The British Royal family may seem to have it all; they’ve got power, wealth, and the looks. It all looks prim and proper but not everything is like a fairy tale.
Here are some of the scandals that rocked the British Royal family in modern-day history:
In The Name Of Love: The Abdication Of Edward VIII
The abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 is perhaps the biggest scandal in modern day history of the British Royal Family. It was not about infidelity but rather about love.
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Meghan is not first American to have been involved with the Royal family. The credit goes to Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee and socialite and Edward’s true love.
Edward wished to marry Simpson but the laws during that day prevented him from doing so. Edward was the monarch and also the head of the Church of England which at that time did not allow divorcees to remarry while their former spouse is still alive. This sparked a constitutional crisis and Edward chose love over the crown.
His brother who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II, succeeeded him and forever altered the line of succession.
Princess Margaret’s Forbidden Romance
Unlike her sister, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret has more freedom to do what she wants and the fun-loving princess sparked controversy when she began an affair with Peter Townsend. At age 22, Margaret began a romance with former Royal Air Force Officer who was 16 years older.
In 1952, Townsend divorced his wife and asked to marry Margaret but the ensuring firestorm was too much to handle. Margaret eventually abandoned the relationship and decided to put duty first. Instead, she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 which ended in a bitter divorce in 1978.
Annus Horribilis
This was in 1992 when three of the Queen’s children have their marriages ended. A fire also broke out and damaged her Windsor Castle home.
The divorce of Charles and Diana caused quite a stir. Prince Andrew separated from wife Sarah Ferguson and the Queen’s only daughter divorced her first husband Mark Phillips.
Among the Queen’s children, only the youngest, Prince Edward, Earl Of Wessex still have his marriage intact.
The Death Of Diana, Princess Of Wales
Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being hounded by papparazzis. She had divorced Charles back in 1992 and have been stripped of her royal status.
Her marriage with Prince Charles was plagued with difficulty. Charles’s infidelity and affair with Camilla was a source of constrain for the couple. In one famous interview with Diana, she famously remarked that “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
Prince Andrew Scandal
Prince Andrew was forced to “step back from public duties” after being linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Allegations of him having sexual relations with a minor remains unresolved.
Harry & Meghan Stepping Down From Royal Duties
In 2020, Harry and Meghan shocked the world when they announced that are stepping down from royal duties and are moving to North America.
Dubbed as “Megxit” by British tabloids. The couple pointed out the harsh treatment of the press, racism, and apparent lack of support of the Royal Family to their plight as some of the reasons for their departure.
They recently gave a bombshell interview with Oprah. Click here to see the biggest revelations from their interview.
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