Harriet Walter discovers mother led naval intelligence for D‑Day

Actress Harriet Walter, 75, appeared on the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? and learned that her mother, Xandra Lee, worked in British naval intelligence during World War II. Dr Helen Fry disclosed that Lee was responsible for the overall intelligence picture that underpinned the 1944 D‑Day landings, a role kept secret under a lifetime oath.

Walter, whose mother was also the elder sister of the late Sir Christopher Lee, described the revelation as “astounding”. The episode traced her family history from Whitehall to Italy and Australia, but the focus shifted to the wartime contribution of her mother, whose work involved detailed analytical duties critical to the success of the Allied invasion.