The King Who Fooled Hitler (2019)

By Peter McGinn

I watched this documentary because of my long term interest in the history of the British Monarchy. I have always appreciated King George VII because he overcame a lot to become such a worthy king. He had to change his way of living as he had long been sure he was not in the direct line of succession. When that unlikely sequence of events occurred to place the crown on his head, he had to both emerge from the shadow of his charismatic and popular older brother, and also overcome his own shyness and his fear of public speaking. This program, among other things, shows once again how he was aided in his efforts by his choice of a wife. This show is interesting, but I must confess that the breathless way it is told, with superlatives used to highlight the details, reminds me of archaeological programs where in hushed terms the narrators treat every ancient object they examine as something along the significance of the Holy Grail itself. But the king's role as described in this show probably did serve as a piece in the puzzle of deception aimed at the Germans to disguise the true plans of the D-Day invasion and therefore deserves the place it is given here. The fact that it was kept secret for so long, however, is perhaps not quite enough reason to attach so much significance to it. Still, it is worth watching if you are interested in either the history of he monarchy or wish to hear something new about World War II.