Controversy over Queen Elizabeth’s 1933 Nazi salute footage

A U.K. newspaper has published a video footage of British Queen Elizabeth II performing a Nazi salute (dotted line) as a young girl, causing a controversy among the public. Buckingham Palace has admitted the Queen raised a Nazi salute but announced to launch an investigation on how the home-movie was leaked.

British tabloid The Sun published an article titled "Their Royal Heilnesses" across eight pages on Saturday. The local newspaper also released a 17-second-long video film, which shows the Queen performing a Nazi salute. In the video recorded in 1933, Queen Elizabeth II spent time with family members at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, one of the Queen’s private residences. Then 7-year-old Princess Elizabeth raised a Nazi salute following her mother. The Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, and their uncle, Prince Edward VIII, gave a Nazi salute, too.

Buckingham Palace expressed regret and announced to launch an investigation on the leaked footage. “This is a family playing and momentarily referencing a gesture many would have seen from contemporary news reels. No one at that time had any sense how it would evolve,” said a palace source.

Against criticism from the palace, the Sun defended its use of the footage, saying it is a historical document that really sheds some insight in to the behavior of Edward VIII. Prince Edward VIII is known as sympathizer to Nazi and met with Hitler in 1936.

snow@donga.com