Release of declassified documents by the National Archives

Queen Elizabeth II Kept Uninformed of Cambridge Spy Anthony Blunt's Espionage Until 1973, MI5 Files Reveal

Jan 14, 2025, 02:49 AM

Newly declassified MI5 files have revealed that Queen Elizabeth II was not informed about the espionage activities of her long-time art adviser, Anthony Blunt, who was a member of the Cambridge spy ring and a Soviet spy since the 1930s. The documents, released by Britain's National Archives, indicate that palace officials chose not to burden the queen with this information to avoid adding to her worries. Blunt, who served as the Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures at Buckingham Palace, confessed in 1964 to having passed secret information to the KGB during World War II. Despite his confession, Blunt was allowed to retain his position, knighthood, and social standing. The queen was finally informed about Blunt's espionage in 1973 by her private secretary Martin Charteris, when Blunt was ill, due to fears of media exposure after his death. MI5 chief Michael Hanley was involved in these discussions. She reportedly took the news calmly, having been aware of suspicions about Blunt since the early 1950s. Blunt was publicly exposed as a spy by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1979 and died in 1983.