Buckingham
Palace has reacted with fury after footage of the Queen performing a
Nazi salute as a young girl was released by The Sun last night.
The
shocking film from 1933 shows Edward VIII teaching his nieces the
seven-year-old future Queen and her three-year-old sister Princess
Margaret how to do the salute in the gardens at Balmoral.
The
publication of the 17-second film has outraged many across the nation
who believe that the Queen cannot be held responsible for her actions as
a girl playing with her family.
Buckingham
Palace last night slammed The Sun for the publication of the footage,
obtained from the family's private archive, saying it is 'disappointing'
that the film has been 'obtained and exploited in this manner'.
A
palace spokesman said: 'It is disappointing that film, shot eight
decades ago and apparently from her Majesty's personal family archive,
has been obtained and exploited in this manner.'
The footage is already generating heated debate and criticism across the nation, with a palace source slamming the Sun 'Most people
will see these pictures in their proper context and time. This is a
family playing and momentarily referencing a gesture many would have
seen from contemporary news reels.
'No one at that time had any sense how it would evolve. To imply anything else is misleading and dishonest.
'The Queen is around six years of age at the time and entirely innocent of attaching any meaning to these gestures.
'The
Queen and her family's service and dedication to the welfare of this
nation during the war, and the 63 years The Queen has spent building
relations between nations and peoples speaks for itself.
The
clip shows the Queen Mother also saluting proudly alongside Princess
Margaret, aged three. They are encouraged by Edward VIII, who is known
to have harboured Nazi sympathies.
The
grainy black-and-white photograph was taken just as Hitler was rising
to power in Germany, seven years before the outbreak of the Second World
War and before the atrocities of the Third Reich terrorised Europe.
At the age of seven, the Queen is unlikely to have understood the full the implications of making a Nazi salute.
As
the controversial footage spread on the internet, many reacted with
horror, believing that its release was wholly inappropriate.
Barbara Keeley MP, a Labour politician representing Worsley and Eccles South, retweeted a message which said: 'Hey @TheSun, if you want to stir up some moral outrage about a misjudgement in history, look a bit closer to home.'
Before the war: The English football team performing a Nazi salute in May 1938, in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, before a friendly game with Germany |
Source: Dailymail
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