The secret royals : spying and the crown, from Victoria to Diana

'Outstanding... This is the royals as we have never seen them before' Kate Vigurs, author of Mission France For the first time, The Secret Royals uncovers the remarkable relationship between the Royal Family and the intelligence community, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the death of Princess Diana. In an enthralling narrative, Richard J. Aldrich and Rory Cormac show how the British secret services grew out of persistent attempts to assassinate Victoria and then operated on a private and informal basis, drawing on close personal relationships between senior spies, the aristocracy, and the monarchy. This reached its zenith after the murder of the Romanovs and the Russian revolution when, fearing a similar revolt in Britain, King George V considered using private networks to provide intelligence on the loyalty of the armed forces - and of the broader population. In 1936, the dramatic abdication of Edward VIII formed a turning point in this relationship. What originally started as family feuding over a romantic liaison with the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, escalated into a national security crisis. Fearing the couple's Nazi sympathies as well as domestic instability, British spies turned their attention to the King. During the Second World War, his successor, King George VI gradually restored trust between the secret world and House of Windsor. Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II regularly enacted her constitutional right to advise and warn, raising her eyebrow knowingly at prime ministers and spymasters alike. Based on original research and new evidence, The Secret Royals presents the British monarchy in an entirely new light and reveals how far their majesties still call the shots in a hidden world. A Daily Mail Book of the Year and a The Times and Sunday Times Best Book of 2021 'Monumental.. Authoritative and highly readable.' Ben Macintyre, The Times 'A fascinating history of royal espionage.' Sunday Times 'Excellent... Compelling' Guardian For the first time, Spying and the Crown uncovers the remarkable relationship between the Royal Family and the intelligence community, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the death of Princess Diana. In an enthralling narrative, Richard J. Aldrich and Rory Cormac show how the British secret services grew out of persistent attempts to assassinate Victoria and then operated on a private and informal basis, drawing on close personal relationships between senior spies, the aristocracy, and the monarchy. This reached its zenith after the murder of the Romanovs and the Russian revolution when, fearing a similar revolt in Britain, King George V considered using private networks to provide intelligence on the loyalty of the armed forces - and of the broader population. In 1936, the dramatic abdication of Edward VIII formed a turning point in this relationship. What originally started as family feuding over a romantic liaison with the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, escalated into a national security crisis. Fearing the couple's Nazi sympathies as well as domestic instability, British spies turned their attention to the King. During the Second World War, his successor, King George VI gradually restored trust between the secret world and House of Windsor. Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II regularly enacted her constitutional right to advise and warn, raising her eyebrow knowingly at prime ministers and spymasters alike. Based on original research and new evidence, Spying and the Crown presents the British monarchy in an entirely new light and reveals how far their majesties still call the shots in a hidden world. Previously published as The Secret Royals. Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Introduction: 007 -- 1. Elizabeth I and Modern Espionage -- 2. Popish Plots and Public Paranoia -- Part I: The Rise and Fall of Royal Intelligence -- 3. Queen Victoria: Assassins and Revolutionaries -- 4. Queen Victoria's Secrets: War and the Rise of Germany -- 5. Queen Victoria's Great Game: Empire and Intrigue -- 6. Queen Victoria's Security: Fenians and Anarchists -- 7. Edward VII and the Modernization of Intelligence -- Part II: Royal Relations and Intrigues -- 8. King George V and the Great War -- 9. King George V and the Bolsheviks -- 10. Abdication: Spying on Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson -- Part III: Royals and Spies at War -- 11. Outbreak of the Second World War -- 12. War in the Americas -- 13. The End of the Second World War -- 14. Raiding Missions: Fighting for the Secret Files -- Part IV: Royal Secrets -- 15. Princess Elizabeth: Codename 2519 -- 16. Queen Elizabeth II: Coronation and Cold War -- 17. Nuclear Secrets -- Part V: Royal Diplomacy -- 18. Queen Elizabeth's Empire: Intrigue and the Middle East -- 19. Discreet Diplomacy: The Royals in Africa -- 20. Discreet Diplomacy: The Global Queen -- Part VI: Protecting the Realm and the Royals -- 21. Terrorists and Lunatics, 1969-1977 -- 22. Terrorists and Lunatics, 1979-1984 -- 23. Going Public -- 24. Bugs and Bugging -- 25. The Diana Conspiracy -- Conclusion: The Secret Royals -- Ruling the Past: A Note on Methods -- Acknowledgements -- Endnotes -- Bibliography -- Index -- Plates "For the first time, The Secret Royals uncovers the remarkable relationship between the Royal Family and the intelligence community, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the death of Princess Diana. It shows how the British secret services grew out of persistent attempts to assassinate Victoria and then operated on a private and informal basis, drawing on close personal relationships between senior spies, the aristocracy, and the monarchy. This reached its zenith after the murder of the Romanovs and the Russian revolution when, fearing a similar revolt in Britain, King George V considered using private networks to provide intelligence on the loyalty of the armed forces - and of the broader population."--Provided by the publisher