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17 carnations : the royals, the Nazis and the biggest cover-up in history / Andrew Morton.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York, NY : Grand Central Publishing, 2015Edition: First editionDescription: xii, 370 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781455527113
  • 1455527114
Other title:
  • Seventeen carnations
Subject(s): LOC classification:
  • DA580 .M67 2015
Contents:
The Peter Pan prince -- Adolf Hitler, royal matchmaker -- Sex, drugs, and royal blackmail -- Seduced by von Ribbentrop's dimple -- Courting the new king -- Edward on a knife edge -- Love in a cold climate -- Hitler's good Queen Wallis -- The game of thrones -- Plot to kidnap a king -- A shady royal in a sunny place -- Tropic of rancour -- The hunt for pirate gold -- Sovereigns, secrets, and spies -- Fight for the file -- Burying the "hot potato" -- Traitor king or duped duke?
Summary: "Morton tells the story of the feckless Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor, his American wife Wallis Simpson, the bizarre wartime Nazi plot to make him a puppet king after the invasion of Britain, and the attempted cover-up by Churchill, General Eisenhower, and King George VI of the duke's relations with Hitler. From the alleged affair between Simpson and the German foreign minister to the discovery of top secret correspondence about the man dubbed 'the traitor king' and the Nazi high command, this is a saga of intrigue, betrayal, and deception suffused with a heady aroma of sex and suspicion"--Dust jacket flap.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Non-Fiction Davis (Central) Library Non-Fiction Non-Fiction 941.084 MOR 1 Available T00590454
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

For fans of the Netflix series The Crown , a meticulously researched historical tour de force about the secret ties among Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, the Duke of Windsor, and Adolf Hitler before, during, and after World War II.

Andrew Morton tells the story of the feckless Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor, his American wife, Wallis Simpson, the bizarre wartime Nazi plot to make him a puppet king after the invasion of Britain, and the attempted cover-up by Churchill, General Eisenhower, and King George VI of the duke's relations with Hitler. From the alleged affair between Simpson and the German foreign minister to the discovery of top secret correspondence about the man dubbed "the traitor king" and the Nazi high command, this is a saga of intrigue, betrayal, and deception suffused with a heady aroma of sex and suspicion.
,br> For the first time, Morton reveals the full story behind the cover-up of those damning letters and diagrams: the daring heist ordered by King George VI, the smooth duplicity of a Soviet spy as well as the bitter rows and recriminations among the British and American diplomats, politicians, and academics. Drawing on FBI documents, exclusive pictures, and material from the German, Russian, and British royal archives, as well as the personal correspondence of Churchill, Eisenhower, and the Windsors themselves, 17 CARNATIONS is a dazzling historical drama, full of adventure, intrigue, and startling revelations, written by a master of the genre.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [329]-362) and index.

The Peter Pan prince -- Adolf Hitler, royal matchmaker -- Sex, drugs, and royal blackmail -- Seduced by von Ribbentrop's dimple -- Courting the new king -- Edward on a knife edge -- Love in a cold climate -- Hitler's good Queen Wallis -- The game of thrones -- Plot to kidnap a king -- A shady royal in a sunny place -- Tropic of rancour -- The hunt for pirate gold -- Sovereigns, secrets, and spies -- Fight for the file -- Burying the "hot potato" -- Traitor king or duped duke?

"Morton tells the story of the feckless Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor, his American wife Wallis Simpson, the bizarre wartime Nazi plot to make him a puppet king after the invasion of Britain, and the attempted cover-up by Churchill, General Eisenhower, and King George VI of the duke's relations with Hitler. From the alleged affair between Simpson and the German foreign minister to the discovery of top secret correspondence about the man dubbed 'the traitor king' and the Nazi high command, this is a saga of intrigue, betrayal, and deception suffused with a heady aroma of sex and suspicion"--Dust jacket flap.

11 18 19 20 22 28 34 37 89 94 135

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Acknowledgments (p. ix)
  • 1 The Peter Pan Prince (p. 1)
  • 2 Adolf Hitler, Royal Matchmaker (p. 17)
  • 3 Sex, Drugs, and Royal Blackmail (p. 33)
  • 4 Seduced by von Ribbentrop's Dimple (p. 51)
  • 5 Courting the New King (p. 67)
  • 6 Edwatd on a Knife Edge (p. 83)
  • 7 Love in a Cold Climate (p. 102)
  • 8 Hitler's Good Queen Wallis (p. 126)
  • 9 The Game of Thrones (p. 148)
  • 10 Plot to Kidnap a King (p. 172)
  • 11 A Shady Royal in a Sunny Place (p. 196)
  • 12 Tropic of Rancour (p. 218)
  • 13 The Hunt for Pirate Gold (p. 235)
  • 14 Sovereigns, Secrets, and Spies (p. 259)
  • 15 Fight for the File (p. 275)
  • 16 Burying the "Hot Potato" (p. 290)
  • 17 Traitor King or Duped Duke? (p. 308)
  • Source Notes (p. 329)
  • Select Bibliography (p. 357)
  • Index (p. 363)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Edward VIII, son of George V and great-grandson of Queen Victoria, was perhaps the "first royal sex symbol of the modern age." His life and exploits were a source of fascination owing to his volatile emotions, relationships with seemingly unsavory characters, and unwillingness to become the royal that the public expected. Historian Morton (Diana: Her True Story) explores Prince Edward's most famous relationship: that with Wallis Simpson (later stylized Wallis, Duchess of Windsor), a twice-divorced American socialite whom he abdicated his throne to marry. Not only does the work look at this relationship, as well as others involving Wallis and Prince Edward it also examines their association with Germany in the years before and during World War II. Morton captures the interest (and scandals) of the era in a way that makes the book hard to put down. VERDICT This tale of British history, cover-ups, and surprising connections to the Nazi party truly intrigues. It provides a closer look into the world of royals during the first half of the 20th century when there was still so much being kept secret. [See Prepub Alert, 9/14/14.]-Rebecca Kluberdanz, GB65 Lib., New York (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

It has become common knowledge more or less an accepted fact that King Edward VIII of Great Britain was unfit to rule, and consequently, his 1936 abdication (just months after having succeeded to the throne) in order to marry his American and twice-divorced girlfriend was fortunate for the country. But even after he gave up the throne, the Duke of Windsor (his post-king title) caused consternation within both the royal family and the government. Morton, author of the eye-opening Diana: Her True Story (1992), has good storytelling credentials. His tale of the trouble cooked up by the duke and his edgy wife during WWII reads like a good spy thriller. The issue was this. The duke and the duchess, in exile in France, had little to keep them busy but plenty of time to demonstrate their chumminess with Hitler. When war broke out, Hitler tried to keep the pair under his wing so that he could install them as puppet monarchs when he invaded Britain. After the war, the British royal family and the government tried to suppress evidence of the cozy relations between Hitler and the duke, and it is this sordid situation that Morton brings to exciting life.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2015 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

Morton (William Catherine: Their Story, 2011, etc.) takes a break from his unauthorized biographies of the rich and famous to dig into the archives regarding the incompetent King Edward VIII and his American wife, Wallis Simpson.The story is well-known: The Prince of Wales fell for a twice-married lady from Baltimore and eventually abdicated his throne for her. Edward was effectively banished by the new king, George VI, to avoid comparisons to his much more charismatic brother, and made the Duke of Windsor. This story is really about Edward and Simpson's close ties to the Nazis, including a visit with Hitler. While still in England, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hitler's special deputy who was mad for Wallis, became a fixture in their set. He convinced the king of Germany's good intentions, strengthening Edward's support of Hitler's economic success. But Edward overstepped his position as king when he interfered in foreign relations, attempting to forestall war. The meat of the book doesn't arrive until halfway through, during the duke's stay in Spain and Portugal in 1940 on the way to his gubernatorial term in the Bahamas. Under Operation Willi, Germany planned to install Edward as a puppet dictator after England's defeat, which nearly occurred as the British were evacuating Dunkirk. Edward was surely aware of the plan. He was indiscreet, irresponsible, defeatist, childish and nave. Days before the end of the war, copies of communications among the Germans, Spanish and the Windsors were discovered in the Russian zone and quickly spirited away by the British. This evidence of his clear knowledge of the plan would have done irreparable damage to the British monarchy. Morton insists that Edward never really wanted to be king and implies that Simpson never wanted to marry him. A better book would begin in Spain and focus on the damning papers, saving readers all the silly bits and innuendo of Simpson's affairs. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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