Coco Chanel and Winston Churchill French fashion designer Coco Chanel (center) with British statesperson Winston Churchill (right) accompanied by his son, Randolph Churchill, during a boar-hunting trip in Normandy, France, 1928. (more) Was Coco Chanel a Nazi Spy? Written by Alicja Zelazko Alicja Zelazko is Associate Editor, Arts and Humanities, covering topics in the visual arts, architecture, music, and performance. Before joining Encyclopædia Britannica in 2017, she worked at the Art... Alicja Zelazko Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Mar. 20, 2026 •History Historians generally agree that Coco Chanel had ties to Nazi officials and tried to benefit from Nazi policies, but the extent of her intelligence work and ideological commitment to Nazism remains debated. During the German occupation of Paris (1940–44), Chanel lived in the Ritz Hotel, where she began a relationship with Hans Günther von Dincklage, a German diplomat and spy with the Abwehr, the German military’s intelligence organization. Her position placed her within the social...

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