24 Different British Royal Household Scandals We Forgot About

The British royal family has had its share of controversies and scandals. From abdicating over marriage to getting embroiled in financial scandals, the royals have often been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

The royals aren’t different from other families when it comes to controversies. dock, their status as elites means that their mistakes always take center stage and often get blown out of proportion.

In the latest mishap to befall them, on March 10, Kensington Palace published a picture of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, and her three young children. Unbeknownst to the Palace, the princess had altered the image in Photoshop before making it available, which led to major news publishers deleting it from their databases.

This major blow to the Palace’s credibility is only one of the countless scandals that have affected the royals, and it’s hardly the worst.

Meghan’s Coronation Snub

One of the most recent controversies affecting the royals was Meghan’s apparent snub when King Charles held his coronation in 2023. Although Prince Harry attended, his wife did not, making many tongues wag about why she may not have been invited.

One obvious reason may have been that the coronation data coincided with the birthday of the couple’s oldest child, and Meghan wanted to celebrate it in person. Regardless of the reason, the king was reportedly happy that both his sons were in attendance. Meanwhile, the gossip mills were happy to churn away as always.

Meghan Markle’s Alleged Mistreatment of Her Staff

Meghan Markle also met with controversy when a story surfaced in The Times i 2021 about her bullying Palace aides during her short stint as a working royal. The allegations were bad enough that her fans decried the attack on her character.

While the allegations have not been proven, they went as far as to accuse Meghan of taunting her aides until they were reduced to tears. True or not, they contributed to Meghan Markle’s poor reputation in the UK.

Harry and Meghan’s Bombshell Retirement

The biggest royal story of 2020 was Harry and Meghan’s announcement that they were stepping down from royal duties. The couple claimed they wanted to escape the relentless pressure of dealing with tabloid stories and enjoy their family and privacy.

Nevertheless, after the pair left the UK and started a new life in the US, they often grace the pages of magazines and tabloids. Because of that, some feel they were somewhat disingenuous in claiming they needed privacy to step down from their duties.

Prince William’s Alleged Affair

I 2019, rumors started circulating about an affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury during Kate Middleton’s pregnancy with the couple’s youngest son the previous year. The royal couple are close friends with Rose Hanbury and her husband, so they would often spend time in each other’s company before and after the royals married.

dock, i 2019, tabloids claimed that the two couples had a falling out caused by Kate’s discovery of William’s infidelity. None of the parties have addressed these claims, although Kensington Palace denied them.

Prince Andrew’s Connection With Jeffrey Epstein

Prince Andrew had to step down from his royal duties as a result of being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged he had assaulted her when she was 17. This allegation forced authorities to investigate the prince’s ties with Jeffrey Epstein, who had trafficked Virginia Giuffre and died under mysterious circumstances in 2019.

Although he initially categorically denied the claims, Prince Andrew settled the case in februari 2022. By then, he had already lost his honorary military titles and was no longer a “royal highness.”

Thomas Markle’s Staged Pictures

Just before the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Markle’s father, Thomas, staged pictures with paparazzi to make it look like he wanted to attend the wedding but was denied by the Palace and his daughter. Meghan was upset by the stunt and went on the record saying she felt “upset and disturbed” by Thomas’ manipulation.

We can’t attest to whether that caused the current rift between Meghan Markle and her father, but he didn’t attend the wedding, and Meghan walked down the aisle on the arm of her current father-in-law, King Charles.

Prince Harry’s Las Vegas Scandal

Before his wedding to Meghan Markle, Prince Harry had a reputation as a player. He didn’t try too hard to dismantle it, and in 2012, he cemented it in stone by taking part in a drunken game of strip pool with a group of women before he deployed to Afghanistan.

What was worse was that he opened himself up to blackmail when one of the partygoers was able to take pictures of him in the buff. While the rumors about what may have happened during the infamous strip pool party eventually went down, they resurfaced when the prince published his memoir, Spare, i 2023.

Sarah Ferguson’s Cash-For-Access Scandal

I 2010, News of the World organized a sting operation that caught Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s former wife, agreeing to provide access to her influential ex-husband in exchange for £500,000. An undercover reporter claimed to be a businessman interested in the deal to make Ferguson ask the amount on tape.

Sarah Ferguson was forced to apologize when the story went public. She admitted that her financial situation was not good and attributed her actions to distress, stating, “I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused. It is true that my financial situation is under stress, however, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment.”

Prince Charles’s Hot Mic Moment

Before his second wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005, the then-Prince of Wales experienced some heat from the public regarding his bride-to-be. People were not fans of Parker-Bowles and no one, seemingly not even Queen Elizabeth II, was in support of the marriage.

His stress from low public opinion made him snap at the press during a staged photo shoot with his sons. Although he thought only William and Harry could hear his comments, the microphones on the ground in front of the trio also picked up his grumbling.

“I hate doing this. I can’t bear that man anyway. He’s so awful, he really is. I hate these people,” Charles mumbled under his breath, referring to a BBC royal correspondent and his crew trying to get a good snap of the future king and his sons.

Prince Harry’s Armband

I 2005, Prince Harry wasn’t making the best life decisions. He decided to wear a fascist armband on a desert uniform at a costume party, and a picture of him in costume landed him on the cover of tabloids.

Forced to apologize, he said it was “a poor choice of costume,” and he was very sorry for any offense he may have caused. Worst of all, Harry wore the armband about two weeks before Holocaust Memorial Day.

As on many other occasions, Harry could have taken a tip from his brother, who reportedly dressed in a homemade lion and leopard outfit instead.

Princess Anne’s Misbehaved Dog

I 2002, Princess Anne became the first royal family member to receive a criminal offense conviction. The princess had to pay a £500 fine and an additional £500 in compensation after her English bull terrier, Dotty, bit two children.

The two boys had to go to the hospital for their injuries, but according to the report, neither needed stitches, so the damage caused by the unruly Dotty may have been more emotional than physical. The princess admitted Dotty was out of control and paid each boy a $270 fine to cover their medical expenses.

Queen Elizabeth’s Annus Horribilis

I 1992, three of Elizabeth II’s four children initiated divorce proceedings against their spouses, prompting the queen to call out the year as her “annus horribilis” (Latin for “terrible year”). To make things worse, Prince Anne also remarried despite the fact her ex-husband was still alive — an unprecedented act for the royal family.

To make matters worse for the monarch, Windsor Castle also suffered extensive damage in a fire in November 1992. This prompted the queen to say in a speech marking her 40th anniversary on the throne, “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.” She was definitely not mincing words.

Prince Charles’s Love Triangle

When Prince Charles married Diana Spencer in 1981, millions watched the televised wedding, thinking they witnessed a real Cinderella story. We’ll never know the truth about Charles’s feelings for his ex-wife, but we know he was already smitten with Camilla Parker Bowles.

Charles and Camilla had an affair after their respective weddings. Princess Diana also had an affair with James Hewitt, her horse-riding instructor. She also famously discussed the love triangle, telling the BBC, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

The marriage ended in 1996. Diana died tragically in August 1997 in a car crash, something many attempted to turn into its own scandal.

Princess Anne’s Attempted Kidnapping

I 1974, Ian Ball, a mentally ill man, attempted to kidnap the Princess Royal. His motivation was to extract £2 million from the queen in exchange for returning the princess. He interfered with the princess’s limo as she returned from a film screening and tried to get past the princess’s bodyguard by shooting him.

The bodyguard received a shoulder wound. The commotion he created foiled Ball because it attracted too much attention before he managed to grab Anne, who resisted Ball’s efforts and encouraged him to flee the scene in an attempt at self-preservation. Ball listened, and was arrested shortly after.

Princess Margaret’s Complicated Love Life

Princess Margaret has a hard time finding love. As a young woman, she fell in love with a married man who was 16 years her senior. Peter Townsend was a royal equerry who reciprocated the princess’s love, yet couldn’t be with her without getting a divorce.

The government didn’t want Margaret to marry a divorcee unless she agreed to give up her succession rights. That was too much for Margaret, who gave up on her marriage wishes instead- regardless of how unlikely it was for her to succeed to the throne.

Edward VIII’s Abdication

While Princess Margaret chose to give up her lover, Edward VIII picked his over the crown. Edward VIII could only marry Wallis Simpson, the American socialite with whom he had fallen in love if he abdicated the throne. Simpson had been married before, which meant that as the head of the Church of England, the king couldn’t marry her.

In a 1936 radio address to the nation, Edward VIII explained his decision to abdicate, saying, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King without the help and support of the woman I love.” The couple married in 1937 and remained together until Edward died in 1972.

Queen Caroline’s Trial

Caroline of Brunswick was the wife of George IV, who was somewhat of a bigamist, having already married Maria Fitzherbert, his true love, ten years before his 1795 marriage to his first cousin. Even though she had never committed adultery, the king put her on trial on those grounds in 1820 to formally end their marriage.

Eventually, his attempt to accuse his wife of something she hadn’t done failed, and Queen Caroline’s name was cleared. Unfortunately, the queen didn’t get to revel in her victory. She died shortly after George IV’s coronation — which she wasn’t allowed to attend — in 1821.

The Succession Crisis of 1817

King George III, the Mad King, lost the American colonies in 1776 and became truly mad in 1810. Yet, as the king aged, his biggest crisis finally happened when none of his nine sons produced a legitimate heir.

This situation caused a succession crisis. Many of the king’s sons rushed to marry princesses and become the fathers of the next heir to the throne. George III’s third son solved the succession crisis when he became the father of future Queen Victoria in 1819—not that he knew it at the time.

The Gunpowder Plot

Brits still mark The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 every year on November 5. They celebrate the fact that Guy Fawkes and his Catholic conspirators failed to assassinate King James I and blow up Parliament. Why? They found James I to be intolerant due to his Protestant religious values.

The plan failed when officials received an anonymous letter detailing the location of the 36 barrels of gunpowder the conspirators had placed in the cellars of Parliament. Guy Fawkes was caught and imprisoned at the Tower of London before being executed in gruesome fashion. His body, along with the bodies of his comrades in arms, was displayed as a warning to citizens with a taste for rebellion.

Charles II’s Many Illegitimate Children

Charles II’s nickname was the Merry Monarch, which suggests he was always looking for a good time. While he enjoyed life, he also enjoyed many extramarital affairs, which resulted in a record number of illegitimate children.

Having illegitimate children was the only way for the king to produce children since his marriage to Catherine of Braganza was childless. Nevertheless, none of his children succeeded him. His brother, James, became king after his death.

Charles I’s Death

This one is less of a scandal and more of a gruesome story of retribution. After the English Civil War, King Charles I was executed, and it was a sight from which to stay away. According to Michael Farquhar, a bestselling author of many books focused on UK history, the execution was brutal even by the standards of the 1600s.

The executioner slammed the king’s severed head to the ground, soldiers dipped their swords in the king’s blood, and then his body was ripped apart.

Queen Elizabeth I’s Secret Lover

While the aptly-named Virgin Queen never married, many historians have wondered if she was as chaste as the name suggests. As soon as Elizabeth became queen in 1558, rumors about her “secret lovers” started running rampant.

One of the names associated with Elizabeth I is Robert Dudley, whose wife just happened to break her neck falling down the stairs in 1560- convenient for the queen, given her fondness for the now-widowed Robert. Whether the late Dudley’s death was the fault of Elizabeth or Dudley, we will never know.

Henry VIII Creating the Church of England

Marriages and divorces have always been plagued by scandals regarding the royals. In the 16th century, Henry VIII was desperate to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry his new paramour, Anne Boleyn. He was so desperate that he was willing to break with the Pope, who refused him an annulment.

Henry VIII broke with Rome and created his own church, the Church of England, which came into being in 1534. The kings and queens of the UK were also heads of the church. As we’ve seen elsewhere on this list, being head of the church didn’t help with tradition or marrying someone one loves.

William II’s Death While Hunting

William I was the third son of William the Conqueror. Like his contemporaries, he loved hunting. On a fine August evening in 1100, he went hunting with a few of his courtiers, including Walter Tirel. As the king injured a stag and rushed to finish his prey, Tirel, in turn, sent an arrow flying into the king’s back and took off on his horse.

While chroniclers tell us this story, it’s unclear if Walter Tirel was trying to kill the king or simply tried to make work light for him by wounding or killing the stag. Either way, the king died, and Tirel fled to France, where he lived in exile.