This is truly incredible, I had no idea that documents are still sealed under such circumstances. Thank you for taking the time to write this.
This makes me appreciate The Crown even more! I can't wait for season 3. I will miss Claire Foy and her astounding, beautiful, charming, elegant performance and persona.
Some of the documents pertaining to the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 were also sealed under a 100 year embargo - which again, prompts more questions, as such material was clearly likely to beg questions of the official account, and would hardly have been sealed if it didn't.
Re Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, post his abdication, I think that the outlines of the story are pretty clear; the devil will be in the precise compromising detail (which I expect will be considerable - it wouldn't have been sealed, or the Brits wouldn't have made such attempts to suppress it, otherwise), of whatever arrangements were made or deal struck to have his throne restored to him in the event of a German victory.
However, you make the fair point that significant members of the aristocracy held broadly similar views to these held by the Duke of Windsor. But, once war broke out, things changed, as, even for many of these right wing or reactionary aristocrats, holding similar views to the former king was one thing, but aiding and abetting the enemy to achieve their aims - once a state of war existed between the two countries - was quite another.
In his case, the dividing line between "willing dupe" and active sympathiser/collaborator becomes blurred, ever more so, once war broke out and, I suspect, he made it clear that he was available to assist the Germans (or they sounded him out - remember, they did have contact with him, in France, Spain and Portugal and he certainly delayed and lingered long, in 'neutral' countries, away from British soil in 1940) should they invade his country and successfully conquer it and the throne become vacant.
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