‘The Queen failed to mention her German ancestors in her 1972 Christmas Day TV broadcast for fear of provoking a ‘snide’ public backlash, according to previously unseen official papers.
They show she had planned to refer to her ‘continental relations’ but had a change of heart after talks at the highest levels of government.
The seeming embarrassment about her close family ties echoed that of the First World War, when fierce anti-German feeling led to the Royal Family changing its name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.’
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Read More: Queen refused to mention German relatives in Christmas speech in fear of public backlash
Niamh Harris