An astonishing photo album detailing the Duke of Windsor’s notorious trip to Nazi Germany in 1937 has emerged for sale.
It was compiled and captioned by the Duke’s sole equerry Sir Dudley Forwood, 3rd Bt, and has been in his family ever since.
Included are pictures of the former king meeting top ranking Nazis including Hitler himself.
Forwood clearly chose to include pictures that showed himself, and many of them are thought to be unseen.
More than 60 photos detail the official visits that the Duke went on with his new wife Wallis Simpson, who was the cause of the abdication crisis the previous year.
Forwood became the Duke’s equerry following the abdication and remained so until the outbreak of war when he returned to his regiment, the Scots Guards.
He later said that the Duke’s trip to Germany was not to support the Nazi regime as many thought, but so his beloved wife could experience a state visit.
However, Forwood also recalled the Duke telling Hitler when they met: “The Germans and the British races are one. They should always be one. They are of Hun origin.” He added that the Duke must have forgotten about the Norman invasion.
The photos show the Duke and his wife visiting many places including a mine, the winter relief headquarters, a light bulb factory and a school.
In his caption Forwood said the school was set up ‘to teach the young Germans to become true Nazis. It is run on the lines of an English public school with every type of facilities for games.’
Many photos record how the couple were shown around by Dr Robert Ley who was in charge of the visit and a fanatical Nazi, devoted to Hitler.
He remained in the Fuhrer’s inner circle right until the end and was later arrested and strangled himself while awaiting trial.
The album is being sold by Duke’s of Dorchester on March 10 along with Forwood’s invitation to the funeral of the Duchess of Windsor in 1986. It is estimated to make £500-£1,000.
Timothy Medhurst, an expert from Duke’s, said: “This is an incredible piece of history with impeccable provenance.
“…There will be interest from Royal collectors but also those with an interest in history and the war…”
