The King's WWII Secret - Did George VI Abuse His Power?

My thanks to HM The King for kind permission to reproduce documents from The Royal Archives at Windsor Castle.

In 1945, a top secret mission was ordered by King George VI, a mission to help some of his German relatives, some of whom had been close to Hitler or had fought against the Allies. This mission was covered up until now, when, following exhaustive research, I finally found the truth, a truth that gives us a different and new perspective on Britain's wartime king.

Special thanks to Mr. Geoff Crump of the Cheshire Regiment Museum for all of his very kind research assistance. Thanks also to Gavin Gardiner for answering my questions regarding the McConnell shotguns.

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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: The Royal Archives; US National Archives; Library of Congress; Cambridge University Library; Cheshire Regiment Museum; Chris Reynolds; WyrdLight; Diliff; Carston Steger; GZagatta; Wolkenkratzer; Dguendel; JurecGermany; Gavin Gardiner; National Army Museum; Vivimeri; Huis Doorn

[roseprevost]

Maybe the King didn't want to repeat what the family did when they didn't help Nicholas and his family in Russia. They were family, too.

[normmcrae]

If that is the worst that King George did, then he was, by FAR, the better choice between him and
VERY Interesting information, and Thank you to HM King Charles for allowing access to this info.

[stetomlinson]

I used to work with a guy who was part of the “recovery team”. He was an army HGV driver. He spent 4 weeks driving a lorry filled with art treasures and personal objects from the castle to various other castles. Some was even brought back to the UK and taken, he believed to Buckingham Palace and other Royal residences in Britain. It might be a secret that was never written down, but it was talked about by those involved. Neither did they object or complain! It was seen as a cushy posting. No combat, decent surroundings, no night work and a chance to pocket the odd trinket to sell on and make a few bob. Interesting story, well told. Thank you.

[jinnbuster]

It continues to amaze me how you manage to uncover all these nuggets of history which help provide a fully authentic picture of this period. You must put in an enormous amount of time and effort to do all this. Thank you so much.

[neilmcbeath]

Queen Frederika's involvement actually adds another dimension to this story. In saving the Blankenberg effects from the Soviets, King George was aiding relatives of the Greek royal family, and the Greeks had been Britain's allies.

[brick]

I live in Eastern Poland, and nearby Krasiczyn Castle, one of the finest renaissance palaces in Europe, was utterly ransacked by Soviet troops. The building is still being restored to this day, but the art can never be replaced. I have no doubt the art in Blankenburg Castle would've also ended up in the pyre. So the King pulled a few strings for a relative... look, I guess ethically we shouldn't do that, but we all do it to some extent, don't we.

[DavidSnowthesnowman]

Well done to our present King, Charles III for not preventing Mark from conducting his research at Windsor Archives. No family is without fault, and transparency is always the best option. 😊

[PhilippensTube]

You can count on Mr.Felton to uncover the most obscure stories and secrets of WW2. Really very interesting!

[bigsarge]

Fascinating!
And very British to casually acknowledge the King giving permission to review and copy important documents.

[mrcdad]

As you mentioned, King George VI was a constitutional monarch. I suggest that this was a request that was accepted by those in position to make it happen, rather than an order. That the German relatives would see it as an order most likely reflects their different views of how monarchy worked in GB vs what had past been true in the Kaisers's Germany. Overall, if the alternative was putting it in the hands of the Soviets, I have no problem with it.

[myfavouritethings]

NOW THIS IS HOW YOU RESEARCH A TOPIC.!!! You don't list to some crack pot online or read an article that just wants to get your clicks and make you mad. You go to the source!!! Brilliant work Mark

[CharlieTheAstronaut]

"My thanks to HM The King for kind permission to reproduce documents from The Royal Archives at Windsor Castle."
Mark, thank you so much for all of your work and effort, I have learned a lot from your documentaries.
Recently I learned that my grandfather fought in the Luftwaffe across Europe, and later joined the CIA as a secret agent in operations RED BIRD and CAUTERY, we learned all of that from a book written about him and other inmates in a Warsaw prison (where he was eventually executed), he also tamed wild cats in a circus and was a drug addict.
His wife (not my grandmother) was also in the same CIA OP but they did not know of each others involvement with the agency at all. He was CAUTERY-3 she was CAUTERY-10

[David]

"The same George III that American viewers may be familiar with." Among the many things I love about Dr. Felton, his dry sense of humor is definitely at the top!

[christophers_verified]

Amazing work, Mark. And props to King Charles III for granting you permission to reproduce documents from the Royal Archives,

[jimmyPx]

To be fair, while the King was behind it I'm sure that HE didn't issue the orders.
Rather "Winston, I need a small favor". "No problem your majesty, it will be done".

[jonathanljohnson]

Nothing quite like picking up a porcupine and trying to avoid the quills! Great report, Dr. Felton! Thanks again for your very interesting work!

[Fregulus]

Just when you think you've heard it all about WWII, another intriguing tidbit comes up! Thank you, Dr. Felton!

[williamharris]

Dr. Felton, your research abilities are outstanding and unmatched! It is absolutely amazing you encountered this bit of historical information about King George!

Kudos!

[FGIII]

It is my humble opinion that this was an intelligence operation (Authorized at the highest level, with Churchill approval) that was all about the capture of the German Foreign Office Documents, whose exposure would have been much more harmful to the royal family than the Duke´s furniture. I think that HM The King knew quite well what was on stake here, and he played the role with his usual dignitiy and loyalty. Thank you very much for this superb investigation, Dr. Felton! Regards!

[igorGriffiths]

Being ex UK armed forces, when I joined the RAF in 1991, I pledged allegiance to the Queen and not to the government. So if the head of the Royal family had requested the use of their armed forces to carry out a similar task and my chain of command had requested my participation then I would do my duty and serve those I had pledged to serve and defend. This event happened at a time when all participants were playing it by ear and working out what the best way forwards was on a daily basis.