The King, the Thief, and the Spy - A Still Secret WW2 Scandal

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What does a former King of England, a American thief, and a Soviet spy have in common - the strange story of the Windsor Letters and the Hesse Crown Jewels, a still-secret WW2 mission.
Dr. Mark Felton FRHistS, FRSA is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
Visit my audio book channel 'War Stories with Mark Felton': • One Thousand Miles to ...
Help support my channel:
www.paypal.me/markfeltonprodu...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; Cubrb; A. Savin; dontworry

[@MarkFeltonProductions]

Thanks to Established Titles for sponsoring today's video. Established Titles is now running a great Labor day Sale, plus get an additional 10% off on any purchase with code MARKFELTON. Go to establishedtitles.com/MARKFELTON and help support the channel.

[@stuartpenman6387]

Thank you for pointing out that in Scotland its laird

[@benz.]

I understand the gimmick of it but I think you should be more forthright in the actuality of buying one of these “titles”. To quote the Court of the Lord Lyon: Ownership of a souvenir plot of land does not bring with it the right to any description such as ‘laird’, ‘lord’ or ‘lady’. ‘Laird’ is not a title but a description applied by those living on and around the estate, many of whom will derive their living from it, to the principal landowner of a long-named area of land. It will, therefore, be seen that it is not a description which is appropriate for the owner of a normal residential property. “It cannot properly be used to describe a person who owns a small part of a larger piece of land. The term ‘laird’ is not one recognisable by attachment to a personal name and thus there is no official recognition of ‘XY, Laird of Z’. “The words ‘lord’ and ‘lady’ apply to those on whom a peerage has been confirmed and do not relate to the ownership of land. “Ownership of a souvenir plot of land is not sufficient to bring a person otherwise ineligible within the jurisdiction of the Lord Lyon for seeking a coat of arms.”

[@richardknight7099]

Pushing dodgy titles.... you've gone down in my estimation, Mark.

[@marscont-]

A lot to think about on this one.

[@aaroncanniford9237]

@@richardknight7099 rass bro it ain't that bad. Better to listen to that than some shitty adverts. Marks good and needs some bucks for what he does. Ease up bro

[@iamnotarobot2378]

I recall that in the late Queen Mother's final weeks, back in 2002, a huge cache of confidential documents was deposited into Royal Archives at Windsor Castle and reclassified 'not to be released 100 years'. At the time I'd suspected it concerned the conduct of her late brother in law and possibly the Rudolph Hess affair. Oh to be a royal archivist.

[@gilbertmoyes2918]

And let's not forget the close relationship of The Duke of Hamilton to the Duke of Windsor, leaves the Rudolph Hess affair with questions to be answered. Maybe Hess's life sentence was partly to make sure the royal apple cart wasn't upset.

[@iamnotarobot2378]

@@gilbertmoyes2918 Indeed.

[@gilbertmoyes2918]

@@iamnotarobot2378, If a countries government can investigate every aspect of one of its citizens life, why don't these citizens have the same right to ask questions of the so called royal family they are paying for. Or would this show the population how they are being taken for fools.

[@Barabel22]

It’s BS in my opinion that something can be reclassified arbitrarily. After the original declassification date it should be automatic with no review.

[@gilbertmoyes2918]

@@Barabel22, People are programmed to blindly respect the royal family, but how can you respect people that won't allow you to examine their actions or behavior.

[@benisaten]

Dr. Felton this was a fascinating tale. The amount of lost historic stories are unfathomable. Thank you for this. Cheers from Niagara 🇨🇦

[@NandiCollector]

*This, indeed, was one of the most intriguing stories by Dr. Felton.*

[@y_ffordd]

It wasnt lost, its in spycatcher

[@shimondauber8984]

Is Pharaoh Mummy still in your museum?

[@cbarclay99]

This story was not lost. It was hidden.

[@idek6585]

My dumbass read Nigeria :/

[@nicholasconder4703]

It never ceases to amaze me the trouble that King Edward VIII / Duke of Windsor managed to cause during his lifetime.

[@colbeausabre8842]

Wallis Simpson was deathly afraid that Churchill would have them murdered - and he should have done it

[@jamespfitz]

Just wait-- Harry's still a young man.

[@feonor26]

​@@jamespfitz But at least he gave us one of the best south park episodes in a long while😂

[@MyNameIsChristBringsASword]

And that's not including the countless virgins he killed. When you've got everything and your only kick is power then you have no time for Jesus.

[@FaustoTheBoozehound]

@@jamespfitz talking about Harry's future?? Ha! How did you overlook Andrew's present??

[@sonnyburnett8725]

Many of Marks stories should be Hollywood movies. Can you imagine, being entertained and it’s a true story.

[@purplefishy8164]

It's not as if he invented those stories

[@TheSaltydog07]

I was thinking the same. This one writes itself.

[@theowaigel8588]

The "Castle" referred to is actually Schloss Friedrichsruh in Kronberg near Frankfurt. It was built for Queen Victoria, a daughter of the British Queen Victoria, married to Friedrich III, King of Prussia, German Emperor and mother of Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and German Emperor. After her husband died (he was the 99 days Emperor) she acquired the premises and let built a stately home in Tudor style were she would eventually retire as "Kaiserin Friedrich". The house came into possession of the House of Hesse when Kaiserin Friedrich died in 1901, as her youngest daughter was married to then acting Landgraf of Hesse. Today the castle is a luxury resort with a 18 hole golf course

[@wolfgangwust5883]

Correct. Actually, in said library is where I married in 1997.

[@jens-kristiantofthansen9376]

@@wolfgangwust5883 I've had dinner in that library and I believe that to be the same year as your wedding. It is a lovely place.

[@tim7052]

I once had fish and chips and a beer there. The service wasn't bad, but the tea and coffee facilities in the rooms left a lot to be desired. 👍

[@jens-kristiantofthansen9376]

@@tim7052 to be fair, most hotels, even quite high-end ones have terrible in-room coffee and tea facilities.

[@tim7052]

@@jens-kristiantofthansen9376 Yes! But what really "boils my piss" (ie: gets me angry) is the electric kettle in those hotel rooms!! (Think about it - there's a double entendre joke there!!) 🤣👍

[@DavidFraser007]

I remember I bought a copy of Spycatcher in a bookshop in Paderborn West Germany in the 80s. The Royal Military Police said it was illegal for soldiers to buy it, but they were wrong.

[@conormcmenemie5126]

I got copies sent from NY to London for me and brother in law.

[@johnned4848]

I always liked the response of The Economist. It was the lead review in the books section. But it just had the headline and book information. The page was otherwise completely blank except for a small box in the center which read " The Economist publishes 127 worldwide editions. This review has appeared in 126.

[@uncleeric3317]

I’ve owned a copy of this book since the 80s. Looks like it might be time to read it.

[@jamesrafael6794]

Yep, a true revelation of espionage and how compromised British intelligence was. A must read.

[@secondchance6603]

@@uncleeric3317 Be quick before it makes the list of books to be burned.

[@blank557]

I wonder what Durant's and Nash's marriage was like after they got back together. I can only imagine each of them blaming the other for bungling the sale of the jewelry. They truly deserve each other. Kudos to Thatcher for having the moral courage to strip Blunt of his position and knighthood. Yeah, he wasn't prosecuted, but at least everyone knew what a traitor he was.

[@stefanschleps8758]

They probably laughed with glee at the jewels investigators missed!

[@petershen6924]

@@stefanschleps8758 Only less than half of the missing jewels were recovered.

[@Jreb1865]

@@petershen6924 Wow...and that table shown at the trial was COVERED with gold and jewels...

[@hubriswonk]

Probably thought it a fun experience!

[@bodnica]

Blunt related to Queen Mother? No wonder he was not prosecuted... grandson Andrew another creep

[@killermarmots]

The high-born of most countries are involved in shenanigans of which us mere mortals will never know. This is another powerful reminder, and a great bit of sleuthing on the part of Mr. Felton. Please keep up the good work.

[@barrythatcher9349]

That should be Lord Mark Felton.

[@lsmith9249]

and King George VI could not done anything himself, we have a Consttutional Monarchy

[@georgielancaster1356]

Not sleuthing. This is ancient news. Even yt has been telling all these stories for years.

[@jlglover4592]

I remember reading Spy Catcher when it came out. I was astonished by the details of the Cambridge 5. Dr. Felton is amazingly entertaining as well as dead-on accurate!

[@georgielancaster1356]

Peter Wright retired to Tasmania and bred Arab horses. He had a beautiful filly named Ayn that I loved.

[@dewiz9596]

That’s Lord Felton. . . 😀

[@jlglover4592]

@@dewiz9596 you're correct! I stand corrected.

[@RealNameDre]

Wow! This story is better than any fiction written, the fact that this actually happened is just amazing! Thank you Dr Felton for another amazing history lesson 😀

[@greycatturtle7132]

Yes

[@-.Steven]

You got that right! Truth is stranger, and often more interesting than fiction!

[@greycatturtle7132]

@@-.Steven yea

[@truthsRsung]

A "WOW!" statement gets a Heart? What, no gold stars at uTube to hand out teach?

[@user-fn5xg7qt7u]

pepe

[@williampeterson333]

I met an elderly man around 8 years ago. Funny thing is I never took what he said to heart. He was a british man that had moved to the U.S.. He claimed he served in the British secret service during the last 3 years of the war. He had told me that documents were burned after the war that involved the queen mother. I have never had chills down my spine like I just had. He is dead now for sure because he had cancer at the time and didnt have much time left. But if I had known about this before now I would have took him more seriously. He said men were instructed to burn them and not read them and his superior made sure it was so cause he said something like "hey told us our orders then came and made sure we carried them out. " Don't know if its true but this story makes me believe him in at least some sense. Maybe he wasnt there, and just heard of the story. But the fact I had never heard of this til now makes me believe its plausible.

[@MrDiggityaus]

Random old guy telling a stranger about “war secrets” or conspiracies ? Yeah I would be very dubious of anything said.

[@tomhenry897]

Deathbed confession

[@MrPercy112]

The Queen Mum was a tough old bird. As a young woman, she had close ties to the Secret Intelligence Services, well before she became Queen. There is absolutely no question as to her loyalty. She was, however, utterly ruthless in her defence of Great Britain. She was a woman of steel; sharpened steel!

[@MrPercy112]

@ William Peterson: any chance that he may have emigrated to Canada first, do you think?

[@williampeterson333]

He wasnt really a strange first off. My grandfather met him in France. My grandfather participated in North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy invasions. It was a two time meeting for them from what I could understand. A span of over 3 days. As I said its could have been B.S.. But i started trying to track down veterans my grandfather knew. He was one of many. I never thought about it until this video. Again its may be bullshit. But this story gave me goosebumps because of it. Im not saying its true. Just that I was told by a self proclaimed intelligence officer that they burned documents on orders that supposedly could have been damaging to the royal family. Thats all I was told. He didnt give specifics. I was much younger then and was like "oh wow wonder what they said" and let it go and literrally havent even though about it since til this video. Could be B.S., I definitely am skeptical. But it also doesn't mean that man couldn't have been yelling the truth

[@vcdonovan5943]

You cannot write a screenplay this good. History is on another level.

[@bobcosmic]

The title sounds like it could’ve been written by Han Christian Anderson but it’s not but it is a gem from Dr Mark Felton.

[@robescalante6352]

"A gem from Dr. Mark Felton." Sir, you made an incredible and funny, if unintended, pun! ;)

[@ninus17]

I Think you mean Hans Christian Andersen. He was Danish therefor it with an e instead of an o in Andersen.

[@tgmccoy1556]

With a bit of John Le Carre .😁

[@epiculo2]

@@tgmccoy1556 Quite, indeed.

[@bloodybones63]

@@tgmccoy1556 Need Smiley on this.

[@brianb2837]

Their is so much WW2 history that Dr. Felton brings to light that would be found no where else and that is the greatest benefit of this channel.

[@DaveSCameron]

unless already known, please read more books 📚

[@brianb2837]

@@DaveSCameron Criticism is easy for those who underestimate the knowledge of the more learned.

[@garypulliam3740]

@@sendit1158 Correct.

[@garypulliam3740]

*There

[@DaveSCameron]

@@brianb2837 Only if you're arrogant enough to assume you're replying to a fool yes...

[@AdmiralBonetoPick]

Just FYI, "Established Titles" is a scam company. They are not recognised by the Scottish office that tracks genuine heraldic titles, and they skirt the law by only implying (but not stating explicitly) that owning a piece of paper makes you a lord of somewhere...

[@johanmetreus1268]

Unsubscribed, and video disliked.

[@thebestian]

I'm curious who would believe such a thing anyway. It would tarnish every "actual" lord's name if you could just buy a foot of land for a title. Let alone the fact that you wouldn't actually own it anyway!

[@BackSeatHump]

Well done!

[@malcolmabram2957]

Bit late for me, myself and 569 members of my extended family are now Lords.

[@ed056]

Sad that someone with Mark's reputation would promote this without mentioning that the are only paper titles. Mr. Felton, Please edit this video and state clearly that these titles are for fun only.

[@alexhatfield2987]

An enthralling, captivating, extraordinary tale from the past that rivals any royal/spy/communist/nazi Cold War work of fiction, and told by a brilliant historian.

[@ignitetheinferno1858]

Royal Librarian: Hey, so we have been sent to collect a whole bunch of old letters. American Officers: You can’t, we’re in middle of trying to steal the Royal jewels. Russian Spy: You guys don’t mind if I take photographic copies of treason letters yeah? Royalty: So…..can I have my jewels back?

[@conormcmenemie5126]

Yeap! That sums it all up.

[@andysamet4554]

By what right do you call it treason? The King was right. The optional war was a disaster for Britain. Had only he been listened to, Britian might still be a great country.

[@josepherhardt164]

Wonder how much they paid Monty Python NOT to do this skit ...

[@cgross82]

LOL!

[@RasPutintheGreat]

@@NoBody-pw3kf Look for the movie UNCLE.

[@jacquolen1952]

Absolutely one of the best of your presentations! Theft, lies, betrayal, traitorous actions, high level cover-ups, and espionage all in one episode. Bravo!- Rich

[@raymondclark1785]

Every thing but pirates

[@tianwong152]

@@raymondclark1785 Poi-rat Heeere!!!! ARRRRGGGGHHH!!!! SHIVER ME TIMBERS!!!!!

[@tianwong152]

Not to mention hidden treasure

[@jacquolen1952]

@@tianwong152 - Well, that’s what the “theft” mention was about, but it did deserve a place on the list!- Rich

[@FakenameStevens]

Along the lines of the Nazi Wedding one

[@amys2650]

Thank you again for your great videos. I’m a history/genealogy nerd and your videos help me learn what my grandfather was doing and going through. He was a paratrooper in the 82nd airborne in wwii. He jumped in Germany, Italy and I believe France. He help liberate one of the extermination camps (I’m still researching which one.) he was shot twice but still stayed until the end of the war. He came home with a German pistol, I wish I had more time with him, he passed away when I was 12 and could truly appreciate and understand what he went through. He ended up being an engineer and worked for NASA doing the launches. A sweet, kind and sassy man and I miss him so much.

[@docmalitt]

It is an amazing piece of history we kinda don’t hear very often. No James Bond movie’s about this (or these sort of topics) and we can all learn another chapter of the book “Who writes popular history? Historians or winners ;)”. However this also says a lot about not only integrity of the historian, but as many people already commented, your quality to convert and combine such delicate events into superb storytelling. Absolutely marvelous sir Mark…

[@cdl0]

Yet another cracking episode from Mark Felton Productions. The public during the mid twentieth century were far more obsessed and incensed by the marriage of Windsor to a divorced woman, and consequent abdication than his other, far more serious, Nazi-related shenanigans.

[@Meine.Postma]

Because that was all they were fed

[@cdl0]

@@Meine.Postma To some extent that was true, but Windsor's Nazi connections were known to exist. However, his 'immoral' behaviour, as people of that era perceived his marriage to Wallis Simpson horrified people. They would only ever mention it in hushed tones, even in the 1960s and 70s. It is remarkable how values have changed since then.

[@JamesBond-si7xs]

Religion played a part too

[@mrkolasa.]

And now we have a current day queen covering up with public money the nonce son

[@brittakriep2938]

The marriage outcry was only a loud ,show', to force the king to abdicate, his connections to Germany had been the real reason, why Edward had to abdicate.

[@grandmufftwerkin9037]

Secrets are often as valuable as any other weapon fielded into battle.

[@irvingsherwood1234]

If not more so.

[@newt21]

Have you considered a tv show? You blow the history channel out of the water. Every week I am amazed at the new material that you put out and makes me feel very stupid as I thought I knew a lot about WW2 but you keep telling new and incredibly interesting stories. Kudos to you Sir.

[@timothywilliams1359]

Good lord, how has this not been made into a film? What a spy thriller it would be!

[@ihrsohnistauchkeinhauptgew674]

As a child was living near by the Schloss Wolfsgarten in Egelsbach where the rest of the family(princess)was living in.It is in a big forest called the Bannwald between Frankfurt and Darmstadt.Once uppon a time the kids of the zar had also played there in the garden.There is a beatiful park and a tiny house for the royal kids where the have played.

[@infoscholar5221]

Wow, that story is like one of Le Carre's finer novels. An incredible story, full of shady characters of every stripe.

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

John Le Carre was one of the agents that was burnt by Kim Philby, Tinker Tailor, Soldier, Spy is all about it.

[@FWYSGT]

EXCELLENT! As a retired CID agent myself I have never heard this story. Thanks Dr. Felton!

[@tessat338]

You can just imagine how the rumors of the hidden jewels made Kathleen Nash and Jack Durant's greedy little hearts race, and how triumphant they felt when they found the jewels and successfully got them out of Germany and back to the US. They were going to be rich! But then they learned the hard way that it is very difficult for outsiders to break into the very parochial fine gem trade. Also, the a good portion of the value of the stones was in the provenance and if Nash and Durant stole them then that defeated the provenance trail. It must have been quite a letdown. It's one thing to seal something of high value, but it is another matter all together to convert it into negotiable currency.

[@serahloeffelroberts9901]

They got what they deserved. Bad enough the Nazis did stuff like that.

[@DarthBaras13]

The Neflix series The Crown did touch upon David Windsor's treason in Season 2. It would be informative if the Royal Archives released the letters to the public. Most of the people involved in this affair are either dead or not directly connected (i.e. Queen Elizabeth II). Also it would be more beneficial for the British Royal Family to get ahead of this sort of thing and own up to that mistakes of the past, rather than bury them.

[@michaelmichael4132]

I think you answered your own question, DarthBaras13 -- nothing will come of this until Queen Elizabeth II herself is long dead and buried, however tangential a role a teenager might conceivably have played in the embarrassment itself.

[@jtgd]

The pre war picture of the family (including Elizabeth) doing the nazi salute seems chilling

[@DaveSCameron]

TTHAT WAS FICTION!! ARE YOU ALL SO STUPID?

[@SigmundJaehn]

If the material still exists. Frankly I wouldn’t put it past that lot to destroy it all. Probably the only hope of seeing it lies, perversely, with the FSB.

[@jtgd]

@Rummin OBL impressions are not the same as giving a nazi salute in nazi Germany, but ok

[@joshweinstein5345]

There's an excellent little known book from the 90's by Kenneth Alford called "The Spoils of World War II" that covers the theft of the Hesse jewels as well as many other wartime/post-war thefts of European treasures, but the Anthony Blunt/Queen Victoria Letters story is just touched on in this book and it's not until this video today that I learned the full extent of it and that there's even a scandal with the Duke of Windsor's letters and this is the whole likely reason Anthony Blunt escaped any real punishment . Once again, Dr. Felton reveals more to history than we knew before. Fascinating!

[@2112jonr]

Theft is a strong term when you're reclaiming only a small percentage of what was stolen by a bunch of common thieves from people less wealthy than Nazi royalty, across Europe. Repatriation would be a more accurate word, maybe compensation. They deserved no less.

[@EshBBX]

Gotta love how the real focus is ofcourse not to be honest and honourable and actually bring potentially damaging or any info, to light, but at all costs ensure that the truth is kept from the public, yay society, yay civilization.

[@Charlesputnam-bn9zy]

And from their own people.

[@christyhart8254]

One of your very best, Dr. Felton! This is why your channel is the very best on KZbin!

[@johnned4848]

A really excellent episode, all a precis for a feature film. You mention FBI passing on information against Blunt. This was in part to the Venona program which was deciphering massive amounts of soviet telegrams. But also the suspicions fueled by personal animosity against the Cambridge spies by Bill Harvey. Harvey ran soviet counterintelligence for the bureau until sacked by Hoover for alcoholism, and then continued at the CIA .This whole chapter would make excellent follow-up episodes.

[@fordfairlane662dr]

Insane forgotten history..I live this channel..and Mark does his best on every video to bring the truths of history front and center again..🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@DaveSCameron]

Forgotten by you maybe but not by us English, don't think we are stupid!

[@fordfairlane662dr]

@@DaveSCameron you guys all have crooked teeth

[@reginabillotti]

@@DaveSCameron Nobody knows every aspect of history, not even their own country's history. Not knowing about some incidents doesn't mean someone is "stupid." Don't take things that aren't even directed at you as a personal insult.

[@stefanschleps8758]

We would never have heard this story without you Professor Felton. An excellent adventure! Thanks for sharing.

[@williamgorden6390]

I'm very happy to have discovered your channel. This was a fascinating story. I'm looking forward to others like it. Thank you for the fine production!

[@rolfagten857]

This movie named: "The Hessen Affair" (2008) with Billy Zane is about this WW2 scandal.

[@SnoopReddogg]

Unless there was a boat involved, I don't believe you that Billy Zane was in that movie!!!

[@georgielancaster1356]

What does that mean? Billy Zane was in Orlando, with no boat - or indeed, ship.

[@grandmufftwerkin9037]

Edward VIII seems to have been chronically up to his neck in shenanigans.

[@waltersjohn6339]

yeah, but he was a really sharp dresser

[@AtheistOrphan]

He was also a coke head.

[@JonniePolyester]

Another wonderful account! I too have my own story of revealing long held secrets . When I was 14 whilst attending a minor public school in Warwickshire I happened to discover that our headmaster one Mr Peter Blunt was in actual fact the nephew of Anthony Blunt the Soviet mole. I duly informed everyone shortly before being expelled on an entirely unrelated matter. 😂

[@skillzsett7958]

Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Felton. Your documentary style presentation should be used and paid for by all major outlets. You deserve compensation for all your hard work. Thank you ❗

[@jeffreygraf3358]

It always amazes me that there were numerous known British traitors that had been found out and still kept their positions. Hunt, Philby, et al..

[@DaveSCameron]

They all died, most in Russia, what's to know?

[@oldfella3919]

Sometimes they were kept in place so they could be fed false info to pass on to their masters. Sometimes it was as a "reward" for providing info once they'd been exposed (eg Blunt). Personally I would have shot the lot!

[@istoppedcaring6209]

@@DaveSCameron traitors deserve to be exposed, and they should have been from the start

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Very many of those who attend Oxford and Cambridge universities are the privately educated children of moneyed and well connected families, hence it is likely that prosecuting them for any crimes they commit will embarrass someone in a position of power, and that's before taking into account any "dirt" they may know about.

[@istoppedcaring6209]

@@Kevin-mx1vi there is also a good reason as to why so many academics worked for the soviets, the UK may never have been a communist state but it's universities were the birthplace of cultural marxism, (and also the pre eminent place for marxist theory in general) from the UK assistants went to universities all over but mainly the english speaking world, and ofcourse they brought the teachings of these communist professors, they were even part of the communist party of britain, it never got any real popular support but trough them institutions populated by university grads were taken over, you don't need popular support if you get to indoctrinate the elite. it is also why the english speaking world has the worst of it

[@Nastyswimmer]

"Laird" just means the owner of an estate - it isn't a title (and it's often used as a derogatory term). The wife of a laird isn't a lady, she's the laird's wife. A woman who owns an estate is also a laird. To be a laird you have to own a large area of land, not just a token patch, and in Scotland you don't own the land unless it's been recorded in the Scottish Land Register ... ... which won't record token plots, so you don't own it anyway.

[@waltersjohn6339]

Thanks for that.....I was really tempted

[@greycatturtle7132]

Interesting

[@noelpucarua2843]

@@waltersjohn6339 Could I tempt you with a square foot of London Bridge? Or maybe, the ever popular square inch of the Eiffel Tower?

[@derin111]

Brilliant! So, someone has ripped Mark Felton off ?! 🤔 How fitting for this episode about subterfuge! 🤣🤣🤣

[@vic5015]

Sounds similar to that "Name a star after someone" thing. The naming is meaningless and *not* recognized by astronomers.

[@jamesrafael6794]

The Spy Catcher takes the word bugger to different level. A juicy revelation of espionage. A must read.

[@michaelotruba1308]

I remember reading it when it came out, and was amazed at his comments on so much of the Cold War. I found his analysis of the Cuban Missile Crisis to be especially interesting in the book.

[@jamesrafael6794]

@@michaelotruba1308 I wish they could make a movie from this but its so scandalous that "big brothers" would "shoot it down".

[@burningchrome70]

This is fascinating! Thank you so much for doing the research into this and showing it to everyone. The pictures are awesome! I would have never known anything about any of this but for this channel.

[@stevem3605]

Dr. Felton you never cease to amaze. Thank you for all your work.

[@erichall7068]

Hopefully more appetizing sponsors will come forward, reducing the evident temptation. You are very admirable Mark. Succumbing to this kind of Temptation is not.

[@TruthNTime]

Exactly, Royal titles, global reforestation, are you kidding me? How sad. It takes about 10 minutes of research to find out what the latter is all about - except the real name of this organizations agenda is called Rewilding (look into it). As far as the former goes, it takes a lot more in-depth research to dig up the truth about the Royal families and what they're really all about, and if more of the general public in England knew how absolutely evil and corrupt they actually are, their love affair with the Royal family would vanish in a nano-second.

[@DebtBuysFreedumb]

I agree. Should be a disclaimer. It's just an overpriced land title template.

[@robert48719]

No, it Came Out it was all a hoax. You could never actually buy a piece of land at call yourself Lord. And that was already clear at the time this Video was uploaded. So I don't know, either Felton didn't check it or He simply didn't care

[@chrisblore6385]

Once again Mark hits a home run of history.

[@johnbrady7431]

Really good stuff! Over the years I've picked up some great historical nuggets from you, Mark. Really appreciate it. Keep it up!

[@roberthorwat6747]

This is closure on the Blunt story for me. Anthony Blunt was BIG news when his treachery was revealed but the soft treatment he got just didn't add up. Of course he had a massive stay out of jail free card. Excellent work Lord Felton!

[@raymondclark1785]

I just watched an old English movie on Prime that I think was loosely based on Blunt

[@mitchmatthews6713]

You never fail to educate us, Mark! Thank you, sir!

[@markmarsh27]

I LOVE finding truly great History Teachers. You're definitely the best I've found so far. I'm very grateful for your outstanding work.

[@whysoserious8666]

As a former CID agent I love that you used the CID Command logo. How CID became a Command and not a Division of the Military Police is another story worthy of a video

[@sophrapsune]

This story is dynamite! It would be good to have more information about Edward’s collusion with the Nazis.

[@wendykinnear9151]

I saw a book about that subject in WH Smith's. I'm going to see if it is still there. I think it would be interesting.

[@cliffgaither]

sophrapsune :: At least we know the real reason he had to Abdicate. His position, so close to that Imperial Hallway, would have been a Public-Reations' nightmare for The Firm if his collusion were made public.

[@fredshred5194]

read John Costello's Mask of treachery, not the UK copied mind you the USA copy. Spycatcher by Wright is bumbling attempt by a man that could not spot rat dropping in pepper.

[@bevinboulder5039]

I knew about the Duke of Windsor, the mission to retrieve the potentially damaging letters, but had never heard about the American jewel thieves before. I'm glad to hear that the Hesse family got their jewels back.

[@bevinboulder5039]

@@davidhoward4715 Many of their victims or their descendants got their stuff back as well. But I take your point.

[@philiprufus4427]

The Scottish Jewel Thieves were somewhat more successful. There is another story of family heirlooms going missing whilst British Troops were stationed at a German Schloss The troops in question were the long disbanded H L I, principaly recruited in Glasgow and around Lanarkshire,the regiment also included many Irish from the Free State (they was sometimes known localy as the Hairy Legged Irishmen, why I do not know as only the Pipers wore kilts the men wore trews) These boyos when they left the aformentioned castle liberated the mistress'es family heirloom's. I came accross this in the early 2000's in a tv programme,the elegant though by then elderly German lady amusedly refering to my fellow Glaswegians as'The Little Tommies.' A retired Major of The British Army in the Eighties confessed No Surprise when I told him this story, he said they were' an undisciplined bunch of hooligans' Apparently in 1960 on a N A T O exercise in Denmark whilst defending,they refused to obey orders, refusing also to budge out of their positions,favour being given to the attacking Danes by the Umpire. A lot of them were apparently half cut also, as British officers discovered. The Regiment was later disbanded,and the large Barracks in Glasgow pulled down. Unfortunate as the Regiment had in the past aquitted itself well in action,as is recorded. Whether the German Lady got her Family Heirlooms back I cannot remember...

[@bevinboulder5039]

@@philiprufus4427 So, I'm pretty conversant in British slang but never heard "half cut" before. Is that another among the myriad of slang terms for drunk?

[@louisavondart9178]

@@bevinboulder5039 .. it is. The stage between sober and Shikkered.

[@bevinboulder5039]

@@louisavondart9178 Thanks!

[@westcoastwonder88]

Awesome content Mark! You have really brought that early history channel vibe back

[@robwubbena4748]

This is some of your best work, Mark. Outstanding!

[@RMS148]

What a coincidence! I just arrived in Frankfurt this evening to spend a few days here in this area. I might even visit the Schloss Friedrichshof (now Schlosshotel Kronberg), as a treasure hunt. 😉 Dear Mark, Danke from Deutschland for the this video! 👍😊

[@bashirmuhammad8181]

Great stories.Like something out of a spy novel.Doc Felton,you're the greatest historian of these times!

[@stevenhershman2660]

This is a great video as it shows how there were traitors ( in WW2) from just about everywhere.

[@jbtechcon7434]

Oh, please, more on this! This was the most fascinating episode I've seen on this channel yet!

[@kantemirovskaya1lightninga30]

Thank you for this one Marc, sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up. This is better than any thing anyone could’ve written as a novel. Thanks for the history as usual!

[@edjopago1]

Dr Felton.....it is amazing what we STILL do not know about those mysterious days at the end of WWII!!!!!! Thank you for your brilliant episode!

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Well, we don't know what was in those letters the Duke of Windsor wrote and probably will never know, at least not for another 100 to 200 years, if even then. Honestly I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Another great video Doctor Felton!

[@raymondclark1785]

Just another What if in WWII, what if he hadn't given up the thrown, would he have handed over the keys to the kingdom to Hitler?

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@raymondclark1785 Well, we don't know what he would have done, it'd be all speculation. One thing though, Lord Mountbatten said that in the end the right man (George VI) became king. Mountbatten wasn't a fan of the Duke of Windsor.

[@jjeherrera]

@@raymondclark1785 It wasn't up to him, but to the elected government. Britain is a parliamentary monarchy in which the King's, or Queen's role nowadays, is reduced to protocols acts as head of state. He or she may suggest, but not act on his/her own volition.

[@daniellewis3750]

I thought it came out in 1995 with a bundle of other secrets with a 50 years before release order on them. The Duke of Windsor was in a meeting where it was decided to not deploy troops to guard the Ardens Forest route into France. After the Germans choose this route the Duke was suspected.

[@-.Steven]

Never disappointed after watching a Mark Felton video, and this one is tops!

[@chiletours5296]

Great story, thank you! However, i am struggling with the 4000 letters from Queen Victoria. I mean if she wrote about once a week it would take 80 years to "fulfill the quota".

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

I've been waiting for this one, I've always found it to be an interesting story

[@DaveSCameron]

Why, why not read more books 📚 yourself Sir?

[@MrPercy112]

Why don’t you stop making snarky comments all over the shop?

[@patrickwentz8413]

What a sordid world we live in.

[@victorobasa7072]

Excellent Mark. EXCELLENT. Brief & fascinating. Good job

[@spooksixsix]

What a remarkable tale! more twists and turns than a roller coaster!! Fantastic, as always.

[@williamweigt7632]

Well done Mr. Feldon. I like the balance in this episode that shows that not every sociopath was German.

[@horatiodebonairepicklehoun1415]

My father in law who passed away only a few months ago, strongly believed that Blunt was never prosecuted because of evidence he had of high ranking paedophiles within the government and the royal family.. Mountbatten was one of those on the list and the royal family themselves were apparently already suspicious of him. My father in law studied at Oxford in the 1960’s, gained a masters in war studies and became ordained as a vicar shortly after. It was during the 1980s he obtained this information when several retired bishops were investigated for offences involving children. one of them had allegedly known mountbatten in the 1940s and had been party to some of the antics that had taken place..😞

[@cjay2]

The entire "royal family" of UK have ALWAYS been corrupt to the core. That's why England is the way it is right now.

[@tim7052]

I remember reading that sentence in Peter Wright's book and have been intrigued by it ever since. Later, when doubts about King Edward's allegiance were raised I presumed the 2 were connected. Thank you Dr Felton for confirming this - and for another superb gem from the history of WWII!! 👍

[@anthonyfuqua6988]

Rarely do I hear a WWII story I haven't heard about but this is one. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. Your channel is my favorite on KZbin. Thank you Dr. Felton. Edit: The Soviets had spies everywhere didn't they? Was it usually more for ideology, or monetary gain?

[@peterdirlis6461]

Wow, professor!! What an amazing story!! I'm amazed at how you get this information! Well done!

[@johndavied3448]

Well done Mark, one of your best. "The truth is stranger than fiction."

[@wombatwilly1002]

Great caper.Did the Duke ever know that "the love of his life",Wallis Simpson was playing "hide the hot dog" with VonRibbentrop?

[@Mark-yy2py]

Another flawless presentation! Thanks, Dr. Felton!

[@barftrooper102]

Thank you for such amazing history content Dr. Felton.

[@14Aymara]

Amazing story. Thank you for this fantastic video, Dr. Felton.

[@monoecumsemper]

Thank you so much for another well-informed and impartial contribution.

[@nightw4tchman]

Mark, your channel is amazing. Thanks for what you do. If this was a TV channel this would be an hour long and have half your insight and detail.

[@nightw4tchman]

@@markaxworthy2508 K, citation needed or else sod off Mark.

[@MrPercy112]

It’s not the ‘facts’ but the subsequent interpretation. There is almost always more interpretation than fact. Dr. Felton is as captive to that, as any other historian. What he does is excellent, but he doesn’t have a time machine; nor the necessary security clearance! 😉

[@artkoenig9434]

Another story well told, sir! You supplied plenty of details new to me! Thank you!

[@director365]

Exceptional work, Mr. Felton. I knew about each of the pieces of the story (except the thieves), but how they fit together. Thanks for your channel.

[@chrish9698]

Had I seen this play out in a movie I’d have said that it was too fantastic to believe. What a story! Thank you very much for telling it.

[@Hairnicks]

Brilliant, I just love soaking up the knowledge you impart.

[@jasoningamells5872]

Absolutely fascinating and so well researched and narrated thank you.

[@leeaa01]

Absolutley incredible and completely fascinating. How is this not more widely known?

[@chrisdebeyer1108]

Totally mind boggling connections and events. Much appreciated.

[@j1bc]

Mark, this is your best ever! What a story. Gripping from start to finish 🙂. Tell you what, this would make a great movie!

[@brandons9398]

It’s amazing how many stories from the war are still somewhat a secret. I wonder if the truth will ever be known….

[@dennis2376]

Probably never. :(

[@MrPercy112]

@ Brandon S: yes indeed; and will never be known! Even when documents are released in the future, nothing of great significance will emerge, as not all was recorded in the first place. Even the current Intelligence Services are unaware of what transpired. Those that once knew, are now long dead. Back in the day, those that ‘knew’ did not have trust in future. From the moment that Roger Hollis became the Director General of MI5, all bets were off.

[@DigitalNeb]

Fascinating. Great video as usual Mark. Thanks.

[@robertgriffin662]

Just crazy! Great video! As always Mark, thanks!

[@Pepperboy555]

Once again, Dr Felton knock’s it out of the park!

[@robertsmith-dr5tm]

John LeCarre never could have come up with such a twisting plot as this, and it’s all true. This was fascinating

[@wxwaxone]

Speaking of which, don't miss the 2022 UK miniseries A SPY AMONG US, which is based on the true story of Kim Philby's defection to the USSR and in which Tony Blunt appears as a major character. Although the miniseries does not mention all the facts in Dr. Felton's video, it seems perfectly consistent with everything he says (although suffice it to say it proposes a different possible reason he was never arrested). And they found the perfect actor to play Blunt. The series is up for a BAFTA this year; I highly recommend it.

[@juliarman]

@@wxwaxone It is indeed very well done

[@lawrencestrabala6146]

Awesome work as always Dr. Felton.

[@525Mat_]

That was fascinating!! Thank-you Mr Felton!!

[@tonyk1584]

Your stuff is always informative and interesting, that's why I subscribe. This episode I found particularly intriguing. At least for me, an uncovered gem. Thanks. TK

[@MeAbroad2004]

Read "Tea with Hitler - the secret history of the royal family and the third reich" by Dean Palmer, it came out last year

[@goldenroux612]

Oh I do enjoy irony. And in this account it is layered into a cake of a story. Gold and jewels have a finite value, but letters such as these are priceless.

[@katylake212]

What an interesting story! So well done! What a talent Mark has for putting things together! Bravo!

[@tinkerno11]

Very enlightening and informative! Thank you for this video.