The Queen and The Russian Spy

Ilovecheese

Lucca It's just called "Cambridge Spies". It is well worth a watch.

Ta

Lucca It's just called "Cambridge Spies". It is well worth a watch.

There was a brilliant BBC drama in 1983, written by Alan Bennett and directed by John Schlesinger.
It starred Alan Bates as Guy Burgess and the excellent Coral Browne who played herself
Highly recommended - but it is 40+ years since my younger self watched it!

An Englishman Abroad
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Englishman_Abroad

I thought the lack of real information about what Blunt was up to in post war Germany where he was sent supposedly to collect letters from Queen Victoria, but may have been collecting (Looting?) valuables was interesting . I hadn't heard about that before. It might explain why he was never charged with anything.
I've just read a book called "Witchfinder" by Andrew Williams. It's set in that era and it tells how the CIA become involved, trying to find the 5th man, it later has the CIA with a folder on Harold Wilson. It's fiction but based on some facts.

The Amazon prime one

What is it called ?

I remember Mrs Thatcher "outing him" quite clearly.

The history of the Cambridge spies is just so interesting, well worth the various dramas that have been written about them.
There is a good series on Amazon Prime at the moment with Tom Hollander as Guy Burgess, Rupert Penry Jones as Donald Maclean, Toby Stephens as Kim Philby and Samuel West as Anthony Blunt.

It was the 60’s, president Kennedy , Bobby Kennedy, Martin
Luther King murdered, Mandela imprisoned.

So the spy revelations don’t stick in memories, well not mine

Ladyleftfieldlover

luluaugust

I am sure we shall never know the full story, I hadn't realised he was a cousin of the Queen Mother.

I don’t think the Queen Mother was quite the soft marshmallowy, sweet little person she seemed to be at first glance.

I never thought she came across like that despite her smiles and hats.

She had to be one tough cookie, supporting her shy and reluctant husband when he was left in the lurch by his charismatic, confident brother.
She was what her daughter would describe as "his strength and stay" throughout all those years which included WW2.

I've always been interested in the so called "Cambridge" spies so watched the documentary, - I thought it was very good.
He was only a 3rd cousin to the Queen Mother but still had a very priviledged upbringing. The establishment had known for years he was a traitor but didn't want it made public - something I find disgusting. I don't agree with much Margaret Thatcher did but in this case I applaud her for "outing" him. He was stripped of his knighthood and died 4 years later having never appologised. As one of the contributors to the programme said "he should have been jailed" it's still possible he passed secrets to the Russians regarding the RF, secrets they still hold. We'll never know how many lives he put in danger because of his actions.

I am sure there are spies at every level all the time- could be me, could be my neighbour who knows, they are everywhere from every foreign power.

luluaugust

I am sure we shall never know the full story, I hadn't realised he was a cousin of the Queen Mother.

I don’t think the Queen Mother was quite the soft marshmallowy, sweet little person she seemed to be at first glance.

Anniebach

He was outed in the 60’s, hardly news , why make a documentary now

You might as well say why make any historical documentary !!

Alan Bennett wrote a very clever play - A Question of Attribution - James Fox played Blunt and Prunella Scales the Queen. Highly recommended.

I am sure we shall never know the full story, I hadn't realised he was a cousin of the Queen Mother.

A school friend of mine worked with Anthony Blunt - in an art capacity, not a spying capacity! I also know someone related to one of the Cambridge spies, so I always feel I have a slight personal relationship with this story.

Anniebach

He was stripped of his knighthood when exposed

Only when publicly exposed.

True lemsip I apologise

News, may I say, is something you may not have known before!
younger generation.

Interesting to hear how much influence the Queen Mother had. Not such a benign background figure after all.

No, not new news, but interesting history nonetheless.

He was stripped of his knighthood when exposed

I remember Mrs Thatcher naming him but can't remember what brought that about.

An Establishment cover-up for one of their own - a lower person would have been exposed and jailed, not given immunity, a knighthood and made Surveyor of the King's Pictures.

He was outed in the 60’s, hardly news , why make a documentary now

We have known this for decades. Books have been written on the subject

He died in 1983 and was outed as a spy long before that.