Newly released MI5 documents show Queen Elizabeth II’s composed reaction to warnings about Russian spy Anthony Blunt in 1973
London: So, it turns out that back in 1973, Queen Elizabeth II was pretty chill when MI5 warned her about the media storm that would follow the death of Russian spy Anthony Blunt. Can you believe it? Blunt had been the Queen’s art advisor until just a year before, and MI5 was worried about how the public would react once his spy activities came to light.
Sir Martin Charteris, her Private Secretary, wrote a letter about her calm response. She wasn’t surprised at all, which makes sense given her long history with state matters. She even recalled that Blunt had been under suspicion as a spy way back in the early ’50s after two other spies had defected to Moscow.
MI5 had questioned Blunt multiple times about his connections with those spies, but he never admitted anything. The big breakthrough came in 1964 when an American named Michael Straight revealed that Blunt had recruited him as a spy back in the ’30s. After some serious questioning, Blunt finally confessed to being a spy for Russian intelligence during World War II.
After his confession, the Queen was informed, and the whole thing blew up in the media when Margaret Thatcher exposed him as a traitor in 1979. Blunt died in disgrace in 1983, which is just wild considering his close ties to the royal family.
And let’s not forget about the other spies in the Cambridge Five. They were all connected, and it’s fascinating how they managed to infiltrate major government departments. The whole saga is like something out of a spy novel, right?
