Original subtitles

you are

In the closing days, the second world war a shocking

find was made by the allies.

German files were found buried in the forests of Germany and

recovered these documents

are very important because the Germans never expected the

Allies to have them.

They were supposed to be destroyed at

the end of the war. They were Communications between

the foreign Ministry in Berlin and German Secret

Service agents.

And it gives us literally a day by day account of

the Dukes involvement with the Nazi regime.

The Duke that they're referring to is the former King Edward

the 8th the Duke of Windsor who been forced to

abdicate in December 1936.

The heavy burden of responsibility without the

help and support of the woman. I love

It's a choice between remaining king or

marrying, Mississippi. He can't have both he

can't have his cake and eat it.

Wallis Simpson has been presented as the villain of

the peace what that did was it stopped everyone

from really examining Edward and looking

at the man he was and his motives.

This is not about abdicating the throne.

This is a man who will stop at nothing to usurp the

throne Edward. Wanted to come back as a Nazi installed

leader.

Here we

have the cabinet minutes. The

whole thing was completely downplayed in a classic

Whitehall cover-up.

That Twisted ideology of Nazism that appeal

to it this arm went up like

that vague sort of salute.

It wasn't talked about I but

they're fascinated by what's coming

to life now.

This is a rather exciting find from the archives

the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's life

after the war signing themselves and Palm Beach

private and personal film even his

weaknesses and his character didn't really

prepare me for the sheer audacity of the

way he behaved.

It got to

imagine this scene October 1937 the

deuterium Duchess of winds arrive.

As a station in Berlin, they get off the

train and the whole station is festooned with Union Jacks.

And in a way, that's the due to wins this idea of

Heaven.

Berlin

hailed the arrival

of the warmly

two hours after arriving the Duke set forth on a

tour of German Factory.

dictatorship

Mussolini Hitler

They were the flashy ones. They were the interesting ones and they

were also the ones that trendy people supported.

boring old monarchs were not

this would be all over the world photographs of Wallace

and Edward with Hitler.

And this would be acutely embarrassing and unacceptable

when they

went to the SS death head Camp. It

was said that the dude Windsor had

driven a Nazi salute.

One of the Dukes Defenders said at the time

it was simply a matter of good manners.

Parents the Pomp and ceremony of a royal tour and he could

give that to her.

The Duke was so susceptible to that

kind of flattery that he succumbed.

Germany with parades organized Sports

modern music blaring out

of loudspeakers film shows Lenny riefenstall's

creation of Hitler as a kind of

film star wowing the masses.

It's that emphasis on a place which is unsullied by

troublemakers Jewish people

Communists, and it was vision would have

been appealing to him.

The due to Windsor once said to one of his friends

in Exile that he didn't have a single drop of English

blood in him. He was pure German and in the

thirties people felt

They had to take sides.

I'm historian, and I really rely on extensive primary

research in archives around the world.

The Duke of Windsor was very strongly pronazi. He

was a firm supporter of Hitler.

There's a wealth of material quite apart from the

captured German documents, which has been sitting there unlocked at

for the last 50 or 60 years.

Having the seen so much evidence for his treachery. This was

a probably one of the most sensitive documents that I

found in my research and it's an indication of

just how close the Duke was to Hitler.

It's written in German. But the translation reads to

the fuhrer and Heights Chancellor The Duchess

of Windsor and I would like to thank you sincerely. Our

trip through Germany has made a great impression on

us many thanks to you for the wonderful time that

we had with you at the Uber Salzburg. This

was my Hitler's Mountain retreat.

This is just an indication that he was very happy

to be used by the Germans.

Edward was the favorite uncle of the present Queen and someone

that she had been close to before the abdication.

So these events go right to the heart of the

Royal Family.

On June

3rd the world waited at the gates of

the heavily guarded Chateau de can for the news at the greatest

Royal courtship of all time had reached its climax the

wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Do you think of all of the modern fairy tales? It's always

marrying someone out of the family. Someone throwing off

the shackles of the oppressive institution and becoming their

true self.

The Dukes wedding to Wallace was hosted by

a wealthy American industrialist called

Charles beddo in his fairytale Chateau

shattered corn in the Loire Valley.

They didn't look into him. They just thought oh here. We are

a lovely shadow. That will be perfect for wedding. And of course that later

came to haunt them.

Trolls better. He was a very dodgy character indeed.

He was personally Pro Hitler Pro

German better supplied them as their servants. Well, of

course the servants were all spies for

him. They knew everything that was happening at her house.

He'd expected at his wedding, you know, his brothers and

various other relations to turn up and none of them did.

It was agonizing to him that no member of

his family would be present.

Wallace had been vilified by the royal family.

She's American. She divorced Ernest

Simpson. She stolen a beloved King.

She had become the most hated woman in the world.

The day before the wedding the news was broken that

Wallace wasn't going to be called her Royal

Highness The Duchess of Windsor.

And they went on being obsessed by this to his dying

day.

The way

that Duke responds to this shows him up

to be the self-centered and petulant figure that

he is.

I strongly resent and take great exception to

the article in the magazine life of the 17th of March entitled

The Queen in which the latter is quoted as referring

to the duchess as that woman. This remark is

a direct insult to my wife added to this is The Chronic

anomaly of my wife not having the same official status

as myself which is of course a constant gripe of

the Duke.

It was a sort of unity of misery.

And disappointment that was

the super glue for them as a couple.

He was needy he was narcissistic. He

was always attracted to more dominant women.

I do remember being

rather intrigued that the reason he'd given

up the throne for this woman because it

had to do with sex.

She was the only person that he knew

how to get to bed with as it were.

I think

he was what we would call bisexual. Somebody wants

to help me what you don't understand about royal

family is that they think if they do it with a footman, it doesn't count. The

Duke's sexuality is very

hard to pin down.

You like being sort of humiliated but a lot of men did

that time as a very English thing.

It had so much become the two of

them against the world that they saw everything through

the lens of how it was affecting both of them

as a sort of survival.

He felt like a wounded child. And of course

the Sinister person who came into

the playground to pick up the wounded child's. It was

the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler.

My stepfather

was an old friend of the

Duke of Windsor.

I never thought that I'd ever be really living

these days again.

After the war when I went to Paris, I remember

the Duke every sentence always started with

when I was King and I said you crammed an awful lot

in considering you're any King for about 10 minutes and he

solves the rest of that morning.

He wasn't straight. There was something that you couldn't quite trust about

him.

See that determination and that tenacity to

get what he wanted.

Here in May 19139

the Duke who had an office in

Paris made a broadcast.

In which he said Britain should be

doing all in its power to come to terms with Nazi Germany

and not have a war.

He didn't listen to advice that didn't suit him.

He was a naive fool. The context

is so damaging because by me Nike

39 we were determined to fight Hitler we couldn't appease him.

Finds proving tonight from Paradise.

And as I said to you from this historic place.

I am deeply conscious.

Of the presence of the great company of the day.

I speak simply as a soldier of the last war.

the Supreme Court

will I feel confident in tell all

those in power to renew their Endeavors to

bring about a peaceful self?

This is extraordinary new

evidence.

It was found in the BBC archives laying there

undiscovered since 1939. It was

never broadcast. It shouldn't be heard in

Britain.

The horrors of the Nazi regime were coming through so word was

coming back. This was a very vicious and totalitarian

regime and not someone that we could make peace with

The title is Edward his Royal Highness Duke

of Windsor sound archive.

And then at the bottom it says important not

to be broadcast.

The Duke is asking the British to surrender to

Hitler before the war is even started.

The BBC were Furious because they

felt that the impartiality of

the BBC would be infringed and they felt that the

Nazis were using due to Windsor for their

own propaganda.

Which they were of course.

Liberty quite new what was going to happen in May but certainly

by later in 1939. It was fairly obvious what was

going to happen?

This country

is at war with Germany

the first

Christmas broadcast the Jordan six seven

made an enormous impression not only

in Britain, but throughout the world.

I said to the man.

Who stood at the gate?

of the year

Forgive me a light.

That I may tread safely.

into the unknown

after Edward had abdicated his brother.

George didn't really want to become king.

The second world war came and the true qualities

of Georgia 6th and Queen Elizabeth's to be

shown that they had courage they were prepared to live or Steely

they lived on ordinary rations

like everybody else.

And the little princesses Margaret Rose

and Princess Elizabeth. We're all doing their bit.

Very very different from the way that the Newton Duchess of Windsor have

been living.

His Affinity

was with Germany, but I think it was a compromise

there. They were exiled unfulfilled

for his popularity for his

sense of self. He definitely wanted a position.

He wanted a sense of purpose. He wanted a

role within his family.

After war was declared in an apparent change

of heart the Duke of Windsor wrote to his brother from Paris

insisting that he too should

be seen to be playing his part in the British war effort.

He's given a job as laser officer to the French first

Army which requires him to go and inspect the

French defenses.

He's actually got an intelligence officer with him to keep an eye

on him.

And the living symbol of Franco British Corporation is Major General

Duke of Windsor greeted by a snowstorm and he

comes up to the front line. His job is to ensure continuous contact

between the high commands of Britain and France.

I think it's all about upstaging his

brother.

And to show that he can play a part in world events that

he can make a difference.

He insists on climbing out to an advanced position to meet

the officers and men who are on guard by day and by

night.

He writes four reports looking at the poor generalship

the poor morale the fact that they are not actually as

effective as perhaps the friend should be arguing.

The problem is that these reports are not

taken seriously in Whitehall.

Nobody wanted to hear anything from Edward. He was just dismissed as

being a sort of irrelevant vein and

untrustworthy source.

His brother refused to lift up the phone when he ran.

Here is a former King that is exile from

Britain.

There was so much hurt rage misunderstanding that

went into a lot of why and

how he behaved.

He was utterly selfish.

Edward seems to have thought that after he abdicated

he would still be a leading figure in British public

life.

Britain didn't seem to have any sense of his importance.

I do

remember thinking at the time that poor little twelve of

an X. King was being, you know

pulled by the nose for whatever reason by fascists.

As a lot of the documents might suggest the Duke

was terrifyingly open to Germany and

what he felt the Germans could offer him.

The captured German documents are clearly one of the most important sources

and it's not just the odd telegram. This

collection is riddled with references to

his hope of being restored to

the throne by the Germans.

Through personal relationships. I might have the

opportunity to establish certain lines leading to

the Duke of Windsor.

As of course, you know W is a member of the French military Mission

with the French army command. He does

not however feel entirely satisfied with

this position.

January 1940 is a pretty sensitive point

of the war. The Germans are poised to

invade France and the low countries and the only thing that

they really lack is intelligence. And this

is what the Duke is about to bring them.

The due to Windsor went back to really just being a socialite

in Paris and gave up any thought of being a soldier and his

careless talk undoubtedly later

on didcross lives.

He was trying to impress other people that he

knew about power.

So anybody German English who

is going to make him feel powerful and important? He succumbed

to that?

There is an intermediary who was feeding information to

the Germans who was part of the Duke of Windsor's Entourage.

And this is almost certainly Charles beddo.

This is the mind of course who lent them his shadow for their wedding. He's

seen them almost every night and he's moving between Paris

and the Hague where he has his business interests.

Situation is we have a disgruntled Duke who

doesn't feel he's being taken seriously in Whitehall.

Who is in close contact with

the German agent Charles beddo who is

believed to be passing information to that agent who in

turn is passing it back to the German

ambassador in The Hague who was passing it on to Berlin.

blah blah blah everything all

Teleports letters everything went back to the houses.

He knew that when he boasted about

his knowledge about the inadequacy of French fortifications

that this would go back to Germany.

Edwards motivation was a sense of rejection

from England. I think he never really got over

that.

The due to Windsor wasn't merely

weakening France and the French army.

There was the British expeditionary Force which was basically the

entire British Army.

The tragedy

of France became complete the German Army poured

across the same bridge and into Paris.

when the attack comes

Is the very weak spots that the Duke

has identified?

Which the Germans actually attack?

Overhead the array up valiantly battle the cream of the

Nazi. Look forward the man on the beach and the books in

the harbor were literally sitting ducks for any dive bomber that got

through.

Can draw direct correlation between the Betrayal

of this information and the

rapid Invasion of France and the low countries the defeat

of the British expeditionary force and its forced

Retreat to Dunkirk.

A thousand men many of them have caused never came home

because they were killed.

They included many different nationalities costume Empire.

They're not conscripted. They come voluntarily if

they had known a member of the Royal Family.

Had helped Supply information that led

to that route to Dunkirk to that evacuation. It

would have been utterly Goulding.

We shall fight on the beaches special fight

on the landing grounds.

We shall fight in the fields and in the

streets, which will fight in the Hills.

Which will never surrender.

Church was getting absolutely fed up situation is getting extremely dangerous

the Duke of course still holds a military

rank. And this is the device The Churchill

is going to use

Your Royal Highness has

taken active military rank and refusal to obey

direct orders of competent. Military Authority would create

a serious situation. I most strongly

urge immediate compliance with wishes of

the government.

now this is

prime minister threatening

former king with a court-martial

it's a very serious offense. It's Unique in British history

that a sovereign has been threatened with court-martial

little does

Churchill know that this is actually not the

beginning of the end, but there's going to be much more

trouble in storm.

here

It was

absolute Terror the Blitz and the bombardment the

British cities rationing it come

in people were hungry people were terrified out of their wits

and they had to keep doing in very very Rim circumstances

not so

that you can touch the Windsor.

It was clear that safe passage had been arranged by Hitler

by the Third Reich.

They swand off in luxury.

from France down into the Iberian Peninsula

through Spain into Portugal

All the news was the third right this

terrifying death child was taking over

the world and meanwhile just outside Lisbon

The deuteron Duchess of winds. They were living it up.

They were having their nails polished and

varnished they were going to expensive restaurants. They

were playing golf.

They were talking to their idiotic friends.

I know that the Optics look off

the Duke and Duchess of Windsor sunbathing.

Obviously, it's a deeply unedifying picture it

looked like he abandoned his country.

I'm a Portuguese journalist. I want to go deeper

and find out what actually happened.

We all knew what these rumors about

the Duke of Windsor and his sympathies to

Hitler and Germany, but nobody

really established the facts.

Of what's really was going on?

I've been spending a few hours at Portuguese national

archives, which is amazing secret police

reports.

10 pages detailing day by day

almost by the hour what the Duke and The Duchess

did during their stay here in keshkai and

Lisbon.

Streets are full of spies and from both

camps is probably the only European Capital

where both allies and

Nazis could watch each

other and spy on each other.

Here we have this incredible documents.

It's a very detailed day-to-day almost

by the hour details all the

movements from the Duke and Duchess.

They're staying in kashkayas in Lisbon as I can see inside a

lot of golf.

They also spent lots of

time by the swimming pool or having a

nice cleaners or in kashkash with

friends like the baron Rothschild. So some

of the most notable families from the

purchase aristocracy.

The 10th of July the report reads.

The Duke left by 11 am with the

Spanish don't have year.

To Lisbon by lunchtime. They went

to center of Lisbon.

where they both bought cigars

you learned that he travels to Lisbon with his

Spanish friends who are of course working on

the behalf of Nazi Germany and they

visit the embassies and discuss what to

do.

The two coffins are and The Duchess were

taken to this man in Cascade.

The host for this very glamorous and well-connected and

sophisticated person Ricardo Spirit

de Santo.

Then occupied the suite of rooms on the first

floor overlooking the Atlantic they had

at least 12 servants including a

chef who we know was rather annoyed

by the Duke of Windsor saying I

don't want any of your elaborate menus. Just give

me sardines.

During my trips to the National Archives. I found out the true

connections between the spirit of

Central and nutsy, Germany.

He became president of these small family bank

that was founded in 1920, but during

the war the banquish period Central just became

the biggest bank in the country.

Their intelligence reports in Britain compiled on him.

He was a fence for looted goods. And in fact

acted as Banker to the Nazis.

His job is to write reports on the

Duke of Windsor.

Edward wanted to come back as a Nazi installed leader.

Is clear that his pro-nazi sentiments continue to

be as strong as ever?

They're treated as VIP guests and effect.

They arrange with the Germans for a member of staff to be

given safe passage back to Paris to repatriate Wallace's

swimsuit Nile green

swimsuit in an operation called operation Cleopatra

wind their only

focus is on their own personal needs.

This is one of the documents from Lisbon the Germans

never expected to be discovered.

I think it's one of the most shocking documents that I

found in my research. He characterizes himself as

a firm supporter of a peaceful arrangement with

Germany.

and then this bit

The Duke definitely believes the continued

severe bombing would make England ready

for peace.

I mean, this is extraordinary here is

the former King of Great Britain

saying that if you bomb Britain bomb

his family bomb his country.

That that's the best way to bring them

to to sue for peace. He's quite

prepared to go to those lengths in order

to achieve his aims. It's it's

chilling in Sinister and and

it's frankly very shocking.

He was so disloyal to his brother that he

was calling for the bombing of Britain as a

way of subjugating them.

We have evidence of this and indeed Ricardo esperito

de Santo. The German agent passed

this information back to the German minister in

Lisbon who then instruct us

for instructions from Berlin.

The Duke had encourage the Germans to bomb

London and indeed. That's what they do.

On the 13th of September 1940 must fly

down the mall and bomb Buckingham

Palace literally missing

the king and queen by feet.

Let's look at it in personal terms. This is the Duke encouraging

the Germans to subjugate the

British. This is a man who will stop

at nothing to usurp the throne. Even if

it requires the death of his own brother.

To my mind, that's the most appalling thing. He ever did.

Actively to say to somebody that you think the cities

of your own country particularly within the king of that country

should be bond that the civilians should be

killed in thousands tens of thousands.

It feels enormously shocking to read those words was he

actually saying that the war could

be one and England would surrender if a

continued bombing campaign took place a sense that

vindication

or come up and would be delivered if the

whole house of cards would come Crashing Down.

The Prime Minister Winston Churchill now steps in and

insists that you take up a role as governor of

the Bahamas in documents, which I've seen at

the roll archives the Germans described this

as a come down.

The Duke reluctantly accepts, but he

continues to remain in direct contact with them even after

taking up the post.

The Duke indeed on his way to the Bahamas sent a telegram

in code to Ricardo esperito de

Santo saying that he was willing to come back if the

opportunity arose.

And it relates basically to these captured German documents.

I have the document here and it shows

that he very knowingly communicated with German agents

the minister and Portugal reported The

Confident. This is Ricardo desperito de

Santo who is a Nazi agent has just received a

telegram from the Duke asking him to send

a communication as soon as action was advisable.

This document reveals very conclusively that the

Duke knew exactly what he was doing and frankly was

a traitor to this country.

Communications with the enemy during war was against

the treachery art. He could well have been executed.

It seems to be in a case of power at any cost.

if you

that is a windsor and I are receiving a

number of American journalists.

in government house Nassau

It is a very warm.

afternoon

to warm

the taking pictures

It's very difficult. If you've Traverse the world as the

Prince of Wales and then the king and suddenly your governor of

the farmers. It would have been humiliating for him and

Wallace could see that.

It was still a very long road to Victory, but at

least once America had ended the

war it was reasonably clear what the

outcome was doing to be.

At the end of the war. I think that Edwards just

didn't give a damn and is in a

way sticking two fingers to it all.

I remember

the party in New York. He got quite drunk.

And he started singing German songs.

He was sitting on a sofa. I remember

but

father that I was all standing by the window here.

But he just started singing.

But she gets all went up like that fake sort

of salute.

Seems to be unchanged in his views despite everything that

happened during the second World War.

list of his life he was

effective cold shouldered by the Royal Family

his brothers and various other relations never sort of talked to him

about it. They feel sort of embarrassed and uncomfortable. They never

have that conversation.

The convincing evidence for the Winds of treachery lies

and the German foreign Ministry files.

And political establishment realizes that they cannot suppress

them.

And we have the evidence here.

In the depths of the archives of the House of Commons. I'm

looking at the Diary of Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart

a journalist this period rumors are circulating

about the captured German documents. This is 1946 and

he writes in his diary. It's very revealing.

They have found some damaging material on the Duke of

Windsor. There are various Protocols of Nazi conversations

with him including one at Lisbon during the

war.

Now this is the famous document of the 11th of

July 1940 where the Duke tells the

Nazis that the best way to subjugate Britain is

to bomb it.

The Duke

and Duchess of Windsor's life after the war

remains as extravagant as it was before the

war.

Now much of this was supported by Rich friends who

they sponged off.

There's been an attempt over the previous nine years to suppress minimize

delay, the publication of

these captured German documents. And finally the

moment has come when they are going to be published.

The Duke didn't feel that he'd done anything wrong.

What he was arranging with his lawyers was

a statement to be put out to suggest that

these documents are invented by the Germans. I

mean why they should possibly want to do that given that

they didn't expect them to be found.

Churchill now

prime minister again goes ahead and we have the cabinet minutes

from the 8th of December 1954 where

they discuss the publication of this file.

Mattress tree watched at each stage cabinet secretary

distribute responsible for warning ministers particularly

important to warn the stationary

office when the

material is published. There is a note with

it playing down the role the Duke of Windsor.

The Duke was subjected to heavy pressure from many quarters

to stay in Europe where the Germans hoped that

he would exert influence against the policy of his Majesty's government.

His Royal Highness never wavered in his loyalty to the

British calls. The German records are necessarily

A much tainted source.

To pretend that the Germans were trying to trick him

and he didn't realize is is frankly ridiculous.

Churchill who had been

exasperated by the Juke during the war and indeed what it

is little to do with them as possible after the war.

Eludes with the Duke and others to basically

kill this story.

How could this incredible wartime leader this moral figure

have had all this trouble during the war from someone who

was absolutely of mortal Peril to

the nation and then decades later. He defends

him. He pretty much whitewashes him.

As always Wallace would be blamed in perpetuity.

There's absolutely no question that Wallace was any sort

of Nazi sympathizer?

She became a natural scapegoat.

Was it to protect the back

sides of the monarchy in this country? It's

the conspiracy to conceal. That's

fascinating.

This whole episode is completely extinguished

from the record and this is just another classic

example of our history being censored.

There's one last document indeed. Perhaps the most important document. It

recounts a lunch the tarald Nicholson

the MP had with Tommy LaSalle's who was

the private secretary to Edward to George

the sixth and indeed to our current Queen.

He makes I think a very revealing comment.

He says the man is like the child in

the fairy story who was given everything in

the world.

But they forgot.

the soul

I think this really explains the Duke of Windsor. He was

a man with no in her life. No self-awareness no

sense of actually the magnitude of

what he tried to do with the Nazis.

Mark you as history has it out. He never did

come back to his country.

And there it may be lies the whole truth.