Kaiser Wilhelm II
Kaiser Wilhelm II is the old German king who was sent to exile in the Netherlands. He was disgusted at the fact that a person of the royal family had been pushed out of power, but he was a content man in his rural home in Holland, happy to lead a simple life with his family. When he is reunited with the Germany army, we see his greed and ambition overtake him as he dreams of returning to the throne. However, when his ambitions are crushed, we discover his good side. The Kaiser is a man who wants German expansion but hates the brutality of the Holocaust and World War II. He grew up in Britain and is something of an Anglophile, eventually turning to the Allies. He is short and plump and has a long mustache.
Martin Krebbs
Martin Krebbs is a young and recently commissioned SS officer who is sent to guard over the Kaiser and make sure there is no contact with the British or their spies. At the beginning, he is a jovial, young man who is firm in his beliefs and his convictions. However, as the book progresses and focuses on his viewpoint, we find there is more to him than what meets the eye. He agrees with the Kaiser, and finds the agony and cruelty of the war and Jewish extermination to be a horrible thing and an incorrect solution to the problem Germany faces. He forms a bond with the Kaiser over this commonality and slowly loses his conviction in Nazism. Although rough at first, we see that he can show compassion and gentleness as he falls in love with Akki. He is extremely fit and has good height.
Akki
Akki is part of Kaiser Wilhelm II's royal staff that was allowed to go with him into exile in Huis Doorn, Netherlands. She is a sweet and small household maid who helps around wherever she is needed in the palace and doesn't object to anything. However, Akki is a much more complex character than we first believe. Akki is Jewish, which seems at odds with the Kaiser and Krebb's distaste for Jewish people. When Krebbs finds out that Akki is Jewish, it causes him to separate from the Nazis because of his love for her. Akki is also a cunning British spy, recruited by Winston Churchill's administration to keep an eye on the Kaiser and try to woo him over to the side of the Allies. SHe plays an important role in causing Krebb's internal conflict.
Winston Churchill
British prime minister during World War II who, in this novel, is trying to persuade the Kaiser to defect to them. He is modeled off the real historical figure.
Heinrich Himmler
A cruel and mean SS officer who is very high up in the chain of command, known as a Reichsfuhrer. He comes for dinner one night to the mansion where the Kaiser has been exiled, to check up on Krebb's work and what he and the soldiers have found out about the old king. After he gets there, the world turns upside down for the protagonists. Their secret is out, which is bad news for Krebbs, and it was discovered by Himmler's nosy and over-analytical personality.
Princess Hermine
Princess Hermine is the Kaiser's second wife who dutifully lives with him in exile. She has her own ambitions and desperately wants the Kaiser to take back control of the throne, often urging him to warm up to the Nazis and compliment them. Although she seems like a rather plain background figure, she does have moments of fire and greed.
Captain von Islemann
Captain von Islemann is Kaiser WIlhelm II's right-hand man and personal assistant, ready to help him whenever and wherever he needs it. A burly man in his 50s, Captain von Islemann plays a relatively small role in the novel and represents the royal staff.
