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PRINCE CHARLES WAS ONCE QUESTIONED In Private Over A Desperate Note Diana Wrote

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Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images | Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

BY SARAH JONES

It was a career-defining moment: the head of Scotland Yard was in a royal palace, about to interview the heir to the throne. Prince Charles himself was the subject of a serious investigation, the details of which needed to be kept secret from the outside world. It all came down to a damning note written by his late ex-wife, Princess Diana.

The big interview


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The man tasked with conducting the interview was John Stevens — now known as Lord Stevens — who led Scotland Yard at the time. It took place on December 6, 2005, not long after Charles had married his one-time mistress Camilla Parker-Bowles. And it was only years later, in August 2021, that Stevens detailed the whole incident to the media.

A unique situation


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Stevens told the Daily Mail newspaper, “The interview was unique. Of course it was a unique situation. But we approached it as we would any other witness.” There’s no prizes for guessing what the interview was in reference to. Scotland Yard was investigating the tragic death of Diana and her boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed.

Operation Paget


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News of the car crash that killed Diana reverberated all around the world. She was one of the most famous and photographed women on the planet, after all, and her death was deeply shocking. It was important that a full investigation took place. Scotland Yard assembled a team for that purpose, dubbed “Operation Paget.”

Mohamed al-Fayed


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One person in particular had a deep interest in Operation Paget. This was Mohamed al-Fayed, the father of Dodi. According to Stevens, he was kept constantly updated on the team’s findings. But he was also a wild card. He was constantly telling the media he believed his son and the princess weren’t victims of an accident. As he saw it, they’d been murdered.

Secret keepers


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Stevens still clearly remembers the day he walked into St. James Palace to interview Prince Charles. The royal staff had taken steps to ensure nobody — even other members of Operation Paget — knew about it. Only four people were in on the secret. These were Charles himself, of course, plus Stevens and his right-hand man DCS Dave Douglas, and Charles’ private secretary Sir Michael Peat.

Utmost secrecy


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The day of December 6, 2005, was a busy one for Charles. That evening he had a Prince’s Regeneration Trust reception to attend. But the interview with the detectives was deliberately left out of the Court Circular, the document that keeps staff and the media informed of all royal activities.

Merry Christmas


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When the two detectives arrived at the heavily guarded palace, they were greeted by Michael Peat and quietly led through the main parts of the massive building. One room, they remembered to the Daily Mail, was laid out for a staff Christmas dinner. There were decorations and party hats all around.

The meeting


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The detectives waited in Prince Charles’ drawing room for him to enter. When he did, he said, “It’s nice to see you again, Lord Stevens. How is the inquiry going? What is it you want us to do today?” And then, Stevens presented him with a note that called back to a time of scandal — and pain.

The nanny


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The note had been written in 1996, at a point when Diana thoroughly believed Charles was having an affair — but not with Camilla. The object of Diana’s rage, in fact, was a pretty young woman named Tiggy Legge-Bourke. She was the nanny Charles had hired to look after the young princes William and Harry.

Tiggy’s influence


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Diana was jealous of Tiggy from the start — but not because of her relationship with Charles. Instead, it was actually because William and Harry had taken to her right away. As Diana and Charles went through their messy divorce, Tiggy became a figure of support for the young boys. Diana apparently hated that another woman was becoming a mother figure for her sons.

Aristocratic stock


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Tiggy — real name Alexandra — was exactly the sort of nanny the royal family would seek out: she was young, jolly, and had aristocratic connections. Her mother had been a lady-in-waiting to Princess Anne, while her brother had been a page to the Queen. Plus, she’d gone to the very same finishing school that Diana herself had once attended.

The surrogate mom


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In other words, Tiggy was in many ways just like Diana — but having an easier time. She got to take the young princes out and serve as a “fun parent” type, while Diana was mired in misery. At one point, Tiggy was reportedly heard referring to Harry and William as “my babies,” which surely made things even worse.

Diana’s hatred


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Diana also despised that Tiggy smoked around the children and allowed them to go out hunting. She grew gradually more and more obsessed with this woman who seemed to have such a hold on her family. According to her one-time equerry Patrick Jephson, she eventually began sending letters out about Tiggy.

Wanting answers


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Jephson wrote in his 2000 book Shadows of a Princess, “On her instructions, I drafted letters from the Princess to her husband pointedly asking for clarification of Tiggy’s duties and asking to be involved in decisions concerning her contact with the boys. I do not think she ever got an entirely satisfactory answer, but I doubt if one was possible.”

A false fantasy


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But there were even bigger problems. Jephson wrote that in addition to Diana coming to terms with “the reality of her reduced influence over her children’s activities,” she was starting to become paranoid about Tiggy. He went on, “The Princess developed an increasingly lurid fantasy picture of Tiggy’s private life. No man in [Charles’] entourage was safe from her, including the Prince himself.”

The party


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Diana grew convinced that Tiggy had not only slept with Charles, but became pregnant as a result and had an abortion. She decided to confront her about it at a staff Christmas party. According to those who were there, Diana approached Tiggy and told her, “Sorry about the baby,” causing Tiggy to flee in tears.

Lawyering up


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Tiggy got lawyers involved in an attempt to stop Diana spreading the rumor. The Queen’s private secretary wrote a letter to Diana reading, “Your allegations concerning Tiggy Legge-Bourke are completely unfounded. Her relationship with the Prince of Wales has never been anything but a professional one.”

An emotional mess


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The letter went on, making things absolutely clear to Diana, “On the date of the supposed abortion, she was at Highgrove with William and Harry. It is in your own best interests that you withdraw these allegations. You have got this whole thing dreadfully wrong.” The incident also caused Patrick Jephson to hand in his resignation.

The accusation


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It was around the time of this horrible scandal that Diana wrote her note, the one the two detectives wished to interview Charles about. It was a deeply shocking message. It began, “I am sitting here at my desk today in October, longing for someone to hug me and encourage me to keep strong and hold my head high. This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous — my husband is planning an accident in my car.”

Being used

Diana’s note went on, “Brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for him to marry Tiggy. Camilla is nothing but a decoy so we are being used by the man in every sense of the word.” Such was Diana’s fixation on Tiggy that she had even moved Camilla to the side.

The love triangle


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The crazy thing is that Charles had actually been carrying on an affair with Camilla. And Diana knew it full well. In 1995 she did a bombshell interview with BBC reporter Martin Bashir, broadcast to the whole nation, saying, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

Di’s enemies


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Diana had written directly to Charles in the note as well. Another portion of it read, “I have been battered, bruised and abused mentally by a system for 15 years now, but I feel no resentment… I am strong inside and maybe that is a problem for my enemies. Thank you Charles for putting me through such hell and for giving me the opportunity to learn from the cruel things you have done to me.”

The biggest question


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When Diana eventually died in the exact same way she’d predicted, obviously her note was of huge interest. This was what the Scotland Yard detectives were visiting Charles to inquire about. It wasn’t just a polite few questions, but an interrogation to find out one thing: Why did Princess Diana think her husband wanted to kill her and marry the nanny?

Burrell’s involvement


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The media had gotten hold of the note before detectives did, thanks to Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell. He was the one the letter had actually been written to, and he released the contents to the press in October 2003. Newspapers analyzed it and concluded it was most likely genuine.

A Royal Duty


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Burrell published his book A Royal Duty that same year. In it, he wrote about Diana’s state of mind around the time she wrote the letter. According to him, the princess “felt there was a concerted attempt by what she referred to as the anti-Diana brigade to undermine her in the public’s eyes.”

The interview begins


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Many years later, Lord Stevens revealed to the Daily Mail everything that happened at the palace once the note was read out to Charles. Stevens asked him, “Why do you think the princess wrote this note, sir?” The prince then answered, “I did not know anything about [the note] until it was published in the media.”

Unable to answer


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Charles clarified to the detectives that he had never discussed the note with Diana, or even knew it existed. He didn’t know why his ex-wife would have written such a thing, and was really as much in the dark as the detectives themselves were. Stevens finished up the interview with the customary “Is there anything else you would like to tell me, sir?” Charles answered no.

Nothing to hide


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Stevens left certain that Charles had nothing to do with Diana’s death whatsoever. He told the Mail, “At the end of the day he was incredibly co-operative because he had nothing to hide.” An interview transcript was sent to Charles, who signed it and sent it back. Scotland Yard no longer has it, though.

Mysterious disappearance


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An anonymous source told the Daily Mail regarding the document, “It’s too hot to handle. What commissioner would feel comfortable about being the custodian of that statement?” So, it’s currently in the National Archives in London, kept sealed from the public until 2038. But what of the original, explosive note? Well, no-one knows where it ended up.

The investigation ends


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Operation Paget came to an end in December 2006, and Stevens presented his team’s findings to the media. He declared to gathered reporters, “Our conclusion is that, on the evidence available at this time, there was no conspiracy to murder any of the occupants of the car. This was a tragic accident.”

The tragic mistake


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Stevens said, “I very much hope that all the work we have done and the publication of this report will help to bring some closure.” He elaborated, though, on one of the major factors that contributed to the deaths of Diana, Dodi, and their driver. He informed the world, “Had they been wearing seatbelts, it may well be that they might not have died.”

A final question


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That concluded the inquiry into Diana’s death. But what about the final chapters of her life? There was another investigation to come and this one turned into a huge scandal. But by the end of it, the public had an answer to another important question. That is, “Why did Diana believe Tiggy Legge-Bourke had an affair with Charles?”

Serious lies


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It all went back to Diana’s famous 1995 TV interview, the one where she’d gotten candid about Charles and Camilla. Martin Bashir had become famous the world over for conducting the interview and getting Diana to speak out against the royal family. But as it turned out, he had dramatically lied in order to get her to agree to it.

Document fraud


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Bashir had faked documents, it transpired. He’d shown Diana a false bank statement that made it look as though Patrick Jephson and others were being paid to spy on her. And when it came to Tiggy Legge-Bourke, something even more dramatic had happened. Diana had been manipulated into believing lies about her.

The truth comes out


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Though Diana had disliked Tiggy for other reasons, some of her hatred for the other woman was a result of Bashir’s lies. The journalist had not only forged bank statements, but he’d also faked a “receipt” implying that Tiggy had indeed gotten pregnant and had the abortion. In reality, she never had one.

William’s pain


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Prince William made a public statement when the lies were revealed. He said, “The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others. It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.”

A criminal offence


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Stevens spoke at length about Bashir’s manipulations in his interview with the Mail. He said, “If there’d been an allegation then that Bashir had produced allegedly fake documents to Princess Diana, which is a criminal offense, we’d have investigated it. My goodness me, we would have done… It would have been part and parcel of the inquiry to get to the bottom of it.”

Diana’s paranoia


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The detective went on, “… we just thought that [Bashir’s] interview with [Diana] was a straightforward arrangement giving her side of the marriage to Prince Charles. It may well be that Bashir stumbled across her at a vulnerable time in her life or he may have exacerbated her mental state or he may have generated that paranoia.”

The new generation


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As for Tiggy, she continues to be a part of William and Harry’s lives to this day. She’s actually one of the godparents to Archie, Harry’s firstborn child. If Diana had lived, maybe she would have been angry about this — or maybe she’d have simply put the past behind her. One thing’s for sure, though, Diana was utterly devoted to her children, but there are niggling claims that she treated them very differently. Caused by Tiggy’s interference or not, it seems the people’s princess might have purposely given more outward affection to one brother in particular.

No favorites here


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Good mothers do, of course, never have favorites. But in the decades since her death lots of information has surfaced about the relationships that Diana had with her sons. And it seems that while she may have treated them with equal love, this was expressed quite differently. People who knew her, you see, have claimed that she was in fact more demonstrative towards Harry.

Taken too soon


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Diana sadly passed away in 1997, leaving both her sons bereft. Harry has subsequently talked a lot to the media about the mental health issues he has faced as a result of that trauma. And before she died, Diana had spoken quite openly to individuals about how she raised her sons in slightly different ways. What’s more, she also revealed her precise reasoning for doing so.

The eternal balancing act


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Fast-forward 21 years and William and Harry are now adults – and parents themselves to boot. William is married to Kate Middleton, with whom he has three children. And Harry is the proud husband of Meghan Markle, who share one child together so far. So just like their mother before them, both men balance their parenting responsibilities with their royal duties.

Memories of mum


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Both princes have talked in detail about what it was like having Diana as a mother. For example, in 2017 they helped create a documentary called Diana Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy. It granted an in-depth look into William and Harry’s childhood as royals, as well as their memories of their beloved mom.

Smothered with love


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When Harry opened up to the camera crew, then, the resulting footage was emotional. “This is the first time that the two of us have ever spoken about her as a mother. She was our mum. She still is our mum,” he said. “And, of course, as a son I would say this: she was the best mum in the world. She smothered us with love, that’s for sure.”

Recognizing what’s important


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William and Harry recalled how their mother had strived to teach them to be normal children rather than little princes. “She was very informal and really enjoyed the laughter and the fun,” William explained. “She understood that there was a real life outside of palace walls.” Meanwhile, Harry affectionately admitted that his mother “was one of the naughtiest parents.”

Striving for normalcy


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Harry proceeded to reveal more about this side of Diana to viewers. “My mother cherished those moments of privacy and being able to be that mother rather than the Princess of Wales,” he continued. “She made the decision that – no matter what – despite all the difficulties of growing up in that limelight and on that stage, she was going to ensure that both of us had as normal a life as possible.”

Crusin’ in the beemer


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And Diana clearly achieved her aim of giving her sons a normal life filled with precious memories. “If that means taking us for a burger every now and then or sneaking us into the cinema, or driving through the country lanes with the roof down in her old-school BMW to listen to Enya, I think it was… part of her being a mum,” Harry remembered fondly.

No special treatment


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Indeed, Diana’s efforts to raise her sons “normally” have been well documented. It was Diana who chose the school they would attend, for instance. And she would drive them there herself whenever possible. In addition, when it was time to have some fun, Diana took her children to theme parks. Just like all the other visitors, nevertheless, she ensured her boys waited patiently in line for each attraction. No preferential treatment on her watch, seemingly.

The call no one will forget


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In the documentary, the princes spoke openly about the last conversation that they had had with their mother before her untimely death in 1997. She had spoken to them via phone from Paris. “If I’d known now obviously what was going to happen, I wouldn’t have been so blasé about it and everything else,” William explained. “But that phone call sticks in my mind quite heavily.”

Hindsight is 20/20


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William was not alone in that sentiment. Harry also expressed deep regret over the casual nature of what was to be his last conversation with his mother. “Looking back on it now, it’s incredibly hard. I have to sort of deal with that for the rest my life,” he admitted. “Not knowing that was the last time I was going to speak with my mum, and how differently that conversation would have panned out if I had even the slightest inkling that her life was going to be taken that night.”

Forced to shut down


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Harry has often talked openly about the emotional problems that he suffered in the wake of Diana’s death. For example, in 2017 he gave a frank interview to The Daily Telegraph about the years of “total chaos” he’d endured. Although his brother William tried to help him, Harry said that for a while he simply “shut down all his emotions.”

A devastating result


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And Harry had been very young when Diana died – indeed, he hadn’t yet even reached his teenage years. “I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well,” he stated.

“Life is fine”


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Harry also discussed his coping mechanisms and explained that initially he dealt with it all by “sticking [his] head in the sand, refusing to ever think about [his] mum. He said, “From an emotional side, I was like, ‘Right, don’t ever let your emotions be part of anything.’ So I was a typical 20-, 25-, 28-year-old running around going, ‘Life is great’ or ‘Life is fine.’ And that was exactly it.”

Mr. Party Prince


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Harry’s time as a royal wild child didn’t go unnoticed by the media, of course. Indeed, for a long time he was labeled “the party prince.” As a young man he smoked weed, causing his father, Prince Charles, to make Harry go to a rehab facility for a day. A spokesperson for St. James’ Palace claimed in 2002 that “it is not that he had or has a serious problem, but he did take the drug.”

A royal slip-up


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Then there was the infamous costume-party incident. Back in 2005 Harry shocked the nation when he chose to don a Nazi uniform at an informal social gathering. Needless to say, the response from the media and the public was one of outrage. Harry subsequently made a statement of apology, though, and he said, “I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone.”

What happens in Vegas…


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Harry also got himself into significant trouble in 2012 when he decided to engage in a spot of strip billiards. Despite the game unfolding in the privacy of the prince’s hotel room, though, unfortunately one of the guests chose to capture these antics on camera. And even worse for Harry, the images left nothing to the imagination. Needless to say, they were leaked to the media. The prince must have had to do some very awkward explaining to his grandma regarding his Las Vegas trip.

Facing the demons


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Eventually, however, the party prince realized that hedonism wasn’t helping – and that he could no longer outrun the pain he’d tried to suppress. “I started to have a few conversations and, actually, all of a sudden, all of this grief that I have never processed started to come to the forefront,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “And I was like, there is actually a lot of stuff here that I need to deal with.”

Older and wiser


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In addition, Harry confessed that when he came “very close to total breakdown,” it was his big brother who stepped in to support him. According to Harry, William had told him, “Look, you really need to deal with this. It is not normal to think that nothing has affected you.” And of course, the older prince was absolutely correct.

Anger outlet


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Harry subsequently sought therapy and also worked out his anger through sport. “During those years, I took up boxing, because everyone was saying boxing is good for you, and it’s a really good way of letting out aggression,” he explained. “And that really saved me, because I was on the verge of punching someone. So being able to punch someone who had pads was certainly easier.”

Walk of despair


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Another traumatic incident that had a lasting effect on Harry was the memory of his mother’s funeral. Yes, Diana was given a massive public memorial service. And as a result, her two young sons were forced to walk with their father, uncle and grandfather behind her coffin, before vast crowds of onlookers.

The royal circus


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Harry later spoke of his anger at being exposed to such an ordeal. “My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television,” he told Newsweek in 2017. “I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today.”

Flipping the switch


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Nonetheless, in that same interview Harry talked positively about his improving mental health. “I didn’t want to be in the position I was in. But I eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to people and decided to use my role for good,” he said. “I am now fired up and energized and love charity stuff, meeting people and making them laugh.”

Separate treatment


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Knowing about Harry’s difficult past also grants plenty of insight into the human he is today. But there’s another, previously unknown element to his childhood. Because while raising her two boys, Diana made sure she treated Harry differently to how she treated William. And there was a very good reason for that distinction.

The heir and his brother


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Richard Kay, a journalist to whom Diana often spoke, wrote a piece about the princess and her parenting practices for the Daily Mail in 2018. He claimed that Diana gave Harry a lot of extra focus in order to counteract the preferential treatment bestowed upon William. Apparently, other members of the family lavished attention on the heir to the throne.

Equal supply


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Kay went into some detail about this matter. “As compensation, Diana poured more love and attention into Harry,” he claimed. “‘I have to,’ she would often tell me. ‘Charles and I worked so hard to ensure both boys receive equal amounts of our time and love, but others in the family seem to concentrate on William.’”

Speaking up to mum


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However, Diana objected to the other royals putting William first. “Harry had complained that whenever he and William visited their great-grandmother at Clarence House, it was always William she made a fuss over and who sat next to her,” Kay wrote. Harry had thought that it was unfair and told his mother so.

Let the grooming begin


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“Diana took it up with the Queen Mother explaining, as delicately as possible, that she would prefer it if she didn’t show favoritism to William,” Kay claimed. “For her part, the Queen Mother argued that as William was heir to the throne, he should be groomed as such.” And the Duke of Cambridge was indeed told from a young age that he would be king one day.

The golden child


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Moreover, royal biographers have also noted that the duke was frequently treated as the golden boy. “William often received the lion’s share of attention from some senior members of the family and some of the staff,” stated writer and royal correspondent Marcia Moody. She penned this opinion in her 2014 book entitled Harry: A Biography.

Future king


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Moody, too, had heard that the brothers were treated differently. “The Queen Mother used to put a seat next to her and call for William to sit on it, and he also used to go to Clarence House, without Harry, to see her.” Furthermore, the young Harry had also once reportedly told William, “You’ll be king, I won’t; so I can do what I want!”

Diana, ever equal-minded


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A one-time protection officer of William and Harry, Ken Wharfe, was also interviewed for the biography. And he had some surprising comments about the boys’ first nanny. According to him, she “favored William far more than Harry, which didn’t appeal to Diana.”

The tiny prince


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Wharfe alleged that when the boys went out with this nanny, “Harry was very small, and he would be ignored almost to the point where it didn’t really matter what happened to him.” Moreover, despite the young Harry often becoming very carsick, Wharfe claimed, the nanny would just say, “He’s alright, he’s fine.”

Setting it straight


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Diana consequently felt compelled to intervene on the subject. After she made her feelings clear to the family, Kay wrote in his article, “things did change a little.” She was evidently determined to stand up for her younger son and ensure his feelings didn’t get hurt. “More than anything, Diana didn’t want Harry to have a complex about his position in the family,” Kay added.

“The spare”


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The younger brother of a person due to inherit usually occupies a curious position in royal families. For a long time, in fact, pairs of sons born to princesses were nicknamed “the heir and the spare.” It stems back to the days when being royalty was a very precarious position. That’s right: if the heir was killed, there was always another prince to fall back on.

The burden of the crown


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Of course, there’s less chance now that William will be killed on a battlefield – and Harry has mixed feelings about kinghood, anyway. “Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen?” he ruminated when interviewed by Newsweek in 2017. “I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.”

Keeping some secrets


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William has perhaps been mindful about his childhood when it comes to raising his own kids, especially his oldest son. Prince George is very likely to be crowned king one day, but William and Kate are not only not grooming him for the monarchy, but reportedly they also haven’t even told him about his future job yet.

All about timing


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In fact, William seems determined to continue his mother’s legacy. He plans to raise his own offspring in the way she raised himself and his brother. “There’ll be a time and a place to bring George up and understand how he fits in the world,” he told the BBC in 2016. “But right now it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment around him and showing as much love as I can as a father.”

Seeking normalcy… still


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And Harry, after all, is a father now, too. In May 2019 he and Meghan welcomed into the world their first child – a baby boy named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Thus, Archie has a surname but no title. People have speculated that Harry and Meghan have opted not to hand him one so he can have a more normal existence – just as Diana had wanted for her two boys.

Like father like son


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It remains to be seen whether Harry and Meghan will ever give Archie a younger sibling, mind you. Harry has implied in the past, though, that he wouldn’t mind having more than one child. And if that happens, it’s pretty likely that Harry will raise them the way his mother nurtured him and William – not allowing one adolescent to feel more important than the other.

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History

THE LONGEST BOXING FIGHT IN HISTORY

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The longest boxing fight in history was between Dick Hyland and Ray Campbell after a fight in 1913. It lasted 110 rounds, 7 hr 19 min (9:15 p.m.-4:34 a.m.), and was declared a no-contest (later changed to a draw).

The longest fight in history captured the attention and admiration of boxing enthusiasts worldwide with its unprecedented display of endurance and determination.

Lasting for an incredible 110 rounds over seven hours and 19 minutes, this battle of wills tested the physical and mental limits of both fighters.

The sheer craziness and unbelievable stamina exhibited during the match left spectators in awe, with some even succumbing to sleep from the sheer exhaustion of witnessing such a remarkable display of sportsmanship. This extraordinary event will undoubtedly live on in the book of boxing history.

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History

SECRET SOCIETIES THAT LEFT THEIR MARKS ON HISTORY

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Throughout history, men and women have formed secret groups, gathering behind closed doors in pursuit of shared ideals. They might have used unexpected methods to get what they wanted.

Some attempted magic, others turned to violence, and many, in fact, got caught and persecuted for the things they did. Yet still, secret societies continue to meet in private today — perhaps there’s even one in your hometown.

20. The Knights of Malta

Not every secret society is about the occult, magic, or the dark arts. The Knights of Malta — founded in the year 1048 — had noble aims from the start.

20. The Knights of Malta

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Members would take care of anyone making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, regardless of the person’s faith. The Pope ordered them to aid any Christians who needed protection along the way, too. Things have changed somewhat since 1048, though.

The Knights of Malta is still going strong today

Nowadays, the Knights of Malta have a much different focus. Its 13,500 members across 120 countries focus on charitable causes in general.

The Knights of Malta is still going strong today

Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Their motto is “Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum” — nurturing, witnessing, and protecting the faith and serving the poor and the sick. Considering their focus on charity, it makes sense that Nelson Mandela was once part of the organization.

19. Freemasons

So many rumors surround the Freemasons — possibly the least secret “secret society” in history. This makes sense, considering how old and storied the organization is. The Freemasons emerged in Europe in the midst of the Middle Ages, a time when craftspeople were arranged into regional guilds.

19. Freemasons

Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

It wasn’t until 1717 that the Freemasons morphed into its current iteration. That’s when four branches from London joined together, and the group expanded to the rest of the continent and the Americas.

The Freemasons’ secret handshake

What started as a fraternity for craftsmen is now a bit more mysterious to non-members. The Freemasons are ostensibly about charity work and social networking. However, rumors swirl that the group is plagued with bullies, nepotism, and a refusal to change with the times.

The Freemasons' secret handshake

Gracie Films

People also suspect that the Freemasons have a secret handshake, but they won’t show it to anyone outside of their six million members. The Freemasons were given the honor of being parodied by The Simpsons in an episode that saw Homer join the “Stonecutters.”

18. The Molly Maguires

An organization made up of Irish immigrants in 19th-century America might sound innocent enough. But the Molly Maguires had sinister aims that the all-male membership carried out while dressed as women — hence the name.

18. The Molly Maguires

Tamm Productions

In the 1870s they allegedly completed their most notorious job of all: assassinating 24 foremen and supervisors working in the Pennsylvania coal mines. The subsequent investigation led to 20 suspected members of the Molly Maguires getting convicted.

The Molly Maguies came to a bloody end

The Molly Maguires supposedly had their hand in arson and threat-making as well — but it was the two dozen murders that finished the organization off. A mole infiltrated the group, leading to the arrests of the 20 suspected members.

The Molly Maguies came to a bloody end

Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper

All of the men received death sentences and were hanged. As time has gone on, though, some remember the Maguires positively as being dedicated to labor and unions despite their unforgivable alleged crimes.

17. The School of Night

London in the late 16th century set the scene for some of humankind’s greatest writers to create their finest works. But they didn’t spend all of their time at their desks with pens in hand. Instead, some authors gathered in the School of Night.

17. The School of Night

duncan1890/Getty Images

It was a society that explored atheism and alchemy, all illegal subjects of conversation at the time. In fact, if you didn’t believe in God back then, you could have found yourself charged with treason.

The School of Night was once called The School of Atheism

Playwright Christopher Marlowe — the top tragedy writer of his time and an inspiration to William Shakespeare — was said to be a member of the School of Night. Other members supposedly included Sir Walter Raleigh, George Chapman, Matthew Roydon, and Thomas Harriot.

The School of Night was once called The School of Atheism

Corpus Christi College

Marlowe faced charges for writing a text deemed to be heretical, but before he could face any kind of trial, he died under suspicious circumstances in 1853. After that, no one knows what happened to the School of Night.

16. Order of the Temple of the East

The Order of the Temple of the East — or Ordo Templi Orientis — used the Freemasons as its inspiration, but it operated on a completely different belief structure. Its eventual leader was occultist Aleister Crowley, who taught members the tenets of Thelema, an ideology he created himself.

16. Order of the Temple of the East

Arnold Genthe

He incorporated mysticism, contributing to some very strange rituals performed by the society — supposedly to this day. A gathering of the Order of the Temple of the East incorporates two components — gnostic mass and magic ceremonies.

Ordo Templi Orientis

Gnostic mass mimics Catholic mass, but attendees don extravagant get-ups to worship. And then there are the rituals, which range from conjuring spirits to tantric love-making and encouraging out-of-body experiences called astral projections.

Ordo Templi Orientis

Hereward Carrington, Sylvan Muldoon

Perhaps even more surprising, the society still exists today, although the locations of their lodges remain largely unknown to non-members. The latest branch to continue Crowley’s teachings is the Caliphate O.T.O., which was incorporated in 1979.

15. The Calves’ Head Club

To understand The Calves’ Head Club, you need to brush up on English history. Here’s the basics: King Charles I married a Roman Catholic French princess in 1626, a union that angered his Protestant subjects. In response to rising opposition, he dissolved Parliament and eventually incited civil war in England.

15. The Calves’ Head Club

Anthony van Dyck/Wikimedia Commons | {{PD-Art}}

Headed up by Oliver Cromwell, Parliamentarians later defeated the monarchy and in 1648 Charles I was facing charges of treason. The following year, King Charles I was executed by beheading, and Oliver Cromwell seized power.

Games of Thrones in real life

The highly controversial Calves’ Head Club came to be after Charles I’s execution. On the anniversary of his slaying, the group gathered for a grotesque celebration of his demise. Members would first decapitate a calf — a representation of the former king — then prepare it and eat it.

Games of Thrones in real life

Gonzales Coques/Wikimedia Common | {{PD-Art}}

Their behavior was treasonous to the monarchy, which returned to power in 1659. Eventually, the Calves’ Head Club disappeared, with the last record of its existence coming in 1734 when a riot about their tasteless ways brought an end to proceedings.

14. Bilderberg Meetings

The Bilderberg Meetings started in 1954 when 11 Americans traveled to the Hotel de Bilderberg in Oosterbeek in the Netherlands. There, they met with 50 people from 11 Western European nations.

14. Bilderberg Meetings

Pvt pauline/Wikimedia Commons | {{CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED}}

Among the attendees, apparently, were a prime minister, a royal, and a one-time CIA leader. As its website describes, “The Bilderberg Meeting is a forum for informal discussions about major issues.” The meetings are exclusive, invitation-only affairs,

The Bilderberg Meetings happen every year

The latest Bilderberg Meeting took place in Lisbon, Portugal, in May 2023. The list of attendees was published on its website, and the topics discussed during the meeting included AI, banking systems, and the situation in Ukraine. But historically, the details of the meetings were kept secret from the public.

The Bilderberg Meetings happen every year

Jean Beaufort | {{CC0 Public Domain}}

Naturally, the secrecy around the meetings has made for many conspiracy theories about the organization. Some people wonder if the group gathers to plan for world domination, or even to sway the global economy.

13. Priory of Sion

The Priory of Sion — or Prieuré de Sion — is and is not a secret society. A man named Pierre Plantard founded the fraternal organization in France in 1956. The idea was that was forming a neo-chivalric order — meaning the Priory of Sion was an order of knighthood.

13. Priory of Sion

Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov

So far, so normal. The problem was that Plantard claimed that the Priory of Sion was actually formed as a secret society in 1099 by a knight named Godfrey of Bouillon on Mount Zion in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The history of the Priory of Sion was bogus

To back up that claim about a secret history, Plantard faked a bunch of documents and had them inserted into the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. He also had two encrypted medieval parchments created, complete with references to the Priory of Sion.

The history of the Priory of Sion was bogus

Columbia Pictures

The whole thing was later found to be an elaborate literary hoax, of course. You might even recognize parts of the story from Dan Brown’s famous novel, The Da Vinci Code.

12. The Rosicrucians

The abbreviated tale of the Rosicrucians goes something like this: legendary Founder Christian Rosenkreuz apparently traveled from his native Germany into the Middle East so that he — a mystical philosopher — could gain some esoteric wisdom.

12. The Rosicrucians

T. Schweighart/Wikimedia Commons

According to the story, his studies gave him a greater perspective on the natural world and the universe at large. Upon getting back home, they say, he wanted to share his wisdom with others and set up the Fraternity of the Rose Cross.

The Rosicrucians and the occult

It’s possible, however, that Christian Rosenkreuz never existed and the story is just allegorical. Still, some people were taken in by the idea of a “universal reformation of mankind” via “esoteric truths of the ancient past.” Yet rumors plagued the Rosicrucians since its foundation in the 15th century.

The Rosicrucians and the occult

Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images

Many especially thought this “universal reformation” would actually be via occult methods. Conspiracy theorists have also said the Rosicrucians were behind some of history’s modern uprisings as well as the founding of other prominent secret societies.

11. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn — often shortened to just the Golden Dawn — began gathering in 19th-century London. Group members shared an interest in the occult, magic, and mysticism.

11. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

Wikimedia Commons

If that sounds familiar, it’s no coincidence. Some say that Golden Dawn was the precursor to other supernatural-focused groups on this list, such as the Order of the Temple of the East.

Golden Dawn had its origins in the Freemasons

The Golden Dawn was actually founded by three Freemasons: William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell Mathers. But unlike other groups, the Golden Dawn also allowed women into their inner circle.

Golden Dawn had its origins in the Freemasons

Bettmann/Getty Images

Famous former members of the Golden Dawn include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and W. B. Yeats. And in 1937 author Israel Regardie published The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order — an influential tome that dives deep into the society’s practices.

10. Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World first cropped up on the scene in 1868. Then, just over three decades later, a pair of African-American men weren’t permitted entry into the club’s ranks — and decided to form a splinter group.

10. Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World

Local History Announcements

B. F. Howard and Arthur J. Riggs formed the fittingly titled Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World in 1897. The group is still going to this day.

Moving into the modern world

The founders of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World ended up creating a club that would become central within Black communities during segregation. It was, apparently, one of the only places where African Americans could gather.

Moving into the modern world

Antler Guard

As society started to integrate, however, the order’s influence faded. But they still fund scholarships, participate in parades, and host community events today. The fact that the fraternal order has a website also suggests they’re not really a secret society, either.

9. The Black Hand

History buffs may be familiar with the work of the Black Hand. In the early 20th century, this revolutionary group hoped to bring together the Slavic people into a single country.

9. The Black Hand

via Wikimedia Commons

To do this, they’d need to break Serbia free from the rule of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, which had earlier taken control of the small country by annexation. The official name of the group was Unification or Death.

Unification or Death

The Black Hand decided to free Serbia from Austria-Hungary through military campaigns, but they didn’t plan for the conflict they would arguably create. Their plan was supposedly to assassinate Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand — which Gavrilo Princip did in 1914.

Unification or Death

Bettmann/Getty Images

Right away, the monarchy declared war on Serbia, but each country’s allies decided to join in, and this inter-country war soon became World War I. Because of its alleged connection to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Black Hand may have caused that war.

8. Order of Gimghoul

Peter Droomgole, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student in the mid-19th century, inadvertently inspired the start of a very creepy on-campus society. He vanished from campus in 1833, and legend has it that he died after losing a duel.

8. Order of Gimghoul

Wikimedia Commons

Not only that but his body is said to be entombed on the school grounds. Robert Worth Bingham, Shepard Bryan, William W. Davies, Edward Wray Martin, and Andrew Henry Patterson started the secret society in 1889.

Peter Dromgoole lives on

In the student’s honor, this secret society was first called the Order of Droomgole, but changed the last part to Gimghoul “in accord with midnight and graves and weirdness.” The group supposedly meets on campus at a very creepy, enshrouded castle.

Peter Dromgoole lives on

THE evil fluffyface

Photo evidence of their activities seems to show satanic references, making them even more off-putting. The castle allegedly sits close to Peter Dromgoole’s final resting place — and his ghost supposedly haunts it.

7. Skull and Bones

It’s no secret that some of the brightest minds in the country end up studying at Ivy League institutions. And Yale University just so happens to be one of the most selective — with an acceptance rate of just 4.46 percent in 2022.

7. Skull and Bones

Pictures of Yale clubs and societies (RU 692). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.

Therefore, the amount of brilliance packed into the school’s secret Skull and Bones society should be enough to scare the rest of us. Other names for the group include The Order, Order 322, and The Brotherhood of Death.

Bonesmen in the Tomb

No one outside of Skull and Bones really knows the purpose of this society, but there are plenty of theories. Some say that the Bonesmen — who have gone on to become Supreme Court justices, CEOs, and presidents — might influence the CIA or strive for global control.

Bonesmen in the Tomb

Universal Pictures

Making things even creepier, the group meets in a building called the Tomb, a building without windows. This group is now possibly the least-secret secret society as it has been popularized in movies such as The Skulls and The Great Gatsby and TV shows such as The Simpsons.

6. The Grand Orange Lodge

The Grand Orange Lodge drew its name from William of Orange, the Protestant king who defeated the Catholic King James II and took over as ruler of Scotland, England, and Ireland in 1689. Almost 200 years later, the Northern Irish Protestants still revered Orange’s leadership.

6. The Grand Orange Lodge

Godfrey Kneller

So, they formed the Lodge to better protect their fellow worshippers. Its full name is the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland or the Loyal Orange Institution of Scotland. They are still going strong after forming in 1798.

The Grand Orange Lodge marches on

Had Lord Lieutenant of Ireland George William Frederick Villiers not supported the group, the Grand Orange Lodge’s aims might have flown under the radar. Ireland had always been a Catholic stronghold, so having a leader support a Protestant society ruffled some serious feathers.

The Grand Orange Lodge marches on

Ross Goodman/Flickr

These days, the Order is most visible during its yearly marches. The largest of these gatherings usually occurs on July 12, as “The Twelfth” is an Ulster Protestant day of celebrations.

5. Veiled Prophet Organization

A long time ago, business executive and one-time Confederate soldier Charles Slayback had an idea. In 1878 he gathered fellow St. Louis businessmen to build his own secret society. He wanted his city to have a festival like New Orleans did with Mardi Gras.

5. Veiled Prophet Organization

Missouri Historical Society

They just needed a reason to party — and the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan could be a reason for a celebration. This was a mystic based out of St. Louis — or, at least, that’s what Slayback decided to tell people.

The Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball

In reality, the Veiled Prophet story was just meant to be an excuse to celebrate — and to mask negative social realities. At the time, laborers demanded socioeconomic equality and fair working conditions.

The Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball

Harpers Weekly/Wikipedia

So the citywide gathering would perhaps appease them while exalting the elite’s way of life. The first Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball took place in 1878. Perhaps surprisingly, the Veiled Prophet Organization still has parties to this day.

4. The Hashshashin

In the 13th century, a small group of Shia Muslims split from a larger group of their religion’s practitioners because they wanted to create a utopian state. Yet they didn’t have the manpower to make their vision a reality.

4. The Hashshashin

New Regency Productions

So the secret society had to use much more shocking methods to get what they wanted. There is a reason why this group is otherwise known as the Order of Assassins or just the Assassins.

The Order of Assassins

The Hashashin made a name for themselves by staging political assassinations as well as by sending spies over enemy lines. But these operatives had great discretion — enemies would wake up with daggers on their pillows and notes warning them of impending death.

The Order of Assassins

New Regency Productions

Eventually, though, the group was squashed by the Mongols. This group has naturally inspired plenty of popular culture figures and stories, including Assassin’s Creed, Angels and Demons, and the Faceless Men in Game of Thrones.

3. Knights Templar

Things started out well for the Knights Templar. They had a simple mission when founded in the 12th century — to protect Christians as they traveled to the Holy Land. Templar Enlistees had to vow to a chaste lifestyle, which meant they couldn’t swear, gamble, or drink.

3. Knights Templar

Wikimedia Commons

Perhaps this left their heads clear enough to come up with a more lucrative idea. The Knights opened a bank where people could deposit money at home and take it out when they arrived at their pilgrimage destination.

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon

Once the Crusades ended, the Knights Templar decided to set up in Paris and make their banking business the main focus of their operation. However, they made the mistake of denying King Philip IV of France a loan.

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon

C. Balossini/De Agostini Picture Library via Getty Images

He then had some society members arrested and tortured. The Knights began making false confessions, implicating themselves in depraved acts. So, the French monarch had dozens burned to death for their supposed wrongdoings.

2. The Knights of the Golden Circle

The Knights of the Golden Circle first formed in 1854 because they wanted the United States to take over the West Indies and Mexico. This would then make the slave states stronger against any threats from the North.

2. The Knights of the Golden Circle

Harpers Weekly

However, the Civil War kicked off in 1861, and the society’s members switched gears. They sided with the Confederacy, so they started organizing themselves into guerrilla armies and ambushing Union soldiers.

The Golden Circle

Interestingly enough, the Knights of the Golden Circle had a bigger impact in Union states, where people pointed the finger at anyone who seemed to sympathize with the South. Even President Franklin Pierce faced accusations of being a secret member of the organization.

The Golden Circle

Mathew Brady

Despite everything, though, none of the Knights’ aims ever came to fruition. Their main objective was to see in the formation of a new country, known as the Golden Circle.

1. The Illuminati

The Illuminati formed on May 1, 1776, bringing together the era’s most forward-thinking politicians and intellectuals. Unlike many other secret societies on this list, though, the Illuminati didn’t require its members to believe in any sort of deity.

1. The Illuminati

Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

This made it a popular society among non-believers. Their inclusion made people wonder if the group actually formed to get rid of religious organizations. The group claimed, “The order of the day is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them.”

The Illuminati was outlawed

The Illuminati was eventually outlawed, and it subsequently crumbled internally when a new leader had to replace its founder, Adam Weishaupt. But some believe that the society didn’t actually collapse in the late 1700s.

The Illuminati was outlawed

knollzw

Instead, they believe the Illuminati still operates — and controls all of the governments dotted around the globe. According to this conspiracy theory, the Illuminati now goes by the name of the New World Order.

This article was originally published on WMoneyVersed

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SPONTANEOUS CHRISTMAS TRUCE THAT TEMPORARILY HALTED WORLD WAR

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Spontaneous Christmas truce that temporarily halted world war : ‘The war, for that moment, came to a standstill’

During the bleak winter of 1914, amid the mud, blood and chaos of World War One, an extraordinary series of ceasefires spontaneously occurred along the Western Front. In the 1960s the BBC spoke to some of the men who, over that exceptional Christmas period, decided to lay down their arms.

On Christmas Eve 1914, Rifleman Graham Williams, of the 5th London Rifle Brigade, stood out on sentry duty staring out anxiously across the wasteland of no man’s land to the German trenches. He had already endured months of the brutal violence, bloodshed, and destruction that would come to characterize World War One when something remarkable happened.
“All of a sudden, lights appeared along the German trench. And I thought this was a funny thing. And then the Germans started singing ‘Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht’. And I woke up, and all the sentries did the same thing, all woke up the other people to come along and see this and what the Earth is going on,” he recalled, in the BBC radio show Witness History.

The voices carried across the desolation of no man’s land, familiar songs bridging the barrier of language, a musical reminder of a shared humanity. “They finished their carol and we applauded them and we thought we should retaliate in some way. So, we replied with The First Noel.”

It is hard to pinpoint the exact origins of the 1914 Christmas Truce. It seemed to emerge spontaneously in multiple locations along the Western Front. There wasn’t one uniform Christmas Truce but rather several localized events. For some soldiers in trenches, it lasted a couple of hours, in some areas until Boxing Day, and even in isolated pockets to the New Year. While in some parts of the Western Front, it didn’t happen at all. Some 77 British soldiers were still killed in fighting on Christmas Day 1914.

For Col Scott Shepherd, then a junior officer, fighting near the town of Armentières in northern France, it seemed to begin almost by accident. At dawn on Christmas morning, no man’s land was covered in a heavy fog. “The fog was so thick that you couldn’t see your hand in front of you,” he recalled when he returned to the battlefield with the BBC in 1968.

The decision was made to take advantage of the cover provided by the weather to repair their crumbling trenches. But as the soldiers worked filling sandbags and trying to restore the trench parapet, the fog suddenly began to dissipate.

“It lifted astoundingly quickly. And along that line we were suddenly able to see Germans doing exactly the same thing all out in the open. And we just looked at each other for some time and then one or two soldiers went towards them. They met, they shook hands, they swapped cigarettes. They got talking. The war, for that moment, came to a standstill.”

General Walter Congreve, who led the Rifles Brigade, wrote to his wife on Christmas Day, describing the ceasefire as “an extraordinary state of affairs”. Because the trenches were so close, soldiers were able to shout greetings to each other, initiating conversations. “A German shouted out that they wanted a day’s truce and would one come out if he did,” wrote the general. “Very cautiously one of our men lifted himself above the parapet and saw a German doing the same. Both got out, then more… they have been walking about together all day giving each other cigars and singing songs.”

The ceasefires allowed soldiers some respite to recover their dead from no man’s land and give proper burial to fallen comrades. Men who just hours earlier had been trying to kill each other exchanged cigarettes, food and souvenirs from home. There are even reports of impromptu games of football breaking out, with soldiers having a kick about in barren space between the opposing trenches. Col Johannes Niemann, a second lieutenant with the 33rd Saxon Regiment, was one of the soldiers who took part.

“Suddenly a Tommy came with a football… And then began a football match. We marked our goals with our caps. Tommy did also. And we had much kicking. And then, after all, the Germans won the football game 3-2.”

The war resumes

Nothing like this truce would happen again during World War One. Military leaders, who had been caught by surprise by the ceasefires and the unexpected camaraderie that flourished during them, feared they would erode their troops’ willingness to fight, and would undermine the war effort.

On both sides there were orders issued to stop “fraternisation with the enemy” with threats of court marshals. Officers were told to open fire on enemy soldiers who approached the trench and gradually shots began to ring out again along the line. The war resumed its brutality, and as its relentless horrors escalated, the bitterness between opposing nations deepened. The following Christmas, machine gun barrages were deliberately timed to drown out any sound of carol singing to prevent spontaneous truces happening again.

For a brief moment, soldiers on different sides saw each other as fathers, brothers and sons who just longed to go home and return to loved ones

The 1914 Christmas Truce may not have ultimately altered the course of the war, but as historian Dan Snow says in the BBC podcast Voices of the First World War, the fact that it happened at all is miraculous. “The truce was a brief tantalising flash of individual humanity, in a war of bureaucracies, machines and high explosives.”

And it had a profound effect on the men, such as Col Scott Shepherd, who experienced it. For a brief moment, soldiers on different sides saw each other as fathers, brothers and sons who just longed to go home and return to loved ones, rather than as faceless enemies to be killed.

“Several of them spoke English. They rather expressed their dislike… for the whole war in fact. They weren’t aggressive at all. Some of them said they had been to London, been to England, in fact, they gave every indication of being glad to meet us,” he said.

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