The Biggest Royal Family Scandals in the Past 50 Years
Over the past few decades, the British royal family has often taken over the media time and time again. And while some of those times were to celebrate major accomplishments, like when Kate Middleton welcomed her first son Prince George in 2013 or when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got married in 2018, a lot of royal coverage has been negative too.
In fact, looking at the past 50 years, royal life has been quite scandalous. In 1974, an attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne left the whole family in a frenzy over their safety. Twenty or so years later, Princess Diana‘s infamous Panorama interview in 1995 showed how miserable the People’s Princess had been in the spotlight, especially considering King Charles III‘s long-spanning affair with Queen Camilla.
And, in 2024, Middleton, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment, found herself in a full media frenzy when her absence from public events spiraled into full-blown conspiracy theories.
To check out all the biggest royal family scandals in the past five decades, from Prince Harry to Prince Andrew, scroll below.
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Kate Middleton’s Disappearance
Kate Middleton’s name was on the internet’s lips at the beginning of 2024 when her “scheduled abdominal surgery” resulted in an unexpectedly long step back from public duties. While Middleton recovered alongside her family, conspiracy theories about Middleton’s whereabouts and diagnosis were at an all-time high.
Those were only exacerbated on Mother’s Day when Middleton posted a picture with her three kids Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. on Mother’s Day. The photo, which was flagged by internet sleuths and media outlets as being photoshopped and altered, only increased public concern for her wellbeing.
Then, on March 22, the Princess of Wales set the record straight in an at-home video on social media. “It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful,” Middleton said in her video statement. “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.”
“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” she continued, revealing her cancer diagnosis for the first time. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
Since then, while internet users have quieted down with their speculation, we have yet to see Middleton resume her public duties.
Concerns Over Prince Archie’s Skin Color
During Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s tell-all sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the Sussexes revealed that some members of the royal family had speculated on their son Archie’s skin color ahead of his birth. “There were concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” Markle told Winfrey.
The revelation, of course, took the TV host by surprise. “There was a conversation with you…” Oprah clarified. “With Harry,” Markle edited. “About how dark your baby is going to be?” Oprah asked in a stunned voice.
“Potentially, and what that would mean or look like,” the Duchess continued. “Ooh, and you’re not going to tell me who had the conversation,” said Winfrey.
“I think that would be very damaging to them,” Markle replied.
And while both Markle and Harry refused to give any names at the time, the Dutch translation of Omid Scobie’s book, Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, suggested that it was King Charles and Kate Middleton who made the comments. Since then, however, no denial or legal action has been taken.
Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’
In one of Prince Harry’s most successful ventures since leaving the royal family, the royal published his tell-all memoir, Spare, in January 2023.
In it, Harry admitted to many never-before-shared things, including how he lost his virginity, to his physical confrontation with his brother, Prince William. “It all happened so fast,” the royal wrote, per The Guardian.”He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”
As for his NSFW virginity confession, Harry was quite TMI. “She liked horses, quite a lot, and treated me not unlike a young stallion,” he wrote. Harry went on to describe the rendezvous as an “inglorious episode,” adding that after doing the deed “she’d smacked my rump and sent me to grace.”
Safe to say Harry’s confessions rocked the royal family world.
Prince William’s Alleged Affair
Since 2019, reports that Prince William has been having an affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, have circled. It all started when Kate Middleton and Hanbury had a reported falling out due to their alleged relationship.
Years later, reports of their relationship continued as sparse rumors here and there. “They never addressed it, so those rumors will never go away even though there’s no truth to suggest that they are true,” royal expert Omid Scoobie told Entertainment Tonight.
In March 2024, following Stephen Colbert’s monologue about their alleged affair on his late-night show, Hanbury sent a legal notice to Colbert and gave a statement on the rumors for the first time. “The rumors are completely false,” Hanbury’s lawyers told the Business Insider.
Bullying Allegations Against Meghan Markle
A few days before Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, reports that Jason Knauf, Harry and Markle’s former communications secretary, had raised bullying concerns from Markle came to light.
“I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year,” the October 2018 email wrote, per Newsweek. “The treatment of X [name removed] was totally unacceptable.”
“The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights,” Knauf continued. “She is bullying Y [name removed] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y [name removed].”
Shortly after, Buckingham Palace announced an investigation into the matter. “Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article,” the statement wrote, per CNN. “Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.”
“The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace,” the statement continued.
A representative for Markle also spoke out at the time. “Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation,” the rep said, per CNN. “We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet.”
“The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma,” the statement continued. “She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”
By June 2022, the investigation had been concluded. “It was a review of the handling of the allegations aimed at enabling the royal households to consider potential improvements to HR policies and procedures,” said Sir Michael Stevens, treasurer to the Queen, per The Cut. “The review has been completed and recommendations on our policies and procedures have been taken forward.”
Thomas Markle’s Paparazzi Pictures
Ahead of Meghan Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, caused quite a media storm. Days after reportedly suffering a heart attack, he collaborated with paparazzi to take pictures of him at an internet cafe researching the royal couple, per Entertainment Tonight.
Soon after, the royal family announced Thomas would no longer be attending the wedding, and we walked down half the aisle with her father-in-law King Charles instead.
In 2019, the Daily Mail released a letter Meghan wrote to her father at the time.
“Your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces not simply because you have manufactured such unnecessary and unwarranted pain, but by making the choice to not tell the truth as you are puppeteered in this. Something I will never understand,” the Suits alum wrote, per Cosmopolitan.
“So the week of the wedding to hear about you having a heart attack through a tabloid was horrifying,” she continued. “I called and texted…I begged you to accept help—we sent someone to your home…and instead of speaking to me to accept this or any help, you stopped answering your phone and chose to only speak to tabloids.”
“You haven’t reached out to me since the week of our wedding, and while you claim you have no way of contacting me, my phone number has remained the same,” she clarified. “If you love me, as you tell the press you do, please stop.”
The two are reportedly estranged to this day.
The Bridesmaid Dress Drama
Also ahead of the 2018 weddings, tabloids got wind that Middleton and Markle were feuding over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress. At the time, Middleton was said to have cried over the discussion. But, as it turns out, the opposite had occurred.
“A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining—yes, the issue was correct about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry and it really hurt my feelings,” Markle told Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
Markle went on to say that while their disagreement over tailoring wasn’t a big deal, she expected her future sister-in-law to be more understanding given the stress Markle was under. “I thought in the context of everything else that was going on in those days leading to the wedding that it didn’t make sense to not be just doing what everyone else was doing, which was try to be supportive, knowing what was going on with my dad and whatnot,” Markle continued.
In Spare, Harry echoed Markle’s story, saying he once got home and found Markle “sobbing on the floor.”
According to the royal, it all started four days before his and Markle’s wedding when Middleton texted about a “problem” with Charlotte’s dress. Markle then replied back, suggesting that she take her daughter to Markle’s tailor who was waiting to help. Middleton, however, said it wasn’t “sufficient” and that the dress should be entirely remade.
Markle did not have the energy to compromise with her future sister-in-law. So, in return, Markle asked if she knew what she was going through with her father and insisted that she see the tailor. “Fine,” Middleton then replied, clearly unhappy.
Prince Andrew’s Epstein Connection
Following over a decade of friendship between Prince Andrew and convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, King Charles’ brother was named in Epstein’s court case in 2015.
Andrew “was not party to the proceedings but was identified when a motion was filed in the court, as part of the evidence,” the statement wrote, per the BBC.
Following the mention, the Palace issued two statements. “This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment on the detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with under-age minors is categorically untrue,” the first statement read, per Town & Country.
“It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts,” the other statement read, referring to the sexual assault allegation by Virginia Giuffre which was previously settled in court.
“I just wish to reiterate and to reaffirm the statements that have already been made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace,” Andrew said in a statement of his own at the time. “My focus is on my work.”
Following the scandal, Andrew sat down in an ill-fated Newsnight interview to clear his name. “I suppose I saw him once or twice a year, perhaps maybe maximum of three times a year and quite often if I was in the United States and doing things and if he wasn’t there, he would say ‘well, why don’t you come and use my houses? so I said ‘that’s very kind, thank you very much indeed,'” Prince Andrew told interviewer Emily Maitlis.
In 2022, Andrew was stripped from his royal titles and patronages by Queen Elizabeth.
Prince Harry’s Insensitive Nazi Costume
Prince Harry disappointed even his most loyal fans in 2005 when he wore a Nazi costume to a costume party themed “colonials and natives.” After being photographed by fellow partygoers, a photo of his swastika-emblemed outfit landed on the first page around the world.
In Spare, Harry somewhat blamed his brother and Middleton for the insensitive choice.
“I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. ‘Nazi uniform,’ they said,” Harry wrote, adding that he brought the costume home and tried it on. “They both howled. Worse than Willy’s leotard outfit! Way more ridiculous! Which, again, was the point.”
Princess Diana’s Passing
On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana passed away following a car accident at the Place de l’Alma underpass in Paris. The late Princess died alongside her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and the car’s driver, Henri Paul.
The tragedy, which began a period of mourning for the nation, also caused a crisis within the royal family when Queen Elizabeth II failed to honor Diana as a senior royal with a speech or half-past on the day.
Eventually, the Queen made a speech and ordered the flags to be half-mast.
“First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness,” the late monarch said in a televised speech, per BBC. “I admired and respected her – for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys.”
Since their death, conspiracy theories around Diana and Fayed’s death, especially given that he was the son of Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed, have always circulated. For many, including Prince Harry himself, some details of their accident don’t add up.
Princess Diana’s ‘Panorama’ Interview
In November 1995, when Princess Diana and King Charles were separated, Diana infamously laid it all out on the table in a televised Panorama interview with journalist Martin Bashir.
During it, Diana opened up about her struggles with “rampant bulimia” as well as confirming Charles’ longtime affair with Camilla.
“What effect did [their affair] have on you?” Bashir asked the late Princess of Wales. “Pretty devastating,” she replied. “Rampant bulimia, if you can have rampant bulimia, and just a feeling of being no good at anything and being useless and hopeless and failed in every direction.”
“And with a husband who was having a relationship with somebody else?” Bashir added. “With a husband who loved someone else, yes,” she replied. “You really thought that?” Bashir asked. “I didn’t think that,” the royal stated. “I knew it.”
Later on, Bashir asked if Queen Camilla’s affair with her ex-husband was the reason for their split. “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” she famously replied.
Almost six months later, Diana and Charles’ divorce was finalized.
‘Tampongate’
If you’ve watched the last few seasons of The Crown, then you already know all about the scandal later coined “Tampongate.” And while the moment might’ve been cringe-worthy to watch on TV, all of it did in fact happen in real life.
In 1993, a six-minute phone call between King Charles and Queen Camilla was leaked to the press. In it, in addition to expressing how in love and longing the two were for each other, Charles said he would like to “live inside [her] trousers,” per Time. In fact, the King even claimed he would like to be reincarnated as her tampon. Graphic, we know!
By the time the tape was released, Charles and his first wife Princess Diana had recently announced their separation.
Sarah Ferguson Moves On
In 1992, Prince Andrew and the Princess of York Sarah Ferguson announced their separation. A few months later, Ferguson was spotted packing on some PDA with her financial advisor John Bryan on a vacation in St. Tropez. In one photo, Bryan was seen sucking on Ferguson’s toes, per Daily Mail.
“We strongly disapprove of the publication of photographs taken in such circumstances,” the Palace said in a statement at the time.
Princess Anne & Mark Phillips’ Affairs
During Princess Anne’s marriage to Mark Phillips, which lasted from 1973 to 1992, both of them were rumored to be having extramarital affairs.
In the late 80s, letters exchanged between Anne and her lover, Queen’s equerry Timothy Laurence, were released to The Sun.
“Apparently the only things that were revealed about the letters, at the time, was that they were of extremely personal and intimate nature, and, quote, ‘Too hot to handle,'” Roberta Fiorito told Express.
In 1992, Anne and Philips finalized their divorce. Six months later, she finally wed Laurence. They’ve been married to this day.
Princess Anne Survives Attempted Kidnapping
Princess Anne and her ex-husband Mark Phillips went through quite a scary moment in March 1974 when an unemployed laborer named Ian Ball attempted to kidnap the royal. The attempted kidnapping took place in London as the newly married couple was stopped on their way back to Buckingham Palace, per Smithsonian Magazine.
While Anne’s only bodyguard Inspector James Beaton attempted to scare off Ball before getting shot, it was the help of passersby like journalist John J. O’Connor and civilian Ronnie Russell who helped Anne not get caught.
Following Ball’s arrest, he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and kidnapping and was sentenced to life in a high-security psychiatric facility due to his history of mental illness, per Us Weekly. Bell reportedly had a ransom note in his pocket during the incident, asking for ￡2 million from Queen Elizabeth herself.
