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15 of The Royal Family's Most Shocking Scandals — From King Charles' Infidelity to Prince Harry's Leaked Naked Photos

of royal familys biggest scandals that shocked the world
Source: MEGA

Sept. 22 2023, Published 12:01 a.m. ET

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King Charles' Infidelity

king charles infidelity
Source: MEGA

King Charles' late ex-wife, Princess Diana, appeared in a 'Panorama' interview where she revealed her then-husband's infidelity.

King Charles III shocked everyone with his infamous 1992 "Camillagate," which exposed his relationship with now-Queen Camilla while both of them were still married to Princess Diana and Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, respectively.

King Charles and Princess Diana split in the same year, and Queen Elizabeth II urged them to divorce in 1996 following the Princess of Wales' appearance during the Panorama interview. The late princess told journalist Martin Bashir about their relationship and that "there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."

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King Edward VIII's Abdication

king edward viiis abdication
Source: MEGA

No one wanted Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII to get married.

The British Royal Family and the empire faced a constitutional crisis when King Edward VIII announced his proposal to American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Everyone opposed their planned marriage, as the Church of England did not allow divorced people to remarry in church while their former spouses were still alive.

As he could not marry her due to the opposition, he formally announced his abdication through written notices. His three younger brothers witnessed his declaration, pushing Queen Elizabeth II's late father, King George VI, to take over the throne.

Meghan Markle Sued the 'Mail on Sunday'

meghan markle sued mail on sunday
Source: MEGA

The ruling ordered 'Mail on Sunday' to pay her less than $2 for invading her privacy.

Meghan Markle launched a legal battle against Mail on Sunday and MailOnline website after they breached her privacy when they posted and printed elements of the five-page letter she wrote to her father after her wedding to Prince Harry.

She won the lawsuit, and the Mail was ordered to pay less than $2 million for invading her privacy and another unspecified amount for infringement copyright and lawyer fees. The publication also printed a front-page mea culpa to apologize to Markle.

"This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what's right," she said after winning the case. "While this win is precedent setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create."

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Prince Andrew and His Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

prince andrew and his relationship with jeffrey epstein
Source: MEGA

Prince Andrew's car crash interview on BBC's 'Newsnight' only poured fuel to the fire regarding his relationship and connection with convicted s— offender Jeffrey Epstein.

On November 16, 2019, Prince Andrew appeared in an episode of BBC's Newsnight to clear up the rumors surrounding him and the late convicted s— offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide on August 10 of the same year.

His responses during the 58-minute interview attracted negative reactions from the public, leading him to lose most of his patronages. He withdrew from his public roles in May 2020, two years before he lost his military titles and capacity to use HRH in his name.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Stepped Back from Senior Royal Duties

prince harry and meghan markle stepped back from senior royal duties
Source: MEGA

They also decided not to return as working members of the royal family.

Amid the monarchy's headaches caused by Prince Andrew, it dealt with another scandal when Prince Harry and Meghan announced they would step back from working royal roles on January 8, 2020.

"After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," their initial statement read. "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 queen held a Sandringham Summit with Prince Harry alongside then-Prince Charles and Prince William, and she released a statement after a 90-minute discussion to confirm a period of transition after approving the couple's wish.

On February 18, 2021, Buckingham Palace released an official statement to confirm that Prince Harry and Meghan would no longer return as working members of the royal family.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Bombshell Oprah Winfrey Interview

prince harry and meghan markles bombshell oprah winfrey interview
Source: MEGA

The interview burned more bridges between the royal family and the couple.

As they embraced their new life in the U.S., Prince Harry and Meghan decided to do a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was met with negative responses from the media and royal supporters.

During the infamous interview, they shared bombshell revelations, including their secret wedding before their official royal union, Meghan's claims that Princess Kate made her cry before the ceremony and the royal family allegedly silencing the Suits actress amid "false reports" about her.

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Prince Harry in a Nazi Costume

prince harry in a nazi costume
Source: MEGA

Netflix series 'The Crown' featured Prince Harry's blunder in one of its episodes.

Prince Harry appeared in headlines after attending a 2005 costume party wearing a swastika band on his arm. He was also spotted grasping a cigarette and what was thought to be alcohol.

He released an apology statement after the publication of his photo, but Jewish groups and lawmakers continuously slammed the royal for "foolishly" making the choice.

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Prince Harry's Leaked Naked Photos

prince harrys leaked naked photos
Source: MEGA

Women present at the party revealed Prince Harry had more naked photos other than the published snaps.

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More scandals involving Prince Harry emerged after The Sun published his naked photos taken at a party he attended in Las Vegas.

RadarOnline obtained legal letters sent by law firm Harbottle & Lewis to the news outlet stating that the photos were part of the Press Complaints Commission code, but The Sun argued that it published the photos in the "public interest and to fight for press freedom."

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Prince Harry's Use of Marijuana

prince harrys use of marijuana
Source: MEGA

Prince Harry confessed that he smoked weed while living at Tyler Perry's home in Los Angeles in 2020.

In 2002, the then-16-year-old Prince Harry was caught smoking marijuana in a shed near the Rattlebone Inn. King Charles confronted him after he discovered him smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol, leading the worried patriarch to admit him to the detox center, Featherstone Lodge.

Two decades after the embarrassing moment, the royal prince tried it again and admitted in his memoir, Spare, that he rolled a joint one night during lockdown in 2020. He also revealed that he smoked weed in 2016 after his first date with Meghan.

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Princess Anne Married a Royal Staffer

princess anne married a royal staff
Source: MEGA

The staffer was her second husband.

Remarriages and divorces in the royal family became prominent between the '80s and '90s. Aside from King Charles' infidelity, Princess Anne also sparked a romance with Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence – who served as equerry to the royal family – while she was still married to Mark Phillips.

Laurence also sent personal letters to the royal, which the Los Angeles Times described as "extremely personal and intimate in nature."

After her divorce from Phillips in 1992, Princess Anne and Laurence made their relationship public officially and wed on December 12 of the same year at a Presbyterian church near Balmoral.

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Princess Diana and the 'Squidgygate'

princess diana and the squidgygate
Source: MEGA

The 23-minute phone call featured Princess Diana and a Lotus salesman named James Gilbey.

If King Charles had his "Camillagate," Princess Diana also had her "Squidgygate," which referred to a 23-minute call recording between her and her close friend James Gilbey on 1989 New Year's Eve. Their friendly call eventually got a bit lustier when they made kissing noises at one another.

It also recorded Gilbey calling the princess "Squidgy" 14 times and "darling" 53 times.

The scandal was released after the "Camillagate" tapes were also leaked.

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Princess Margaret's Missed Happy Ending

princess margarets missed happy ending
Source: MEGA

Princess Margaret met Captain Peter Townsend at the Buckingham Palace when he was interviewed by King George VI for an equerry position.

Queen Elizabeth II had the power to consent to Princess Margaret's decision if she wanted to get married before she turned 25. However, the young woman fell in love with then-married Royal Air Force officer Captain Peter Townsend.

Things did not stop between them as he divorced his wife to propose to the royal princess, but the Church of England did not allow such a marriage, just like what happened to King Edward III.

Princess Margaret accepted her faith and called off their engagement in 1955. She soon married Antony Armstrong-Jones, who became the Earl of Snowdon and never remarried after their divorce.

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Queen Elizabeth II's Silence on Princess Diana's Death

queen elizabeth iis silence on princess dianas death
Source: MEGA

The Princess of Wales died on August 31, 1997, after suffering fatal injuries following a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France.

While the world was mourning Princess Diana's tragic death, Queen Elizabeth II kept tightlipped, enraging royal fans. A few days after the crash, she finally delivered a televised speech to pay tribute to the royal princess.

Twenty years later, the queen's first cousin and close friend Margaret Rhodes told CNN that Queen Elizabeth II did not immediately break her silence because of her concern for Diana's kids, Prince William and Prince Harry.

"She was castigated…for staying up at Balmoral with the two little boys," Rhodes said. "She was being a proper granny. What was the point of bringing the boys down to sit in London with nothing to do but sit there feeling sad about mum. Personally, I think I would have behaved in exactly the same way."

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Sarah Ferguson Allegedly Accepted a Bribe

sarah ferguson allegedly accepted a bribe
Source: MEGA

She appeared in an interview with Oprah Winfrey to address the scandal.

Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, was caught in the middle of a bribery scandal after a grainy video of her with an undercover reporter surfaced.

The clip in question captured the Duchess of York with $40,000 in cash in front of her as the undercover reporter asked her to become a bridge and introduce him to Prince Andrew. The embattled duke was the country's special representative for international trade and investment at that time.

"Five hundred thousand pounds when you can, to me...[to] open doors," she said.

Ferguson was seen leaving the room with a black bag containing the money on top of the promised $750,000 future payment.

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Sarah Ferguson's Infamous Toe-Licking Incident

sarah fergusons infamous toe licking incident
Source: MEGA

The toe-sucking photo was captured months after her split from Prince Andrew.

Prior to her bribery scandal, Ferguson raised royal fans' eyebrows when a photo featuring her and her financial advisor in St. Tropez was leaked to the public. The compromising photo showed the Texan millionaire John Bryan kissing, licking and sucking her toes during the outing.

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