sympathy with the Nazis ran through the Royal Family. Was John, Duke of Burgundy, at Agincourt? 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. Did Henry VIII marry Catherine of Aragon? Eugene Ivanov, the Russian spy who worked with Ward. Does The Queen Have A Art Historian At The Palace - WHYIENJOY Soviet spy Anthony Blunt gave the KGB 'blackmail' letters from Queen's Only a few months later, in June 1963, he felt he had no option but to step down from his post. 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. Donald Maclean was under suspicion in 1951, and as they narrowed in on him, it became clear that he needed to escape. Was Prime Minister Anthony Eden addicted to drugs? Afterwards, he was faced with a wave of anger and homophobic abuse in the press. He did continue to spend time occasionally with the Queen Mother, who presumably didn't know about his double life. In them, Blunt confesses that spying was the biggest mistake of my life. Perhaps well meet him again in season four of The Crown to watch his public fall from grace. The Crown season 3 is out now on Netflix. Other correspondence kept at the property included letters between the Dukes of Windsor and Kent and Prince Philipp of Hesse, the grandson of Empress Victoria and one of Hitler's most powerful aristocratic henchmen. Did Arthur and Catherine of Aragon consummate their marriage? Given its nature, there is lingering secrecy around the Blunt affair, but Robert hopes retelling the story in The Crown might reignite interest and finally reveal the truth. 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. Elizabeth did agree to let filmmakers follow the family for an entire year, and the resulting two-part series aired on the BBC and ITV in 1969, with subsequent airings in the U.S. and Australia. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (KCVO) in recognition of his services. But it was the information that came out immediately after the war. Did Elizabeth's brother Richard challenge Henry VII? Did Philip and Elizabeth fight over their last name? GettyThe Queen Elizabeth II poses with Prince Edward, 13 June 1964 in London. Queen Elizabeth with Anthony Blunt in 1959. Was Prince Harry related to King Henry V? Did Peter abdicate the throne to Catherine the Great? Its the 1960s now, and Communist paranoia was at its height. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. He threatened the Prince Philip for accusing him of betraying his nation. After a year away from Netflix, The Crown finally returned with Season 3. The Crown accurately portrays how the royal family swallowed the secret and kept Blunt in his role for nearly a decade following his confession. 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. But sadly, none of that happened. He eventually confessed, but was granted immunity from prosecution - and actually worked in the palace for a further eight years. His real passion, however, lay with the Courtauld Institute, a center for art historical studies. Queen Elizabeth was informed at the timeand this big reveal is what's depicted on The Crown. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Wikimedia Commons/Getty He was addressing a press conference at the Times newspaper offices, outlining his role in the spy scandal. Did Anthony Blunt blackmail Prince Philip? However, was the Blunt story true? Afraid of the outcome, Prince Philip did not disclose Blunt's association with the Russians. Coffee machine broken? Did the British government kill Alan Turing? The comments below have not been moderated, By The show doesn't emphasize it, but Philip's mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, leading first to an asylum and later into religious life. But when Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, she was furious at the leniency which with the country treated Blunts treason. Did Henry VIII divorce Catherine of Aragon? Was Lord Louis Mountbatten the last viceroy of India? Did Philip II live in England with Mary I? Blunt escaped exposure for even longer - it was not until 1979, when Margaret Thatcher named him as a suspect in the House of Commons, that he confessed to his treachery and was stripped of his titles. In addition to the "deciphered diplomatic telegrams, the diplomatic telephone conversations, and the product of various agents in the embassies" that he got in "the ordinary course" of his job, Blunt managed to put himself in a position to do "a good deal of liaison with other departments," Blunt wrote, per Carter. The Crown turns its attention to the Cold War this season when rumors of a Russian mole in the very high reaches of the British government start flying. Tomorrows opening episode of the third series of Netflix royal drama The Crown revisits the scandal and features a stunned Monarch, played by Olivia Colman, 45, complicit in covering it up. The fact he had spared the Windsors humiliation endeared him to the royal household and in 1945 he was given the respected title of Surveyor of the Kings Pictures.