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Kit Harington reveals his granddad was a WWII spy who monitored Duke and Duchess of Windsor to prevent leaks to Nazis

Kit Harington also revealed that his paternal grandfather, John, had closely worked with Ian Fleming, the creator of 'James Bond'
UPDATED SEP 15, 2022
Kit Harington discovered that his paternal grandfather was a spy on Channel 4’s show ‘My Grandparent’s War’ (Tim P Whitby/Getty Images)
Kit Harington discovered that his paternal grandfather was a spy on Channel 4’s show ‘My Grandparent’s War’ (Tim P Whitby/Getty Images)

EAST ANGLIA, ENGLAND: ‘Game of Thrones’ star Kit Harington, 35, revealed that his grandfather, John, was one of Britain's top spies during World War II and kept track of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in case former King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in 1936, passed any information to the Nazis.

During an episode of the Channel 4 show ‘My Grandparent’s War’, a BBC series that traces the history of Hollywood actors' grandparents and learn how World War II changed the lives of their families, Harington said it was "facinating" for him to find out that his paternal grandfather John was in charge of one of the most controversial spy operations of the 20th century, as per DailyMail. Not just that, his grandfather was the 22-time great-grandson of King Edward III and his grandmother Lavender, John's wife, also worked for the British secret services.

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The show also revealed that John was an MI5 and MI6 agent who served alongside 'James Bond' creator Ian Fleming. As per The Sun, he said, "What’s been fascinating is seeing glimpses of me in them. We’re all a big melting point of our four grandparents. But as an actor with a tantalising vacancy in the film world, there’s one thing they didn’t give me — if they’d have just passed me a few more of the tall genes, I might have been up for Bond." He added, "Everything’s there, they gave me everything, they equipped me with everything — but they made me 5ft 7ins, which is about two or three inches too short to be James Bond."

Kit Harington attends the
Kit Harington attends the 'Baby Ruby' Premiere during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 09, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario (Getty Images)

On the other hand, his maternal grandfather Mick Catesby was a decorated hero and his maternal grandmother, Pippa, was a nurse. He said that he now understood why his grandfather, who was sent to fight in Italy for over three years and lost dozens of close comrades, came back home shellshocked and never spoke about the conflict. The actor said he admired the fact that they never boasted about their feats in World War II. "There's this idea of being humble, not showing off, which I hold really dear," said Harington.

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