We all have secrets that we would take to the grave, and Romy Schneider thought her mother’s secret relationship with Hitler would be one of them. But six years before her death, she decided to reveal it to one of her friends, journalist and well-known feminist in Germany—Alice Schwarzer.
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Keeping secrets
Everyone knows that one of the Fürher’s most favourite actresses was Magda Schneider, Romy’s mother—but according to Schwarzer, Romy was ‘firmly convinced that her mother had sexual relations with Hitler.’ According to her, the relationship between the two individuals went far beyond mere admiration.
The legendary actress told Schwarzer that her mother regularly visited Hitler his secluded estate in the Bavarian mountains of Obersalzberg. It was one of Schneider’s most hated secrets and she apparently never forgave her mother for being in the relationship. Schneider was so ashamed that she even made Schwarzer promise to keep the secret to herself.
Revealing the truth
But as time passed on, Alice Schwarzer decided that it was time to tell the world the real truth. She said:
I kept it quiet for decades to respect his wishes. But to understand her despair, her pain, her hyper-sensitivity, people need to know. And I think it's good to say it now.
Schneider revealed the secret in a 1976 interview with Schwarzer, in which she said:
I am no longer ashamed. Not at all. I'm not afraid anymore.
However, it was not broadcasted at the time because of the controversial claims of the actress. Schwarzer finally shared the footage in the documentary, Ein Abend mit Romy (An Evening with Romy) which was aired on the Franco-German TV network Arte in 2018.
