Y1806

In August 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower faced a problem that had nothing to do with defeating the Germans. French General Charles de Gaulle was threatening to fracture the Allied command structure from within. De Gaulle demanded immediate recognition as France's legitimate leader. He wanted French forces to liberate Paris without American assistance. He insisted on … Read more

In July 1943, Allied High Command gathered in a smoky briefing room in Algiers, North Africa, to finalize plans for the invasion of Sicily. The operation, code-named Husky, would pit American and British forces against Axis defenders on the largest island in the Mediterranean. On one side of the room sat General Sir Harold Alexander … Read more

Edwina Ashley was born on November 28, 1901, into a world of opulence and privilege. Her father, Wilfred Ashley, was a distinguished Conservative MP, and her mother, Maud, was the cherished daughter of Sir Ernest Cassel, one of the wealthiest men in Britain. Despite the cocoon of luxury that surrounded her, Edwina's childhood was marked … Read more

The first line of Andrew Lownie's book on Prince Philip has drawn attention for a passing reference to a relationship between Philip and Sarah Ferguson's mother, Susan Barrantes. Lownie has said the story is not new and had circulated for years, but that his editors removed the word "alleged," so it appeared as a direct … Read more

Prince Philip and Penelope Knatchbull formed a friendship that lasted for decades, and the palace knew about it long before the public did. What made the relationship notable was not its existence but its steadiness. Penny, as she was known, appeared year after year at carriage driving events, country weekends, and royal gatherings where seating … Read more

In October 1956, Queen Elizabeth II stood on a quay and watched her husband sail away. She would not stand beside him again for four months. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was bound for the far side of the world, past the ice of the Antarctic, to islands no reigning sovereign had ever reached. He … Read more

On November 19, 1944, the intelligence section of the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division received a field report from the Alsace Corridor south of Cherbourg, France. Obersturmführer Klaus Riedel marked it with a question he could not answer. The report described a single American soldier, a black private, with no officer present. He had advanced … Read more