Here Are The 5 Biggest Royal Family Scandals That Shocked the World
5 Royal Family Scandals That Shocked the World
Over the years, there have been many highs and lows for the British royal family, ranging from scandalous relationships to abandoning the throne to pursue romantic interests. Because they are constantly in the public eye, the royal family has been transparent about their opinions when it comes to making important judgments. These are some of the royal family's most well-known scandals that rocked their foundations for years.
1. The Sussexes Resign From Royal Duties
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex created a media frenzy when they decided to end their royal relationship with the monarchy in January 2020. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued an official statement, “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year is starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” they addressed on @sussexroyal, their official Instagram account. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.” The aftermath of the decision sent ripples across the royal fold so much so that Prince Harry has been blocked from once again resuming partial royal duties in the wake of King Charles III's cancer diagnosis. “She never said to me that she was angry (but) I think she was sad that it got to that point,” Prince Harry said of his late grandmother's reaction during a Good Morning America interview in 2023. “Even if there was an agreement or an arrangement with me and my family, there is a third party that is going to do everything they can to make sure that isn’t impossible. Not stopping us from necessarily going back, but making it unsurvivable,” he added while affirming that their days as royal were over.
2. The Rocky Marriage Of Charles and Diana
The torrid marriage between the then Prince and Princess of Wales remained involved with the "third person" till the very end. Prince Charles proposed to Princess Diana in February 1981, and the two were married on July 29, 1981, in what came to be known as "the wedding of the century." As per People, soon the heir apparent resumed his affair with Camilla, "I was terrified of her ... I said, 'I know what's going on between you and Charles and I just want you to know that,' " Diana recalled in a set of recordings she made for author Andrew Morton's Diana: Her True Story. "She said to me, 'You've got everything you ever wanted. All the men in the world fall in love with you and you've got two beautiful children, what more would you want?' … So I said, 'I want my husband.' " The couple separated in 1992, in 1994 Charles admitted to cheating in an interview with ITV, "Yes … until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried." He also said of Camilla, "Mrs. Parker Bowles is a great friend of mine … a friend for a very long time. She will continue to be a friend for a very long time." The late Princess Diana addressed her side of the story in a famous interview with BBC's Panorama.
3. The Abdication Of King Edward VIII
Edward VIII shockingly decided to abandon the monarchy on December 11, 1936, unable to reconcile his yearning for US divorcee Wallis Simpson with his duties as King. As per BBC, with the words, "At long last I can say a few words of my own," the royal, addressed the nation through a BBC radio broadcast that not only shocked the listeners but also changed the course of the monarchy. He spoke for the next seven minutes about how he had chosen to marry the lady he loved by willingly stepping down from the throne and becoming the first monarch of England to do so. Edward's connection with a married woman was not his first, but when George V passed away in January 1936 and Edward assumed the throne, the turbulent love affair assumed a completely new meaning. The match was greeted by strong resistance from many British elite figures. "I have found it impossible to carry on the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge the duties of King, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love," he said. He was careful to emphasize that the choice belonged to him alone and that the "other person most nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course".
4. The Scandalous Love Life Of Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret continued to be hopeful in relationships despite repeatedly failing at them. In 1953, she fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend, a decorated war hero who served as King George VI's equerry and the Queen Mother's comptroller. As per Tatler, the Crown forbade her from being married to a divorced man, thus their romance came to an agonizing end. The late Countess of Snowden kept her affair with photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones a secret till their engagement in 1960. The pair later ended up marrying at Westminster Abbey, however, the Countess' affair with landscape gardener Roddy Llewellyn, who is 17 years her junior, caused the pair to have a turbulent marriage very quickly. When explicit photos of Princess Margaret and her boyfriend were revealed to the media, her marriage to Armstrong-Jones ended. After nearly ten years together, Llewellyn ended the relationship in 1981 when he got married to Tatiana Soskin.
5. The Prince Charles Wedding With Camilla Parker Bowles
On April 9, 2005, Camilla Parker Bowles and the then-Prince Charles tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. After nearly 35 years since their first encounter, the pair formally solemnized their union. The heir to the throne had a well-known romantic relationship while he was still married to Princess Diana, As per People, the infamous pair was originally introduced by Lucia Santa Cruz, a mutual friend, in 1970. Penny Junor, the author of The Duchess: The Untold Story, stated that Charles fell in love right away. "He loved the fact that she smiled with her eyes as well as her mouth, and laughed at the same silly things as he did," Junor wrote. "He also liked that she was so natural and easy and friendly, not in any way overawed by him, not fawning or sycophantic. In short, he was very taken with her, and after that first meeting he began ringing her up." Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth remained significantly absent from the civil wedding, although later they joined the newlyweds for a blessing at St. George's Chapel and then threw a reception.
