Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
BUCKINGHAM PALACE VOICED disappointment today after a British newspaper published images allegedly showing a young Queen Elizabeth II giving a Nazi salute in the early 1930s.
The front page of The Sun in the UK shows Queen Elizabeth, then aged around six, raising her right hand in the air as her mother, the late Queen Mother, does the same.
The headline on the story read: “Their Royal Heilnesses” — a reference to the “Heil Hitler” greeting used in Nazi Germany.
“It is disappointing that film shot eight decades ago and apparently from HM’s (her majesty’s) personal family archive has been obtained and exploited in this manner,” a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
While a royal source insisted that the queen would not have known the significance of the gesture at such a young age, the images threaten to cause deep embarrassment for the 89-year-old monarch.
Ten years ago, it was also The Sun, a tabloid and Britain’s top-selling newspaper, which published a photograph of Prince Harry wearing a swastika armband to a friend’s fancy dress party. The fifth in line to the throne later apologised.
Home movie images
The images showing the alleged Nazi salute come from a 20-second black and white home movie which The Sun reported was shot at the royal family’s rural Balmoral estate in Scotland in 1933 or 1934 and has never been made public before.
The video shows the young future queen briefly raising her right hand in the air three times, as well as dancing around excitedly and playing with a corgi.
The group, which also included the queen’s sister Princess Margaret, were apparently being encouraged by the queen’s uncle, the future king Edward VIII.
The precise nature of Edward’s links to the Nazis are still debated in Britain, with some historians accusing him of being sympathetic to Adolf Hitler’s regime.
He met Hitler in Germany in 1937 after having abdicated as king the previous year over his desire to marry US divorcee Wallis Simpson.
The Sun defended its decision to release the images, saying they offered “a fascinating insight in the warped prejudices of Edward VIII”.
“We publish them today knowing they do not reflect badly on our queen, her late sister or mother in any way.”
’Decades of dedication’
A royal source speaking on condition of anonymity said that the queen would have been “entirely innocent of attaching any meaning to these gestures” at such a young age.
“The queen and her family’s service and dedication to the welfare of this nation during the war (World War II) and the 63 years the queen has spent building relations between nations and peoples speaks for itself,” the source added.
The source also claimed that “no one at that time had any sense how it (the situation in Germany) would evolve”.
The affection in which many Britons still hold the Queen Mother, who died in 2002, is based on her and husband King George VI’s decision to stay in London during World War II and visit bomb sites caused by German aerial attacks known as The Blitz.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The Sun is some rag, wouldn’t wipe me arse with it
I stopped buying it when it went single-ply.
Well that’s the end of the Sun Newspaper..I’ll give it 6 months at the most.
Its a disgrace.. Shouldnt even be sold surely only idiots read it.
Would not buy it . Even if they have a Irish version the Irish Sun A Elephant never forgets.
Sort of semi reading though
They couldn’t shut down the Sun during Annus Horribilus so I doubt they could do it now.
fair play to them for advertising it..
The present Queen wasn’t even heir to the throne in 1933 and neither were her parents.
British Royal family are of German origin and it is believed that they helped fund, with many other British and American elite, the rise of the Nazi party.
@Robin
What does single-ply mean?
The Sun is a rag.
But the film is a historical document! It should be out in the open.
Anyone notice the (even more shocking) Irish jig?!
Members of the British Royal Family fought in both world wars against the Germans and lost family and close friends. It is therefore highly unlikely that they would help fund a German dictator rise to power.
Perhaps many of the family and close friends were fighting for Germany.
Chris Kirk, the #britishroyalfamily did support the Nazi party in the 30′s, ever noticed the striking similarities of the british king george, the german kaiser, and russian tzar, it’s not just the moustache they were all related. you could maybe check history sources which weren’t written by the british or american side.In the early days of the Nazi party do you think they told people their plans for European dominance
The Fabian society of the corporation of London who had members of the British Royal Family hand picked Hitler in 1919 to lead the Nazi Socialist party as he was a very powerful speaker with great charisma. Rudolph Hess, a very powerful German aristocrat, was his mentor and handler.
Sorry, it is a bit more than a belief at this stage, the story I’ve seen is only outdone by the recency of the Bill Clinton Murder mysteries, the mystery being that he hasn’t been done for murder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Qt6a-vaNM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DSzcdCv8_s
And it looks like hilary was the ringleader!!
@Michael Daly
Thanks.
It would have been easier if you replied to Michael and not got me out of the bed to look at Michael’s name!!
Not a big fan of the royal family but leave the 89 year old and her 6 year old self alone. Typical of the gutter press that is The Sun
The photo shows an adult Queen Mother giving the Nazi salute. The year is 1933 and everybody by that stage knew what it meant. At least it seems Johnny Rotten’s song shd be taken literally ‘god save the queen, the fascist regime, that made you a moron’. Cuz anyone that worships a royal family in the 21st century is.
Dave. In 1933 Hitler had only just come to power. Fascism was new and popular right across Europe because it was thought by many to be a bulwark against Soviet Communism. Italy, Germany and Spain all had Fascist Governments. It was not tainted by the Death Camps as it is now.
The fear of Communism was at that time very real.
Fascism was about crushing democracy. Particularly it was about crushing the democratic will of the working classes who were in rebellion across Europe because they were suffering from the effects of the 29 crash. The Royal family loved an ideology that was about showing the lower orders their place, ie below them.
And what was the alternative Soviet style Communism? To many at that time Democracy seemed weak and powerless against Communism. And as for “crushing the democratic will of the working classes” where do you think most of the support for the Fascist Governments came from if not the “working classes”? That is where the Nazi party and Mussolini’s Fascist party got the majority of their support from likewise with Franco. During the Spanish civil war do you think it was only wealthy land owners that fought for Franco?
“here do you think most of the support for the Fascist Governments came from if not the “working classes”? ”
Needs to be remembered that when the Nazis came to power in Germany almost 70% of the population did not vote for them
Fascists did not get their support from the working classes. Most working class people in Germany were members of either the SPD (social democrats) or the KPD (Communists). It is true that traditional conservatives didn’t like Nazi’s, most of Nazi support came from a disaffected middle class. But although the traditional conservatives didn’t like Nazis they still made a deal with the devil and brought them into power in order to use their boot boys to deal with pesky trade unionists and leftists.
Dave. Very very few democratically elected governments get anywhere near 51%+ of the popular vote. Unless you have only two parties to choose from and make it compulsory to vote, results like you are expecting a nigh impossible in a multi party democracy.
In 1933 the Fascist ideology was well established and intelligent people should have been aware what such a doctrine brings. No excuse for any family expressing sympathy towards fascism.
Jindrich. Fascism was only established about 9 years in Italy at that stage. So it was still New and relatively unknown. People had seen the chaos and mass slaughter the Communist Revolution had brought about in the old Russian Empire and were rightly fearful of Stalin and Soviet Communism. Germany had just gone through a horrendous depression and the government was weak and ineffectual. So you had to main contenders that were going to take power one way or another, The Communists with help from the Soviets or three Facists under Hitler. And we know who won that contest. And during the pre war years during the Fascist regime Germany prospered. There was virtually 100% employment, massive infrastructure development, industry flourished and peoples living standards rose meteoriclly. That is why Hitler and the Nazi’s became so popular with the masses.
Dave, the stupidity of the Irish is that they would have anything to do with those who drizzled their salads with our blood for centuries and will do so again, with a slightly different recipe, as soon as it suits them. I know half a dozen minor players in the game of Royalty, they are all equally delightful, when it suits them. Most are also con artists, preying on the insecurity of the lesser mortal, who thinks a bit of gold leaf might rub off on them. A lot of alcohol involved as well and a coach load of drugs, the conscience troubled!!
Hands up who didn’t do a Nazi salute at some stage during their childhood.
When did you stop reg?
@Reg,
Don’t you mean hand up.
Could be worse. At least she wasnt a member of FG or FF.
Reg, I did not. NO excuse for being stupid or badly educated even as a child. I am sorry for you.
The Sun never cease to amaze with their barrel scraping for stories.
The queen might not have known but her mother and father would have.
Not in 1933. Nobody did.
What a Rag of a paper …
Ben the nazi salute was used in 1933 check it out.
Think he means no one new about what nazism really was… Naziism economically speaking brought germsny from destitution to a thriving economy. No one outside germany knew what they reslly up to especially not in 1933.
No one knew how significant that salute would be or what it would lead to.
Ray point is nobody actually understood what the nazis were realy about in 1933. Nobody knew what was going to coming down the road in 1939. In fact in 1933 Hitler and the Nazis where regarded with a lot of respect as all as anyone has to do is look at news papers and film reel from around the world at the time. An unpleasant truth but still a true. Even the Jewish population in Germany had little idea what was comming. such was the nazis and Hitler’s popularity.
Plenty of FG supporters were marching on O’Connel street in Blue shirts doing the Nazi salute back in the 30′s and they were well aware it stood for Facism. What they and others at the time did not know is where Facism will go when allowed to go unchecked will lead us. The six year old in this picture did not know what Facism was and it’s disgusting to make any judgment about her for mimicking the adults who did or should have known.
Main Kampf was written 8-9 years earlier. You’d kinda get an idea he has some personal issues at that stage that would stop you using that salute.
They were probably impressed with his power.
Are they not just waving goodbye to someone? Seriously.
It was a type of salute common to fascist parties throughout Europe. Fascism appealed to a lot of people at the time, none of them knew what was going to happen. Especially not toddlers.
If they didn’t know about what the Nazi party stood for and their opinions of Jews Ben Gunn they must have being going around with a buckets over their heads.
Ben needs to go back to history class me thinks
German ethnic family who had strong sympathies to the Nazis in straight armed salute shocker.
At least they had the good sense not to call on the German Embassy in Dublin to offer condolences on Hitler’s death.
Perfect answer!! Bit of training for later on. The one thing they don’t possess is morality, because with that they would be poor and serving their subjects. Diana told a good story and even she did in know the lot of it. If she did there would have been no need to kill her, her conscience would have done the job.
as a Liverpool supporter I despise the sun and so only read as far as that. they are s(um of the highest order. the queen was an innocent child at the time so their sensationalism in this story disgusts me
What part of liverpool are you from Shsne?
Strange question
I didn’t say I was from Liverpool. I support the club and I witnessed Hillsborough and the aftermath. the sun and Kelvin McKenzie are despicable to me
Shane I think he’s flirting with you lol
No public interest here to justify it.
She was only six
The salute did not then have the same significance it does now.
Queen Mother was innocent too. She thought it was a children’s game.
How is there no public interest?
These are the people who hold the highest office in Britain and on which the whole hierarchical aristocratic system is based. Surely the British people have the right to know what they were getting up to at that time. It may be irrelevant today but it is still in the public interest.
Kaiser Ned took ze ‘game’ most seriously, whatever about that gin-soaked jizabel!!
there certainly is a lot of #westbrit royalty lovers here today. I presume most of yis vote F.G. after all they were the party who thought swearing an oath of allegiance to the british crown was ok, and there’s plenty of photographic evidence of F.G. #blueshirt’s giving the Same fascist salute that the german brownshirts and Italian blackshirts used.
Nothing in your comment has anything to do with The Sun article and you make generalistic comments on other posters.
Historically significant, but that’s about as far as it goes. It’s really just a curiosity and not of any importance.
Did you know that I too wave with my right hand, not even moving my hand sometimes….. Strangely though I’m not a Nazi
I always knew the Sun was a sub standard publication but I thought it was a only minority that read it – ‘Britain’s top selling Newspaper’ according to this article. That’s shocking !?!?!
well she is German …
This salute was the Roman salute for a long time. I’m my view it was a great salute destroyed forever by the fascists. Any history buffs comment on its status in 1933?
It was a replica of theblackshirts in italy, the fascists who wanted to herald the new roman empire. Hitler was emulating them i’d guess.
Yes, and the swastika was originally a positive icon. People’s actions dictate somethings meaning.
No, it wasn’t a Roman salute
Common misconception. The painters at the time painted the Romans saluting like that but it wasn’t based on any factual historic evidence
Imagine the confusion amongst Loyalists in the North. Last week there was outrage because they were using Nazi flegs as part of the “celebrations”. This week everyone is saying to leave “thur Queen” alone for giving the Nazi salute. It’s no wonder Ulster/Loyalists get so worked up.
The royal bloodline is German though. They very much did see what was coming in the fatherland, hence the rush to change names from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor and Battenburg to Mountbatten etc.
Of course, non of that changes the fact that the sun is a filthy rag, fit for nothing but lining a budgie cage.
But they changed their name 20 years previously didn’t they?
They do what they do to survive. If Britain fell to the Germans you can be sure that video would be shown as a sign of loyalty. Spin it this way, spin it that way.
The queen as a kid is of course innocent here.
So while a nazi book keeper goes to prison for his actions 70 years ago, the royals are afforded a pardon for their actions. Royalty by its definition is wrong and they should be thrown out to live like normal people.
a constitutional monarch does not have the powers that you think they have and serve only as a figure head. your point is pointless
In fairness he/she does not mention any constitutional powers and I agree with his general sentiment on monarchies, but this story and the paper which published it are utter garbage.
6degree, to compare a concentration camp guard with child saluting is something you be ashamed off, quite disgraceful.
And how do you explain the Gough Whitlam incident Shane or the Use of the Royal Prerogative?
Was he a concentration guard Stephen; or an administrator and accountant?
That was 1933 after all… And they were children.
Dont say anything about the royals in Ireland you will be scorned faster than if you were in Britain . The Queens family name is Saxxe Coburg they changed to a British name . There as German as your going to get . WW2 was fought between King Edward Kaiser Wilhelm and Czar Romanov Edward been the uncle of both. Royal wars never effect royals their bloodline always continues. Is the queen involved in a Reich mindset she sure has a stake in it she practically owns Boeing and Lockheed Martin . Her husband a right creep who was best mates with Jimmy Saville do you reckon mi6 hadn’t been surveiling him all along and he with special permission into the palace even at Christmas dinner. Their an odd bunch them royals . Que outrage everything I said Is there to be read all documented. The French revolution and Napoleon shit them up now they operate in a different manner same mentality though. Royals do not believe they are of the same physiology as the rest of us they never have their different supposedly.
Excuse me WW1
B-Egan, are you drunk?
Well said. Absolutely correct.
B-Egan – they’re, the word is spelt they’re. Not their or there, they’re! Please go learn the difference between the three and learn how to use commas while you are at it.
That was hard to read. Valid none the less.
@John Smith
The word is spelled – not spelt
Royals are never affected by ears. Ask the Kaiser and the Tzar if you don’t believe me.
John Smith
Under a fake account your lecturing other people?? How about you post under your real name and come back to us, or are you afraid to stand over your own opinion.
b-egan , good post, not enough people realise this, brainwashed into believing every thing that the #benevolent ruling class tell us.
John smith, is that all you took from b-egan’s post, really, you must be chuffed with yourself, you self important fool, please go learn something, anything and piss off while you’re at it.
Why is anybody surprised by this?the sun wins again,the world is talking about this rag again.this papers treatment of liverpool fans at hillsborough,coverage of all things lady Diana,they really have quiet a history but yet here we are ‘shocked’ yet again!low life paper,always was and always will be
Judging by the comments here there are very few who took History for their Leaving Cert
Meaning?
Completely agree with you, I’m shocked by all the comments saying people didn’t know what Nazism or that salute was about in 1933. What’s worse is the amount of approval they are getting for such comments. It looks like we are becoming more and more like the Brits and Americans by the day, clueless about history, maybe they are all red top readers in denial.
The s*n is a rag nobody should buy. Anyway aren’t the British royal family of German decent? The babe Winsor was invented.
The name Winsor that it
Fat fingers?? ;-)
-The sun is a rag.
- Royalty/ascendancy etc is nonsense imo.
- However the british want a monarch its their right.
- ok the queen and her family have lads of money and privilege but they don’t enjoy true freedom as this article demonstrates.
- imagine whats its like to wake up and find a newspaper have gone through you family archives and discovered you playing doing a salute and then after a life of loyal service accuses you of being a fascist?
- it is interesting that the queen and her mother etc were doing the salute, but only interesting in that it signifies nothing.
No Cian too much Jameson last night…that’s the story I’m going with
Surely it is of purely historical importance to note Edward was teaching his family the salute. I mean that in itself is fascinating and it does justify those that thought he was a nazi symphathiser. I don’t think even Sun readers will think the 6yo knew what was going on, that’s not the point.
I wouldn’t underestimate the level of stupid that reads the sun
I blame FG/Labour
The shocking thing about this story is the statement by the sun suggesting this does not reflect badly on the royal family…..It does.
It shows how close the royals were to Hitler and how frightening things may have been if Britain made a pact with Hitler.
I blame ENDA
phil the greek asked a woman during the week,who do you sponge off of?,classic coming from the biggest spongers in the world
Does no one in that rag understand historical context? The “roman” salute was quite common among armed forces including the irish army and it hawked back to the ancient Roman empire. in 1933 the rise of facism across Europe in Germany, Austria, Spain and Italy was seen as a good thing due to it opposing communism and invigorating economies. It took a few more years for the penny to drop among other nations.
I don’t understand why people are bashing the sun for publishing this. The video has historical significance as one of the earliest videos of the royal family and because of Edwards fascist beliefs. Why on Earth would the royal family’s political leanings (the six year old Queen excluded) be out of bounds for media coverage considering they are heads of State. I’m sure other, more reputable newspapers would have published this first if they had got their hands on it.
It is a film not a video.
It might explain the emergence of nazi flags during the cultural celebrations flown by the royals most loyal subjects here in the 6 counties.
God save the queen
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
Potential H-bomb
God save the queen
She ain’t no human being
There is no future
In England’s dreaming
Don’t be told what you want
Don’t be told what you need
There’s no future, no future,
No future for you
God save the queen
We mean it man
We love our queen
God saves
God save the queen
‘Cause tourists are money
And our figurehead
Is not what she seems
Oh God save history
God save your mad parade
Oh Lord God have mercy
All crimes are paid
When there’s no future
How can there be sin
We’re the flowers in the dustbin
We’re the poison in your human machine
We’re the future, your future
God save the queen
We mean it man
We love our queen
God saves
God save the queen
We mean it man
And there is no future
In England’s dreaming
No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future,
No future for me
No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future
For you
I’m pogoing and gobbing round the sitting room after reading that!
Nope, they are just parasitic rich people who connect with people who have loads of money and no morals…
Johnny Lydon is the one person that I would really enjoy having a pint with. The British royal family are a bunch of parasitical leeches, as an English person I could never understand why my fellow countrymen love them soooo much.
You swear the British EMPIRE was morally better than Nazi Germany or something. This is a power that used famine as a weapon in many countries to control population .
In India they reckon as many as 8 million died alone.
Yawn. Move along now, nothing to see here!!
It’s nothing got to do with the toddler knowing what it meant it’s the fact she is being shown what to do by her father and the links her father had to Hitler. Shocked to see so many Irish people defending the corrupt perverted Royal Family. Why shouldn’t they report on this if my six year old son was caught doing a nazi salute on camera he’d be in the paper tomorrow and I’d be criticised.
it is her uncle in the photo not her father
Nothing to do with her father George VI, it’s her uncle Edward VIII.
Read the article carefully next time.
Reminds me of a Cyndi Lauper song.
Girls just wanna have fun ?
Big deal, I did it myself when I was a kid and this was six years before WW2 began, the Nazis were probably a novelty item and lots of people were mimicking them. Never thought I’d be defending the British Royals but this is just utter rubbish, typical of the Sun.
Get back to fiddling your expanses boy!! Ged dat hair cut ass well.
Why are so many people on here defending the queen of England it’s pathetic who cares if it was Enda Kenny’s grandfather the comment would have a different tune
Anything to sell a newspaper . #dontbuythesun
Sun is arse paper The German family were only following orders
Oh nein she didn’t!
one is not impressed
No surprise the royal family are of German decent and at the end of the day they are all eating out of the same pot
Gutter journalism.
Well, at least you were decent enough to put “as a child” in the headline, whereas the Indo just saw the opportunity for click-bait and used a photo of Adolph Hitler greeting Wallis Simpson and greyed the text underneath, which said it was 80 years ago.
I’m glad to see that everyone is on the royal’s side on this one. Shows that things have really progressed between the countries and Irish / English relationships are at an all time high. Only took us 100 years…
Queen was 5 and the Queen Mother was 30+ but was Scottish back then not British so move on.
“a British newspaper “? they call that rag a newspaper? article ended with the headline.
Too tiring to read all the comments, in fairness how many of us were told to pose for family pics at 6 years old- am still Morto and hope they never hit the mee jaa!, even more disciplined 80 years ago… I still hate posing for pics
English “history” is a collection of myths designed to glorify the ruler.
North Korea move over.
The English national anthem mentions only one person.
A non story probably printed to deflect from mad Philips latest gaffes ,
The absolute irony of him asking who anyone sponges off of lol
http://news.sky.com/story/1520263/prince-philip-gaffe-who-do-you-sponge-off
Fair play to the sun for this, great to see these self appointed rulers being shown how ridiculous and out of touch they are
besides friend with jimmy savile.
Diana’s ghost is horrified.
I think the ghost is haunting them and may the nightmares continue
for these outrageously awful people!!
The sun must be desperate to put this out with that caption but on the other hand look at all the attention everyone has given it, one to the sun
And that is how you get the Gin bottle off the shelf, Margaret…
Up, up and away… Say heil to the relatives won’t you lol.
Lovin it …
looks like she’s about to do a cartwheels to me.
have your say