10 Famous Royals Who Sided With Germany and What Happened to Them

10 Famous Royals Who Sided With Germany and What Happened to Them During the turbulent decades of the early 20th century, the rise of fascism across Europe tore through the ancient royal houses of the continent. Facing the abolition of monarchies, the rise of Soviet communism, and deep economic collapse, numerous European princes, dukes, and former monarchs saw Adolf Hitler’s regime not as a threat, but as a bulwark to restore their lost titles, lands, and political power. Who were they, and what happened when the Third Reich fell? In this video, we examine *10 famous royals who aligned with or supported Germany during World War II—and the dramatic consequences they faced after the war.* *Former kings and abdicated monarchs* maintained dangerous back-channel communications with Nazi leadership. Traveling to Germany to meet Hitler personally, they openly criticized Allied war policy and cooperated with Axis agents in hopes of being reinstated to their thrones. When the war ended, official cover-ups kept their correspondence hidden for decades while they lived out their lives in permanent political exile. *German crowns and deposed imperial heirs* actively joined the Nazi Party and military apparatus. Serving as high-ranking officers in the SA or NSKK, they lent royal prestige to fascist rallies to mobilize public support. Postwar denazification courts stripped them of their remaining estates, held them in Allied internment camps, or left them facing financial ruin and public disgrace. *Reigning European sovereigns in occupied territories* attempted to protect their crowns by signing collaboration agreements or forming fascist-backed puppet governments. When Allied armies liberated their nations, enraged citizens and resistance forces forced immediate abdications, driving entire dynasties into permanent exile while several monarchs faced high treason trials and lifetime imprisonment. *Dukes, princes, and high-ranking aristocrats* served directly in the Wehrmacht or SS units during foreign invasions. While many fell on the Eastern Front, survivors faced postwar arrest, confiscation of ancestral castles by incoming communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and long sentences in Allied detention centers. *Royal consorts and high-society princesses* acted as diplomatic envoys between Axis leaders and European high society. Using international connections to channel intelligence or lobby for peace on German terms, their postwar fates ranged from house arrest and social ostracization to complete erasure from official royal family histories. Together, these stories reveal one of the most guarded chapters in European history. Behind the glitter of crowns and ancestral palaces lay a desperate gamble for power that ended in disgraced legacies, fallen dynasties, and the permanent destruction of royal influence across the continent. What happened to these ten royals when the Reich collapsed? Some lost their titles. Some lost their thrones. And others were hidden away behind government secrecy to protect the surviving monarchies. *SOURCES:* The National Archives (UK) — The Marburg Files and Royal Intelligence Correspondence [https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/) Imperial War Museums — European Monarchies and Interwar Authoritarianism [https://www.iwm.org.uk/](https://www.iwm.org.uk/) Institut für Zeitgeschichte — The German Nobility and National Socialism [https://www.ifz-muenchen.de/](https://www.ifz-muenchen.de/) U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum — Postwar Trials and Denazification Records [https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/) #Royalty #WWII #EuropeanHistory #WorldWar2 #HistoryDocumentary #Monarchy #MilitaryHistory #WartimeHistory #Royals #HistoryUncovered