Revealed (TV Series) Britain's Nazi King (2009) User Reviews

What's the exact truth?

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 8 December 2013]

Up until very recently, the stated reason for King Edward VIII giving up his title was simply because he wanted to marry a twice-divorced American. It was a romanticized story about a love affair that superseded even the monarchy. However, "Revealed: Britain's Nazi King" and other documentaries reveal that the truth might be a bit more complicated. While "Revealed" seems to support the original assertion to a degree, an earlier show "Edward VIII: The Traitor King" goes so far as to say that the marriage really was NOT the main reason for this abdication but his treasonous associations and political leanings. Both documentaries outline how Edward was very, very close friends with important Nazis--both before and after his abdication! Even when the war began, the couple STILL counted among his best friends a lot of Nazi scum and kept in contact with them! And, Wallace Simpson's earlier affair with Von Ribbentrop (one of the highest Nazi officials) sure didn't help matters! Clearly, the real reasons for the abdication are a bit more complicated than the standard romantic story of Edward and Mrs. Simpson.

The bottom line, however, is that although both documentaries are well documented and convincing, people simply WANT to believe a fabricated story--not that they were traitors. Me, with my anti-monarchist leanings and love of the real, behind the scenes story, enjoy this new revisionist version of history. Compelling and fascinating--especially when you think that the Nazis had contemplated re-installing Edward as king once they conquered Britain! Think about what might have been!

A great synopsis of Edward's treason

[angelofvic · 10/10 · 13 February 2011]

The facts of Edward VIII's treason have been covered up so well by those protective of the monarchy's image (and that even includes Churchill, for whom Edward was his worst nightmare) that the world still thinks of his story as a romantic sacrifice instead of what it really is: the story of a blatant traitor to his country, who endangered the lives of millions of Allies and who favored and aided Hitler and Nazism.

This documentary is one of a few that have been done on this subject. Another good, though longer, one is "Edward VIII: The Traitor King." The virtue of this particular documentary is that it's short and to the point, easy to follow, and doesn't include an overwhelming amount of less-important information.

It's available to watch on YouTube, if you search for the playlist title of "The UK's Nazi King Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor: Traitor & Enemy of Britain."

Whose majesty?

[SanFernandoCurt · 26 January 2011]

It's long been speculated that Edward was both Nazi sympathizer and anti-Semite. What we have here is little more than what's been offered in the past - gossip, innuendo and speculation. This applies especially to FBI files that form so much "proof" in this weak case. It's not hard to believe much of this material was produced by lackey agents, relying on hearsay keyed to please the agency's director, noted Anglophobe Herbert Hoover.

Being a sympathizer of any kind is not the same as being a traitor and spy; this documentary wildly oversteps its bounds with implied allegation the ex-king and his wife were Quislings nesting in one resort after another while stabbing their countrymen in the back. The key link would be alleged correspondence between Wallis Simpson and Nazi foreign minister von Ribbentrop. Where is it? Where is any REAL evidence? So much of the show's assertions are framed as "many believe" and "there is speculation...". This is hogwash approach to proving any charge, standard method for all specious conspiracy theories. Many believe chupacabras leap onto goats by night to suck their blood! Do you? National Geographic channel should be ashamed of itself.

Was the Duke of Windsor a Nazi agent or a Nazi dupe?

[ey925 · 4/10 · 1 September 2010]

The story is Edward's life, mainly 1934-45, and his youth and old age are summarized as briefly as possible. The main twist is its presenting as fact the FBI files on the Duke of Windsor (recently made public) which in turn manifest the main difference between American and British intelligence methods. British intelligence policy is that no testimony is believable until and unless confirmed by someone else. US policy (as implied in these FBI files) was to take at face value all reports -- e.g. that Joachim von Ribbentrop sent 17 scarlet carnations every day to the Duchess of Windsor, commemorating their 17 sexual engagements, and that she sent Ribbentrop intelligence information in 1940 after the Windsors fled to Biarritz. The film is slightly weakened by anachronism, e.g. making Churchill prime minister before the German invasion of France, introducing socialite/industrialist Charles Bedaux in 1937 as a Nazi agent (which the FBI judged he was in 1943), showing dinner place cards with first names (e.g. Joseph Goebbels rather than Herr Goebbels) etc.