By José Carlos Palma*

In a dramatic episode during World War II, the Duke of Windsor was saved from a German kidnapping plot thanks to the double agent Dusko Popov. The incident, set against the backdrop of wartime tension and espionage, unfolded in Cascais, Portugal, where German and British intelligence services clashed over the Duke’s fate.

The Duke of Windsor, formerly Edward VIII, had abdicated the British throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. His brief reign and subsequent abdication were marked by controversy, particularly due to his sympathies towards Nazi Germany and his desire to marry Simpson. His stance made him a continual concern for the British government during the war.

King George V had once predicted, “After I die, the boy will ruin himself in less than 12 months,” referring to his son Edward VIII. The prediction proved accurate; Edward’s reign lasted only a year before he relinquished the throne. The marriage to Simpson, who had been divorced twice, was unacceptable to the British government and public, leading Edward to abdicate, citing his inability to perform his royal duties without the support of the woman he loved.

Following his abdication, Edward and Wallis settled in France, where they were treated with high honor by Hitler. Politically naïve, Edward was courted by Nazi agents who suggested he might be restored to the throne if Germany won the war. He even made a triumphal visit to Germany and was received by Hitler, at one point making a Nazi salute.

As Germany occupied France, Edward and Wallis were urged by London to seek refuge in neutral Portugal to avoid potential capture by the Germans. In Estoril, where they stayed for about a month, they mingled with other deposed royals and figures of note.

The British War Cabinet, alarmed by the Duke’s pro-Nazi propaganda, ordered him to return to England immediately. Winston Churchill’s telegram warned Edward of the consequences of defying military orders and hinted at court-martial. Subsequently, a second telegram appointed him Governor of the Bahamas.

Edward employed various delaying tactics to avoid departure, which was known to German intelligence. The German ambassador in Lisbon reported to Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop that Edward intended to delay his departure as long as possible, hoping for a favorable shift in circumstances.

In August 1940, a thwarted kidnapping attempt by Gestapo agents was narrowly avoided, thanks to Popov, who took on the role of a driver to prevent the Duke and Wallis from falling into a trap set by German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop.

The conspiracy, allegedly involving Spain, was orchestrated with Primo de Rivera sent to Lisbon for talks with Edward. Though receptive, Edward had reservations due to intense pressure from London urging his departure for the Bahamas.

The final plan, led by war hero Walter Schellenberg, aimed to lure the Windsors to the Portuguese-Spanish border, with colluding border guards, as they lacked passports. The plot supposedly aimed to “protect” them from British intelligence attacks.

Churchill managed to suppress the revealing telegrams from the German Foreign Ministry for several years, until 1957, when they were denounced as fabrications. Copies of these documents are now held in the American Congressional archives and the Smithsonian Institute.

The Duke of Windsor only returned to Britain once briefly. His relationship with Wallis Simpson, though dependent and troubled, remained his foremost commitment until his death from throat cancer in France.