The Duke, the Spy and the 'Alien': Russian Operative's Surreal UFO Scheme to Get Close to Prince Philip Revealed

Prince Philip (1921 to 2021) had many passions, including a reported fascination with extraterrestrials that began in the 1950s.

While Queen Elizabeth II, then-Prince Charles and the late Lord Louis Mountbatten were also suggested to share an interest in UFOs, Philip's enthusiasm for outer space allegedly led to a close-call palace infiltration by a suspected Russian spy named "Janus," who posed as an alien.

Philip's fascination was reportedly shared by several high-ranking officials within the British government and military at the time, as well. One of these contacts was Air Marshal Sir Peter Horsley, who served as an equerry to the reigning Queen's consort and had close access to him.

Horsley recounted a strange and surreal encounter in his autobiography, Sounds From Another Room, where he met with Janus. This encounter took place in 1954, at the home of General Martin, a high-ranking military official.

According to Horsley, Janus was introduced as a highly knowledgeable figure with advanced insights into space, technology, and the future of humanity. The conversation took a strange turn when Janus began to speak about extraterrestrial life and the existence of UFOs.

The full story is recounted in filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee's new Amazon Prime Video movie The King of UFOs, which charts the British royal family's interest in the subject.

The film explores how Horsley conveyed that what made the meeting even more bizarre was that Janus appeared to suggest he was not from Earth, but rather a being with special knowledge of humanity's future and the universe.

Horsley was allegedly captivated by Janus' words and the strange aura he projected, noting how Janus seemed to speak with "an otherworldly calmness and authority."

Although Janus did not claim outright to be an alien in the story, the implication that he possessed extraterrestrial knowledge left a deep impression on Horsley.

The aide later speculated that Janus may have been a Russian spy using UFOs and extraterrestrial talk as a cover to gain intelligence on the Duke and other key British figures.

This theory arises from the fact that the Cold War was at its height during this period, and espionage between the Western powers and the Soviet Union was rampant, with the Queen seen as a "huge target" for espionage.

Lee suggests that the concept of using UFOs or extraterrestrial narratives as a ruse for intelligence-gathering was not entirely far-fetched, given the political climate of the time.

While no concrete evidence has ever surfaced proving that Janus was a spy or an alien, the encounter left an indelible mark on those involved, according to the film.

Prince Philip himself remained interested in UFOs throughout his life, and Horsley’s account added an air of mystery to the already peculiar tale.

So whether Janus was truly an extraterrestrial or a clever operative remains an unsolved puzzle, contributing to the surreal nature of the late princes' connection to UFOs.

Daily Mirror reported on Lee's film.