24. Freud left many family members behind in Austria
When Freud escaped Vienna for Paris he left behind his four sisters, and in London, he met with Princess Marie to discuss their fate. Marie attempted to deal with the Gestapo in a similar manner as she had with Sigmund and failed. By then the Germans were aware of her intrigues and double-dealing, and though she was protected by diplomatic immunity, the objects of her attentions were not. All four of Freud’s sisters then in Austria went to the camps; all four of them died. Unable to help his sisters, Freud set about entertaining visitors and establishing his practice near London.
He set up his consulting rooms in his London home to appear as faithful to the Vienna version as possible (Princess Marie had sent him his couch from Vienna). He attended a few patients, though most of his time was spent working on his last monographs and books. His cancer returned, this time in the jaw and in an inoperable manner, and Freud asked his doctor, Max Schur, who had attended him in Vienna, and who like Freud was a Jewish refugee, to minimize his discomfort as it appeared at the end was near.