Newly declassified documents from Britain's National Archives shed light on the double life of royal art historian Anthony Blunt, who served as a Soviet spy while working at Buckingham Palace as Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures. Blunt confessed in 1964 to passing secret information to Soviet agents during World War II, a revelation that was kept from Queen Elizabeth II to spare her worries.
Despite suspicions surrounding Blunt for years, he was allowed to retain his job, knighthood, and social standing in exchange for the information he provided. The queen was only informed of Blunt's espionage activities in 1973, with her private secretary noting her calm reaction and prior knowledge of his earlier suspicions in the 1950s.
