Wednesday, November 12, 2025

The Neo-Nazi in the palace: Investigation uncovers chief propagandist for far-right network was Buckingham Palace warden

A chief propagandist for a Neo-Nazi network worked as a warden at Buckingham Palace

Matthew Gravill, a 26-year-old from Leicestershire, was giving visitors tours through royal state rooms until last year, an investigation revealed. 

ITV News identified him as a key player in two British fascist groups, Active Club England and Vanguard Britannica.

Active Club England presents itself as a male fitness group but idolises Adolf Hitler and provides weapons training. 

Vanguard Britannica, which emerged in 2022, is more openly political, with members attending public protests. Neither group is proscribed by the government. 

Known in extremist circles by a pseudonym, 'John', Gravill is now forging links with American white supremacists - travelling to Texas in September to meet senior figures in the US fascist movement.

When confronted on a west London street, Gravill denied being a Neo-Nazi. 

'I am an ethno-centrist, I believe in supporting and advocating for the interests of my people currently being driven to the verge of extinction,' he said. 

Gravill added: 'I believe in having an ethnically homogenous society.'

He also confirmed that he 'worked for the Royal Family', describing his main duty at the Palace as 'talking about the history of the place'.

'I'm sure the Royal Family will be very displeased with my views,' he said. 

'But that's because the Royal Family are not that interested in preserving native Europeans.'

Asked about the vetting process that allowed him to work inside the Palace, he replied: 'They don't tend to ask questions about the personal political views of their members. 

'So, there you go. You can ask them for comment.'

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'The Royal Household takes all such matters extremely seriously. 

'However, as a matter of policy, we are not able to comment on individual security issues, not least since to do so might compromise operational procedures.'

The Royal Collection Trust, which looks after visitors to the Royal Palaces and associated staff, also declined to comment on 'security matters or individuals'. 

In September, Gravill led a delegation of Vanguard Britannica members to the US to build alliances with American white supremacists.

A photograph posted on Vanguard Britannica's X account showed a dozen men in front of a Texan flag, their fists pressed to their chests in a gesture used by the far right.

Those in the photograph include Robert Rundo, a neo-Nazi and founder of the global Active Club; Thomas Rousseau, the 27-year-old founder of Patriot Front; and Jared Taylor, the editor of the white supremacist American Renaissance magazine.

Nine faces are visible in the photograph, while the three British visitors have been obscured. 

However, ITV News identified one of them as Matthew Gravill.

Heidi Beirich of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said: 'It was really a who's who of the white supremacist movement today. 

'This was all the prominent figures from groups that are highly active right now in white supremacy and who believe in the ethnic cleansing of countries. 

'That's what's coming back to the UK with this connection. Those ideas, those connections to violence, those threats to non-white communities.'

Ms Beirich said of Gravill's attendance: 'He's got to have some certain prominence, some reason they want to be interacting with him. 

'He's on their radar. So that means he's somebody in the white supremacist scene.'

When asked about his meetings with Rousseau and Rundo, Gravill said he was 'having conversations' about 'various topics'. 

He added: 'I went to a conference and I saw some nice people.' 

Asked why he hid his face in the photograph, he replied: 'Because people like you [journalists] love to try and ruin people.'

After reviewing sections of the evidence, Neil Basu, the former head of UK counter-terrorism policing, described connections between British fascists and a 'big, big movement in America' as a 'new elevation of the threat'.

Despite advocating for remigration, Gravill insisted his aims were non-violent.

'I have no interest in killing, hurting, violence, terrorism - anything like that,' he said.

In October 2024, Gravill was reported to be working as a promotional strategist for Active Club England, which is a branch of the wider Active Club movement. 

Gravill photographed and filmed high-intensity training sessions in a park in Vauxhall, South London, close to the headquarters of MI6.

Active Club England has become one of Britain's largest white supremacist groups, with a minimum of eight branches operating across the UK. 

Recruits are given three 'rules': that they must avoid drugs, not have any convictions for sexual offences and 'not commit crimes in the name of the club'.

But extremism experts warn this is all a charade to hide the group's true intention - to create a 'militia' that could one day wreak violence on the streets of Britain.

Active Club claims to be a peaceful, legal attempt to 'revive' what it calls 'the warrior culture of our nation' by focusing on male fitness and comradeship.

However, Telegram posts show members celebrating Hitler's birthday with a cake decorated with a swastika and two men wearing t-shirts bearing the term Waffen-SS - the military branch of the Nazi SS.

Elsewhere, in the wake of the stabbings in Southport that provoked far-right riots, people are urged 'not to sit idly by'. Members are also told to 'wear masks' and cover up tattoos to avoid police detection.

The first AC was created in the United States in late 2020 and there are now thought to be more than 100 such groups across North America and Europe.

The concept was pioneered by Mr Rundo, who founded the Rise Above Movement - which played a key role in the notorious 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville.

No comments: