The Royals long established links to the Nazis are back in focus gain, following the publication of footage of a young Queen apparently giving a Nazi salute, accompanied by her mother, sister Margaret and uncle Davidâlater King Edward VIIIâand now a new Channel 4 documentary is planning to unearth once again on the long and complicated history of the royals and the Nazis.
It's old but still shocking news, but Prince Philip had three sisters who married into the Third Reich.
The film, entitled Prince Philip: The Plot to Make a King, also features an interview with Philipâs nephew Prince Rainer von Hessen, who shares the unpublished memoirs of his motherâPhilipâs sister Sophie. In them she describes a private lunch with Adolf Hitler. In the previously unseen extracts Sophie talks of her early admiration for him.
The Daily Mail reports that Philipâs sister said Goering had been âvery enthusiasticâ about the Nazi party and its leader, and had urged her and her husband to meet Hitler in person. She noted in her memoir, written in old age: âAs Germany was going through hard times and there was a lot of poverty and general dissatisfaction everywhere, we were interested to hear about the great improvements his party was planning to do.
âAs Goering was insistent we should meet Hitler personally, we decided to ask him to lunch at our flat⌠I have to say here, that, although Chri [her husband Prince Christoph] and I changed our political view fundamentally some years later, we were impressed by this charming and seemingly modest man, and by his plans to change and improve the situation in Germany.â
To be fair, the Nazi connection is not exactly new.
Moscow-funded TV channel Russia Today was the last outlet to revive the controversy, when Prince Charles compared President Putin to Hitler.
A presenter pointed out that Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson had friends among Hitlerâs high command and met the Fuhrer himself.
She added that Prince Philipâs sister Sophie married into the Third Reich and mentioned how Prince Harry dressed in a Nazi uniform for a fancy dress party.The presenter added: âIf anyone knows real Nazis, itâs the Royal Family.â