Newly declassified MI5 documents reveal that the Queen was not informed about Anthony Blunt's confession as a Soviet double agent for almost a decade. The files detail the lengths to which the security services went to conceal this information, fearing negative publicity and potential harm to Blunt's health.
Declassified MI5 documents reveal a startling truth about Anthony Blunt , a renowned art historian who held the position of Surveyor of the Queen 's Pictures and was a member of the Royal Household. For nearly a decade, a secret was carefully guarded: Blunt had confessed to being a Soviet double agent.
The files shed new light on how the security services meticulously concealed this information, fearing the potential repercussions for Blunt's health and the negative publicity surrounding his confession. It was only when concerns arose about Blunt's deteriorating health and the possibility of the confession coming to light after his death that Edward Heath's government requested a full briefing for the Queen. Martin Charteris, the Queen's private secretary, reported back that she received the news calmly and without surprise, remembering that suspicions had already surrounded Blunt in the aftermath of the defections of Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, and John Cairncross, the Cambridge Five, in the 1950s. Michael Hanley, the MI5 director general at the time, noted in March 1973 that Charteris believed the Queen was unaware of Blunt's confession and saw no benefit in informing her, as it would only add to her anxieties. This information underscores the lengths to which the authorities went to protect the Queen from this potentially damaging revelation. Furthermore, the files reveal that other key figures within the government, such as Alec Douglas-Home, who served as Prime Minister in 1964, were not informed about Blunt's confession until its public disclosure by Margaret Thatcher in 1979. The decision to allow Blunt to retain his royal position, even after his confession, was based on the belief that minimizing any outward changes to his status would serve the greater public interest. The Queen, as per Charteris's report, was not particularly fond of Blunt and rarely engaged with him. Michael Adeane, the Queen's private secretary, was only informed about MI5's intention to question Blunt in 1964, regarding new evidence, but not about the actual confession until 1967. The Home Office informed Hanley in 1971 that the Queen was unaware of Blunt's security record, to which Hanley wryly remarked that she might learn a great deal from the newspapers upon his death. These declassified documents challenge the prevailing narrative that the Queen was informed about Blunt's confession shortly after its occurrence. The files offer a more intricate and nuanced account of how this sensitive information was handled, highlighting the complexities of navigating national security and the personal lives of individuals within the Royal Family
MI5 Queen Anthony Blunt Soviet Spy Cambridge Five Cold War Declassified Documents History Espionage
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