The 30 Most Shocking Royal Family Scandals
At the age of 14, Prince Charles ordered a cherry brandy at a pub in the village of Stornoway Harbor. Little did the prince know, there was a tabloid reporter in the pub who overheard him order. A seemingly innocent prince recalled in an interview for Vanity Fair, “I said the first drink that came into my head, because I’d drunk it before, when it was cold, out shooting.” The incident became a royal scandal, appearing in headlines on almost every tabloid.
Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, was married to Olympic equestrian Mark Phillips for nearly 20 years before they’re divorce in 1992. The royal couple’s marriage had been described as a “joyless sham.” But, what ultimately prompted their divorce was when The Sun, a British tabloid, claimed it had anonymously received letters written to the princess. The letters were not published because the paper feared they’d be sued for copyright. But it was later announced that the princess had fallen in love with her one of her equerries, Timothy Laurence, who was a British Naval officer. After announcing her divorce with Phillips, Anne added that she’d be marrying Laurence.
Two big scandals broke from the death of the princess. It was rumored that Princess Diana's death was a "planned accident" and that Prince Charles was behind it. It was also reported that her boyfriend at the time, Dodi Al Fayed was killed alongside her in the accident. Al Fayed was the son of a billionaire, and was said to be engaged to former partner Kelly Fisher at same time he was dating the princess. Fisher was wrapped in his own scandal, dealing with a lawsuit brought on by Fisher who said Al Fayed allegedly “jilted her at the altar.” She dropped the lawsuit after Princess Diana and Al Fayed’s death in 1997. It was also rumored that members of the royal family did not approve of Al Fayed and the princess’ relationship.
In 2010, a journalist went undercover as a businessman and offered Fergie ￡500,00 (which is about $633,000) in exchange for information about her ex-husband Prince Andrew, Duke of York. The Guardian reported that Fergie said to the reporter, “That opens up everything you would ever wish for. I can open any door you want, and I will for you. Look after me and he'll look after you...you'll get it back tenfold.” The Duchess later apologized claiming she had “a serious lapse in judgement.”
The Duchess has not caught on to the Queen’s trick of sewing weights into the hemline of her dress yet...though, she might have after this incident. Us Weekly reported that a German tabloid published photos of her after the wind sent her dress flying in the air, Marilyn Monroe-style. The palace did not comment on the decision to publish the photo.
It seems that Prince William took on the rebellious royal role—instead of Harry—this year, when he was caught dancing with a model, thought to be Australian-model Sophie Taylor, at a nightclub during what was supposed to be a boys ski trip. And there is video proof of it here. Needless to say, Duchess Kate was not thrilled.
The second-born son of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew, began dating American-born Kathleen “Koo” Stark in 1982. Because Stark was a soft-core porn actress, many nude and suggestive shots of her appeared in British tabloids. People reported that the Queen did not know of Stark’s acting career prior to meeting her.
In 2014, 17-year-old Virginia Roberts claimed she “was forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor in three separate geographical locations." She accused the prince and his billionaire friend, Jeffrey Epstein of keeping her as a “sex slave.” Buckingham Palace denied these allegations, and later a judge decided that all allegations against Prince Andrew be struck from court records.
Newsweek reported that HRH “invested at least $13.1 million into offshore tax-sheltered funds located in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.” This prompted party leaders and anti-monarchists to investigate into the Queen’s finances—her private funds, The Duchy of Lancaster—which led them to discover that the queen is avoiding $15 million in taxes on her $680 million duchy.
Business Insider reported that the Queen and her husband share the same bloodline and are both directly related to Queen Victoria. “While Victoria is Elizabeth's paternal great-great-grandmother, Philip is related to the monarch on his mother's side” the article reads. The European royal families have been closely related for years, but it’s expanding more than ever now that they are allowed to wed commoners.
George V and Queen Mary had a sixth son named John. Due to epileptic seizures, Prince John spent the last four years of his life living hidden away in York Cottage at the Sandringham estate. The royal family believed his seizures could not be known to the public because it would show a sign of weakness. Prince John died in the cottage at the age of 13 after a tragic seizure. He would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle.
Princess Michael of Kent recently caught the media’s attention for wearing an inappropriate brooch to the Queen’s Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace. The piece of blackamoor jewelry fetishizes images of slavery and is considered dated and racist. People were quick to point out the offensive accessory and wondered if it had to do with the attendance of Meghan Markle, who is newly engaged to Prince Harry. Markle is a biracial woman. While it is unclear whether or not the princess wore the brooch intentionally, Princess Michael has since apologized for the whole situation, adding that she’s worn the brooch “many time before, without controversy.” But, unfortunately, the princess has a history of racial indiscretions.
When Prince Charles drank a cherry brandy.
At the age of 14, Prince Charles ordered a cherry brandy at a pub in the village of Stornoway Harbor. Little did the prince know, there was a tabloid reporter in the pub who overheard him order. A seemingly innocent prince recalled in an interview for Vanity Fair, “I said the first drink that came into my head, because I’d drunk it before, when it was cold, out shooting.” The incident became a royal scandal, appearing in headlines on almost every tabloid.
The entire line of succession was changed because of one. ??
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