Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in September 2022, remained in the dark for nearly a decade after Anthony Blunt—an esteemed art historian and curator of the royal family’s vast art collection—admitted in 1964 that he had been a Soviet spy since the 1930s. This revelation comes from newly declassified MI5 documents released by the National Archives today.

According to the documents, the Queen was only informed about Blunt’s espionage activities for the KGB nine years after his confession. Despite the gravity of the news, she reportedly reacted “calmly and without apparent surprise.” Blunt had been appointed to his prestigious role in 1945 by her father, King George VI.

Government Concerns and Media Fears

The decision to inform the Queen was prompted by Blunt’s deteriorating health. Officials feared that after his death, media outlets might expose his activities, creating a public scandal. The records also indicate that the Queen did not hold Blunt in high regard and rarely interacted with him.

The Cambridge Five Spy Ring

Blunt was one of the notorious “Cambridge Five,” a group of highly placed double agents recruited by the KGB while attending Cambridge University in the 1930s. The ring included Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, and Kim Philby, all of whom played key roles in Cold War espionage.

Blunt, who worked as an MI5 officer during World War II, passed significant volumes of classified information to the KGB. Although suspicions about his loyalty arose in the 1950s, he continued to hold a prominent position in the British establishment until the early 1960s due to a lack of concrete evidence.

In 1979, then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher publicly revealed Blunt’s identity as a Soviet spy during a speech in Parliament. Following the disclosure, he was stripped of his knighthood. Blunt passed away in 1983 at the age of 75.

Popular Culture and Upcoming Exhibition

The infamous espionage case was dramatized in an episode of the hit television series The Crown, bringing renewed attention to Blunt’s double life. The release of these declassified documents coincides with the upcoming exhibition MI5: Official Secrets, which will be held at the National Archives in London next spring.