Menu

Topics

Connect

Comments

Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.

From Nazi uniforms to topless photos, the Royal Family’s biggest scandals

WATCH: The royal family follows some peculiar rules – Jan 22, 2019

The Royal Family has made headlines for decades, long before the fast pace of the internet.

Story continues below advertisement

While some of their biggest controversies happened decades ago, others — like Prince Andrew’s sex assault allegations — are more recent.

In no particular order, here are some of the biggest scandals the Royal Family has faced in recent history.

King Edward gives up the throne

One of the biggest moments in recent British royal history, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936 so he could marry his lover, American socialite Wallis Simpson.

READ MORE: The best royal fashion moments of 2019

Simpson had previously been married and divorced, which put their relationship under scrutiny. The Church of England, which Edward was the head as king, did not allow divorcees to remarry if their ex-spouse was still alive. (These rules only changed in 2002.)

In order for Edward to wed Simpson, he had to step down from his role as king. His brother, George VI, took on the title.

Story continues below advertisement

Princess Margaret’s relationship with Peter Townsend

Queen Elizabeth‘s younger sister was romantically linked to Captain Peter Townsend, who was married when they first met.

Townsend was Princess Margaret’s father’s equerry and was close to the Royal Family. In 1952, Townsend divorced his wife and asked Princess Margaret’s hand in marriage.

In 1953 at the Queen’s Coronation Day, the princess was caught picking off a piece of fluff from Townsend’s jacket, which fueled rumours that the two were romantically involved.

Story continues below advertisement

Since Townsend was divorced, if Princess Margaret was to marry him, she would have been stripped of her royal title as parliament and the Church of England would not consent to her marriage. She decided not to wed Townsend and married photographer Antony Armstrong Jones in 1960 instead, whom she later divorced.

Prince Harry wears a Nazi costume

In 2005, the second son of Prince Charles sported a Nazi uniform to a costume party. Prince Harry apologized for his behaviour after a British tabloid printed a photograph of him drinking and smoking in the outfit.

READ MORE: Why Meghan Markle always carries her purse in her hands and other royal protocol

In a statement at the time, the then 20-year-old prince said: “I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize.”

Story continues below advertisement

Prince Andrew’s sexual assault allegations

Prince Andrew spent much of 2019 in the headlines.

An American woman named Virginia Roberts Giuffre says she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew multiple times when she was just 17 years old.

Giuffre says she was sex trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in August 2019. She alleges Epstein forced her to have sex with the prince in 2001 at the home of British socialite and friend of Prince Andrew’s Ghislaine Maxwell.

Prince Andrew denies these allegations.

Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties in November 2019 just days after he spoke with the BBC about his friendship with Epstein.

Story continues below advertisement
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein [have] become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” the 59-year-old said in a statement.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ affairs and subsequent divorce

Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son married Princess Diana in 1981.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles had their two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, in 1982 and 1984, respectively.

READ MORE: What was it like to have Queen Elizabeth II as a mom?

Prince Charles reportedly started an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, whom he dated before his marriage, around 1986, according to reports. Princess Diana reportedly had affairs, too, most notably with her bodyguard Barry Mannakee in 1985, and military man James Hewitt the following year.

Story continues below advertisement

In 1992, an intimate phone call between Prince Charles and Parker Bowles was leaked to the press, later known as “Camillagate.” Tabloids published transcripts of the deeply personal conversation, causing great embarrassment to the family.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles split in 1992.

In 1994, Prince Charles admitted he cheated on Princess Diana in a TV documentary. The following year, Princess Diana infamously told the BBC that there were “three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

Story continues below advertisement

Princess Diana died after being injured in a car accident in Paris in 1997.

Prince Charles and Parker Bowles married in 2005.

Prince Harry spends a day in rehab

After reportedly admitting to experimenting with cannabis and alcohol, a then 16-year-old Prince Harry was sent to a drug rehabilitation clinic for a day by his father in 2001.

Per reports, Prince Charles arranged for his teen son to visit Featherstone Lodge, a detox centre for people dealing with drug addiction, in south London. The visit was not reportedly for treatment, but instead an attempt to show Prince Harry the dangers of drugs.

Kate Middleton’s topless photos

While vacationing in France, paparazzi took photos of a topless Duchess of Cambridge suntanning in 2012.

READ MORE: Who pays for the Royal Family’s lavish lifestyle?

French, Italian and Irish outlets published the photographs, and the Royal Family swiftly took legal action for what they called a “grotesque” breach of privacy.

Story continues below advertisement

In 2017, a judge ordered French magazine Closer to pay 100,000 euros in damages for publishing the photos. Two staff members were fined an additional 90,000 euros to pay to Kate Middleton and Prince William.

Prince Harry naked in Las Vegas

Photos of a naked Prince Harry surfaced in 2012 after a “wild” trip to Las Vegas. Prince Harry, who was then 27, was photographed playing a reported game of “strip billiards” with friends in his VIP suite.

TMZ published the nude shots, as did British tabloid The Sun.

Story continues below advertisement

Sarah Ferguson’s bribery scandal

Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, was caught demanding money from an undercover journalist posing as a businessman in exchange for access to the prince.

Now-defunct tabloid News of the World secretly filmed Ferguson in 2010 promising access to Prince Andrew after the payment was sent to her bank account. Ferguson and Prince Andrew divorced in 1996.

READ MORE: From babies to scandal, the Royal Family’s biggest moments of 2019

“That opens up everything you would ever wish for. I can open any door you want, and I will for you,” she told the undercover reporter. “Look after me and he’ll look after you … you’ll get it back tenfold.”

Ferguson, the mother of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, publicly apologized after the news broke.

“I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused,” she said.

Story continues below advertisement

“It is true that my financial situation is under stress, however, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment and I am very sorry that this has happened.”

Laura.Hensley@globalnews.ca

Curator Recommendations
Advertisement

You are viewing an Accelerated Mobile Webpage.

View Original Article