Newly released MI5 files reveal that Queen Elizabeth II was not officially informed for nearly a decade that her Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures, Anthony Blunt, had confessed to being a Soviet spy. The disclosure comes as part of a significant release of declassified documents to the National Archives.
Blunt, who oversaw the Royal Art Collection, admitted in 1964 that he had been working as a Soviet agent since the 1930s. However, according to the files, the late Queen wasn’t formally briefed about his full confession until the 1970s. When finally informed, she reportedly took the news “all very calmly and without surprise,” suggesting she may have had prior unofficial knowledge of the situation.
The decision to keep the Queen officially uninformed was part of a broader strategy of secrecy surrounding Blunt’s confession. Only a select few within MI5, including the home secretary and his senior civil servant, were told of his admission. The Queen’s private secretary was merely informed that Blunt had been implicated and would be interrogated.
The files reveal that Blunt’s confession came after being confronted by MI5 interrogator Arthur Martin in April 1964, who offered him immunity from prosecution. The art historian admitted to wartime espionage and continued contact with Russian Intelligence after the war. During his confession, described in the files, Blunt appeared uncomfortable, taking long pauses before answering questions.
Suspicion had first fallen on Blunt in 1951 when his Cambridge associates Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean fled to the Soviet Union. Despite being interviewed 11 times by the Security Service, he maintained his denials until American Michael Straight revealed to the FBI that Blunt had recruited him as a Russian agent.
The truth finally became public in 1979 when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher exposed Blunt’s past in a Commons statement. He was subsequently stripped of his knighthood and died in 1983 at age 75.
Miranda Carter, Blunt’s biographer, suggests that Queen Elizabeth II likely knew informally about Blunt’s activities sometime after 1965, with officials maintaining “plausible deniability” for the monarch’s benefit.
These revelations are part of a broader release of MI5 files that also include details about other Cambridge spies and Cold War intelligence operations. The documents will feature in an upcoming exhibition at the National Archives, marking an unprecedented level of transparency from Britain’s security service.
Sir Ken McCallum, MI5’s Director General, noted that while much of their work must remain classified, “this exhibition reflects our ongoing commitment to being open wherever we can.”
