Queen Elizabeth was kept in the dark for many years over a Soviet spy being embedded in one of the most senior roles in the family.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the late royal family member was allegedly not informed for nearly a decade that one of her senior courtiers, Anthony Blunt, admitted to being a Soviet spy.
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Recent MI5 documents reveal that art historian Anthony Blunt served as the Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures.
He was responsible for managing the artworks in the royal collection and would sometimes showcase her personal treasures to the public.
In spite of his shocking revelation, he was awarded a knighthood.
Blunt maintained his royal duties despite his confession and stepped down from his role in 1972.
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In 1964, he confessed to having engaged in espionage for the Soviet Union as a member of the infamous Cambridge Five spy network during World War II.
After the shocking revelation, the late Queen remained oblivious for nearly nine years, only receiving the information in the early 1970s.
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Documents made public by Britain's National Archives have uncovered the way the queen dealt with the startling confession almost ten years afterward.
It was noted: "She reacted with complete composure and no hint of astonishment: she recalled that he had faced scrutiny long ago in the wake of the Burgess/Maclean incident."
The late queen was informed after Blunt died, just in case journalists started to dig for the story.
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Prior to Blunt's retirement in April 1964, he stunned MI5 interrogator Arthur Martin with a shocking confession, after which Martin assured him that he would be granted immunity from any prosecution.
The documents indicate that Blunt appeared to be "uneasy" during his speech, as each inquiry was met with a lengthy silence.
He appeared to be weighing his options on how to respond.
Blunt acknowledged his collaboration with the Soviets during the war and also revealed that he had maintained communication with the Russian Intelligence Service.
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The only people aware of the confession at the palace were the queen's private secretary – Martin Charteris, and his deputy, Philip Moore.
The documents indicate that Charteris believed the queen was unaware of the situation, and he saw no benefit in informing her at this point; doing so would only increase her concerns.
Historian Chris Smith told NBC News: "To have informed Her Majesty or anyone else for that matter would have been potentially defamatory; it would also have been deemed embarrassing to Her Majesty."
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher revealed Blunt's history in a Commons statement in 1979, a few years prior to his death in 1983 at the age of 75.
Throughout her 70-year reign, the late queen never made any public statements regarding the hidden scandal.
She died back in September 2022 at 96 years old.
