Edward VIII: Britain's Traitor King—explosive new documentary explores how the Queen’s 'favorite uncle' betrayed Britain for the Nazis

Edward VIII’s treacherous actions during World War Two are uncovered in a new documentary

Edward VIII is the subject of an explosive new documentary
(Image credit: Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

A new documentary airing on British television exposes the extent of Edward VIII’s betrayal of his country—and family—during the Second World War. In an exclusive first look at the film, woman&home reveal the shocking facts and artefacts that the documentary bring to light.

“Wallis Simpson has been presented as the villain… what that did was stop people looking at the man Edward really was.”

So opens Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King, a scandalous new documentary which unearths never-before-seen documents exposing the full extent of Edward VIII’s involvement with the Nazis, and how he was secretly plotting against King George VI, his brother and the father of Queen Elizabeth II.

Long before Buckingham Palace dealt with the crushing blow of scandals like Prince Andrew being sued for sexual assault and allegations of racism made during Prince Harry and Meghan's tell-all interview—there was Bertie and Wallis.

The tale of Wallis and the Duke of Windsor is well-known and well-told by now—the man who abdicated his throne for true love.

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson with Adolf Hitler

(Image credit: Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

However, the new documentary by British broadcaster Channel 4 digs deeper, unearthing new documents, discoveries, and interviews with people who knew Wallis and the Duke to expose unforgivable betrayals and powerful cover-ups.

As one historian says in the documentary, "This is a man who will stop at nothing to usurp the throne. Edward wanted to come back as a Nazi installed leader."

Using previously unseen findings, the film explores how Edward was complicit in a plan to reinstall him as monarch in the event of Nazi victory—and even more shockingly, many historians now believe the Duke was guilty of betraying wartime information to known spies and calling for Britain to be bombed into submission. 

In fact, German files found buried in the forest go as far as showing the “day by day account of the Duke’s involvement with the Nazi regime.”

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor with Adolf Hitler

(Image credit: Bettmann/Getty)

Also featured in the bombshell documentary is an unearthed BBC broadcast—played in the film for the first time in history—which shows Edward calling for peace between Britain and Germany weeks before the outbreak of war.

This speech, in which he urges for peace with the Nazis, would’ve come at a time when it was already well known of the atrocities being committed by Hitler’s party.

The documentary film highlights worse dealings of the Duke, suggesting the found documents unearthed from the German forest indicated he had plans to be reinstated on the throne if the Nazis won the war.

He is also characterised through official documents sent from top aides and generals he confided in and spent time with as someone who believed “continued severe bombing would make England ready for peace.”

Wallis and Edward's love story is well known, but the new documentary explores the hidden betrayals of the traitor king

(Image credit: Bettmann via Getty Images)

As one historian in the film says, this is a “former King” saying that he supported the bombing of “his country…his family” in order to stop fighting the Nazi regime— “He was so disloyal to his brother that he was calling for the bombing of Britain as a way of subjugation.”

The reason why these documents haven’t been seen until now is also explored in the film, as there was a collusion between the Cabinet and Winston Churchill to effectively bury the evidence of Edward VIII directly communicating with the Nazis.

However, the film does conclude by reminding viewers that Edward lived the rest of his life in exile from Britain. After the war, Wallis and Edward never lived in Britain again.

For viewers in the UK, Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King airs on Channel 4 at 8pm on Sunday, 27th March. 

Jack Slater
Freelance writer

Jack Slater is not the Last Action Hero, but that's what comes up first when you Google him. Preferring a much more sedentary life, Jack gets his thrills by covering news, entertainment, celebrity, film and culture for woman&home, and other digital publications.


Having written for various print and online publications—ranging from national syndicates to niche magazines—Jack has written about nearly everything there is to write about, covering LGBTQ+ news, celebrity features, TV and film scoops, reviewing the latest theatre shows lighting up London’s West End and the most pressing of SEO based stories.