Audrey Hepburn: Unveiling the Dark Secret of Her Mother’s Nazi Sympathies

Audrey Hepburn is widely known for her enchanting onscreen performances, but behind the scenes, her life was marred by the lasting trauma of World War II.

While she rarely spoke about it in detail, a new biography called Dutch Girl by Robert Matzen sheds light on the dark secret that haunted her: her mother's early Nazi sympathies.

According to Matzen, Hepburn feared that her mother, Dutch Baroness Ella van Heemstra's Nazi past, would ruin her career.

However, despite this fear, they remained close.

Ella had met Adolf Hitler in 1935 and even described him as a “most charming personality” in a British Fascist newspaper.

She proudly displayed a framed photograph of herself taken at Hitler's Munich headquarters.

When Germany invaded Holland, Ella believed that maintaining cordial relations with German Nazi officers was the best way to protect her family.

She went to extreme lengths, even dating a Nazi officer for a period.

In contrast, Hepburn did not share her mother's views.

The Breakfast at Tiffany's actress barely survived Germany's five-year occupation of Holland and risked her life to support the Dutch Resistance.

She ferried messages to downed British and American fliers and delivered the Resistance newspaper to Dutch loyalists.

Hepburn's entire family also played a role in the resistance efforts.

They hid a British paratrooper in their cellar after the devastating Battle of Arnhem.

The revelations in Dutch Girl deeply moved Hepburn's younger son, Luca Dotti.

He expressed his admiration for his mother's bravery and strength, acknowledging the trauma she endured during those turbulent times.

Matzen's research involved delving into secret police files, classified archives, and interviews with Dutch survivors who knew Audrey and her family.

Through these sources, he discovered that Ella initially fell for Hitler's nationalist ideology and promises of economic prosperity, a sentiment shared by some aristocrats in the 1930s.

However, her perspective changed dramatically after witnessing the brutality of the Nazi regime.

The execution of her brother-in-law, Otto van Limburg Stirum, who opposed the Nazis, and the deportation of many of her Jewish friends to concentration camps ultimately led Ella to sympathize with the Dutch Resistance.

Hepburn, however, never fully accepted her mother's earlier affiliation with the Nazis.

It became a secret she carried with her throughout her life.

After the war, Hepburn pursued her acting career and moved to London.

Her mother joined her there after a Dutch investigation concluded that Ella was “politically unreliable” but not guilty of any crimes.

Despite the weight of this secret, the bond between mother and daughter grew stronger as they navigated the aftermath of the war.

Hepburn took care of her mother in Switzerland during her later years.

Audrey Hepburn's life took a different direction in her final years.

She passed away from abdominal cancer in 1993 at the age of 63.

During the last four years of her life, she dedicated herself to being a UNICEF ambassador.

Hepburn found her true calling in advocating for the well-being of children around the world.

This mission to alleviate the suffering of young ones became more significant to her than her beloved films.

The story of Audrey Hepburn and her mother's Nazi sympathies is a compelling tale of resilience, trauma, and redemption.

It offers a deeper understanding of the actress's personal journey and the impact of World War II on her life.