The Crown season three is streaming on Netflix after dropping yesterday (Sunday, November 17). The new series consisting of 10 episodes came out at once for fans to enjoy and either binge or savour. This time around there’s a fresh face of actors taking on the Royal Family and the show covers events from 1964 to 1977.
Who was spy Anthony Blunt?
Blunt was an art historian but also a Soviet Spy as depicted in The Crown.
The historian was a fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge during the 1930s when he became involved in Soviet espionage.
He was appointed to the position of the King’s and later the Surveyor of the Queen’s Picture in 1945, according to online encyclopaedia Britannica.
During his life published numerous papers and books on the history of art including Art and Architecture in France 1500–1700 (1953) and Nicolas Poussin (1966–67).
He confessed to being a spy after being approached by the authorities when he was identified by Michael Straight, who was at Cambridge at a similar time to Blunt.
He retired in 1972 and seven years after this, his past was finally revealed and he was the fourth member of the Cambridge Spy Ring.
The truth came out in 1979 after Margaret Thatcher spoke about it in the House of Commons under Parliamentary Privilege. Afterwards, Blunt was stripped of his knighthood from 1956.
In his memoir, released by the British Library in 2009, he said being a spy was the “biggest mistake” of his life.
Was there really a cover-up?
According to the Guardian, the Queen was discreetly told about Blunt being a Soviet spy.
To make matters even more sensitive, Blunt was the third cousin to the Queen Mother.
Diaries from the former deputy head of MI5 Guy Liddell released in 2012 reveal the British intelligence agency worked with courtiers to protect the Royal Family from the Blunt revelation.
However, British government papers released in 2018 reveal home secretary at the time Henry Brooke and attorney general Sir John Hobson knew the truth about Blunt in 1964.
The Crown season 3 is streaming on Netflix now
