Hitler's puppet prince

The little known story of the now forgotten member of the British Royal Family airbrushed from history after he started a new life in Germany and then became a fanatical Nazi...

TRAITOR PEER Charles Edward TRAITOR PEER: Charles Edward

Even at that supreme moment, when the crown was lowered on to the Queen’s head, he was seemingly unmoved.

Towards the end of the film, however, there were shots of the entire Royal Family standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Suddenly he peered at the screen closely. It was then that sadness engulfed his face and tears ran down his cheeks. He could stand the emotional turmoil no longer and was led away.

The shabby old man had caught sight of someone he loved, a grey-haired woman he hadn’t seen since boyhood. She was his sister, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, a much-loved member of the Royal Family standing near the Queen that June afternoon in 1953.

POWER PLAYER Prince Charles Edward centre with Hitler POWER PLAYER: Prince Charles Edward (centre) with Hitler

In reality the huddled figure belied his background. He was in fact Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a grandson of Queen Victoria and also the English Duke of Albany. His forgotten story is about to be told in a Channel 4 documentary.

He was cousin to kings George V and George VI and a direct relative of today’s Royal Family – but his name is never mentioned in royal circles, even today. He is regarded as the “black sheep” of a family still embarrassed by some of its links to Germany.

In 1900 the then Eton schoolboy had been required by the Royal Family to go to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to take up the ducal title, as they feared losing a valuable inheritance and considerable land.

He expressed no regret for his Nazi links.

Originally the role had been offered to his cousin Arthur, who turned it down. Prince Arthur was something of a bully and threatened to “punch Prince Charles Edward’s head in” if he did not accept. Immense family pressure was also brought to bear and he was left with no alternative but to comply. He told his friends at Eton: “I’ve got to go and be a beastly German duke.”

His life changed totally on June 1, 1905, when thousands turned out to greet him, following him to Friedenstein Castle. In a lengthy ceremony he accepted the dukedom in front of his cousin the Kaiser, King Edward VII, and members of the British Cabinet.

IT was then that the task began, much of it uphill, of transforming a gawky young schoolboy into a powerful German duke. Charles Edward’s advisers, however, were encouraged by the fact that he had a distinctly Germanic appearance – not surprising considering the origins of our Royal Family.

He was tutored in German history, traditions and – importantly – how to be a German officer. He already spoke the language – King Edward VII spoke German frequently at court – and before long Charles Edward had been transformed into a typical Teutonic aristocrat.

All too easily he absorbed the mannerisms of a heel-clicking martinet – a complete contrast to the more languid English aristocrats with whom he had grown up.

When the First World War broke out the Duke decided that he should support the Kaiser and his adopted country’s cause. This caused fury in England. The Royal Family had already been obliged to change their family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the more English Windsor.

At that time, anything with a faintly German ring to it was hated and King George V had to convince his people that he was not some German puppet.

When the war ended, Charles Edward’s decision would result in severe punishment. He was branded a “traitor peer” and stripped of all his British titles on the orders of King George V.

A special committee insisted his name be struck off the rolls of the peerage. Since Germany lost the war Charles Edward’s German titles were also taken away and he became a commoner. He turned into an isolated figure and was a deeply depressed, angry and disillusioned man.

It was inevitable that he would be attracted to the Right-wing organisations springing up all over Germany in the Twenties.

In 1932 Charles Edward took part in the creation of the extremist Harzburg Front, which became associated with the Nazis. He was mesmerised by Hitler and, being now totally German in outlook, found a new allegiance to his adopted country through the ranting dictator.

He joined the Nazi party, becoming an active member of murderous stormtrooper organisation the SA, known as the Brown Shirts, rising to a senior rank.

After some backdoor diplomatic arrangements, the former Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was allowed back to Britain in 1936 in his role as President of the Anglo-German Friendship Society.

This was a cover for an organisation whose main aim was to prevent war between Britain and Germany – and, hopefully, either entice Britain on to Hitler’s side or persuade it to remain neutral.

The former Prince was instructed by Hitler to measure the degree of appeasement and pro-German sympathy that existed in Britain.

He became acquainted with the Cliveden Set, led by Lady Nancy Astor – a Right-wing, upper-class group who wielded much political influence. They met regularly at Cliveden, the stately home in Buckinghamshire which was then the Astors’ country residence.

The former Prince was welcomed by the group, most of whom were in favour of Hitler’s views – although their attitudes changed on the outbreak of war in 1939.

Charles Edward, somewhat overwhelmed by his welcome among these Right-wing aristocrats, sent messages back to Hitler that there was considerable sympathy to the idea of an Anglo-German pact.

THE old man sat huddled, his body twisted with arthritis, watching a film of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. He stared intently, his face rigid and expressionless as the ornate ceremony unfolded before him.

He underestimated the large body of opinion, led by Winston Churchill, that felt war was inevitable and that Hitler and Nazism had to be stamped out.

The ex-Prince’s arrogance knew few bounds and, much to the horror of the Royal Family and the anger of the crowds, he wore his SA uniform, complete with swastika, at the funeral of King George V.

The former aristocrat formed a close friendship with King Edward VIII and Mrs Wallis Simpson. Charles Edward had many encouraging discussions with the King about the future of Europe and the manner in which Germany was being run.

There was additional warmth towards Mrs Simpson, who had forged a close friendship – some say more than that – with Hitler’s Foreign Minister Von Ribbentrop.

Nazi hopes of a sympathetic presence on the British throne collapsed with the abdication of the King, however.

When Germany was defeated in 1945, the ex-Prince’s world crumbled once again. Within weeks of the German surrender and the death of his beloved Führer, this one-time British aristocrat turned Nazi traitor was arrested under the orders of the US military government in Bavaria. 

In 1946 he appeared in front of a Denazification Court where his extraordinary past was minutely examined. The US military judges were astonished to discover that Queen Victoria’s grandson was standing in front of them.

After listening to his story, they became aware that the arrogant aristocrat was still sympathetic to the original aims of Hitler and had expressed no regret for his strong links to and work for the Nazis. He was reduced to near poverty by the fines imposed on him. Many of his properties in Saxony and Coburg were seized by the Soviet army.

He spent his final years in poverty and seclusion and died in 1954 – just a year after seeing that film of the Coronation.

Prince Charles Edward died a despised and unlamented figure, alone with his thoughts of that

balcony scene in which he saw his adored sister.

* Prince Charles Edward, Channel 4, December 6, 9pm.

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