logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
36m 24s

George VI’s Nazi dilemma

IMMEDIATE MEDIA
About this episode

As the Second World War raged, King George VI faced not only a battle for the nation’s survival, but also for the royal family’s reputation. And that reputation came under threat from close quarters, when figures within the royal orbit, including the king’s own brother, were either linked with or sympathetic to Nazi Germany. Alexander Larman tells Ellie Cawthorne about the threat these connections posed to Britain’s royals, at a moment of national crisis.


(Ad) Alexander Larman is the author of The Windsors at War: The Nazi Threat to the Crown (Orion, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones:

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=4746&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-windsors-at-war%2Falexander-larman%2F9781474623933&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
Edward the Confessor: life of the week
Edward the Confessor, England’s penultimate Anglo-Saxon king, has long been remembered as a saintly, pious monarch – but was he really the weak ruler whose indecision paved the way for the Norman Conquest that some historical sources would have us think? And if not, how should we ... Show More
49m 42s
Aug 24
Britain and the Caribbean: from slavery to Black Lives Matter
Histories of British involvement in the Caribbean tend to focus mainly on the period of plantation slavery but, in her new book Empire Without End, Imaobong Umoren argues that we need to take a broader view. It's only by taking the story back to the 16th century and forward until ... Show More
30 m
Aug 23
Nationalism: everything you wanted to know
Human beings tend to identify with being in a group, and, historically, few groupings have been more potent than the idea of the nation. But when did people first embrace the idea of the nation state? Is nationalism predominantly a right-wing creed? And does it thrive during peri ... Show More
45m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2023
Royal Nazis
Private family footage from 1933 was leaked to the press which shows a 6 year old future Queen Elizabeth II, with her mother, younger sister and uncle laughing and giving Nazi salutes to the camera. A rebellious 20 year old Prince Harry got in hot water for wearing a Nazi uniform ... Show More
31m 9s
Sep 2022
The Wars of the Roses, Part 2 of 3
With his father Richard of York’s head now on a spike, Edward’s determination to snatch the crown from Henry VI is stronger than ever. But how will he build support for his cause and assert his rights? Can he outmanoeuvre the formidable Queen Margaret, who will stop at nothing to ... Show More
54m 40s
Jan 2024
406. The Nazis in Power: Hitler’s Road to War (Part 3)
“No one can doubt that this world will one day be the scene of dreadful struggles for existence on the part of mankind. In the end, the instinct of self-preservation alone will triumph.”Hitler has been planning for war since 1928. However, the Treaty of Versailles has placed imme ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 2020
The Battle of Britain
In a moment of great danger to national survival, the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against large scale attacks by the Luftwaffe. So how did the Battle of Britain play out? What was Germany’s objective? And how important was it to the direction of the Second World W ... Show More
22m 52s
Sep 2023
Hitler: The Battle of Stalingrad (Part 22)
The myth of the Nazi war machine is blown apart in one of the pivotal battles of World War 2. Serious questions arise as to Hitler’s leadership, encouraging a growing German resistance. As Allied forces eye Sicily, a paranoid Führer retreats further into himself. His war of conqu ... Show More
56m 18s
May 2024
446. Custer vs. Crazy Horse: Civil War (Part 1)
“Come on, you Wolverines!”The story of the American Indian Wars of 1862-68 is an enthralling tale of hubris, politics, recklessness, and the merciless assault of industrialisation and modernity on an old world, nearly extinguished. An immense tragedy, it is also a story of great ... Show More
1 h
Apr 2024
The Battle of El-Alamein Explained
Fought in the second half of 1942, the Battles of El Alamein were a series of climactic confrontations in Egypt between British Imperial and Commonwealth forces and a combined German and Italian army. Intended as a last-ditch attempt by the British to halt Axis gains in North Afr ... Show More
41m 58s
May 2021
The Second Barons' War
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the years of bloody conflict that saw Simon de Montfort (1205-65) become the most powerful man in England, with Henry III as his prisoner. With others, he had toppled Henry in 1258 in a secret, bloodless coup and established provisions for more par ... Show More
56m 32s
May 2021
The Second Barons' War
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the years of bloody conflict that saw Simon de Montfort (1205-65) become the most powerful man in England, with Henry III as his prisoner. With others, he had toppled Henry in 1258 in a secret, bloodless coup and established provisions for more par ... Show More
56m 32s
Feb 2024
Origins of the Civil War
The war between the Union and the Confederacy is a major turning point in the history of the United States. But why did it happen? From slavery and states' rights, to economic, legislative, moral, and political issues, in this episode, Don and Professor Adam Smith explore how the ... Show More
34m 54s