Nazi’s, Nudity And Negligence! The Biggest Scandals Of British Monarchy Exposed
Jan. 14 2020, Published 5:25 p.m. ET
Some days, being a member of British monarchy can be a royal pain. While the uptight and upright royals strive to showcase class and sophistication, it seems they simply can’t escape their own embarrassing scandals.
Of course, the family is in the midst of one of its biggest scandals of all-time: the desertion of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced last week via an Instagram statement that they would be stepping back from their duties as “senior royals” and work to become “financially independent.” They confirmed in their message that they would be splitting their time between England and North America and focusing most of their efforts in running their not-yet-launched “charitable entity.”
The news came as a slap in the face to the 93-year-old Queen of England, who released a rare statement after the surprise announcement.
“Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” the statement from Buckingham Palace read. “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take some time to work through.”
On Monday, January 13, the Queen seemed to have a change of heart, publicly supporting the so-called “Megxit.”
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” a statement from the Queen released Monday read. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
“These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days,” she concluded in her statement.
It’s not the first time the British hierarchy has been upended by a sudden scandal. Check out some of the most famous faux pas in this RadarOnline.com gallery.
Epstein And Andrew
Most recently, Prince Andrew’s friendship with disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein cost him his royal life and duties, after multiple women came forward to claim they were forced to have sex with the Prince.
In August 2019, Epstein killed himself in a New York jail. Meanwhile, one of his accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, said that Epstein had trafficked her to Prince Andrew, and that the prince had sex with her three times, an accusation that he denies.
Brake For Philip
In February 2019, 98-year-old Prince Philip was forced to turn over his keys, after being involved in a collision that left two women injured. The elderly prince had to be helped out of his overturned vehicle but wasn’t injured.
Philip was photographed driving again two days later, without a seat belt. After that, police said they offered him “suitable words of advice.”
Viva Las Vegas
What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas when the royal family is involved. In 2012, Prince Harry was pictured partying naked in Sin City. Pictures showed Harry cupping his privates next to an unnamed naked woman and exposing his butt during the wild trip.
Topless Kate
In late 2012, Kate Middleton found herself exposed in print, after a French magazine published naked pictures of her.
The series of racy photos showed the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless and were published in Closer magazine, but the Royal Family claimed that they were taken on private property and were a violation of the couples’ privacy and launched a criminal complaint in Paris.
Harry’s Costume
In January 2005, British paper The Sun published a front-page photo of Prince Harry wearing a Nazi armband, apparently at a costume party.
The prince, who was 20 at the time, quickly released a statement of apology that read: “Prince Harry has apologised for any offence or embarrassment he has caused. He realises it was a poor choice of costume.”
The scandal came just two weeks before the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Fergie’s Toe Sucking
Sarah Ferguson married Queen Elizabeth’s son Prince Andrew in 1986. Just six years later, paparazzi photographers captured Fergie vacationing with an American financial advisor named John Bryan. In one photo Bryan even appears to be licking Fergie’s foot. The marriage crumbled soon after, and Fergie and Andrew separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.
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‘Squidgygate’
While she was considered by all as the innocent victim in the love triangle between husband Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, Princess Diana was embroiled in an embarrassing scandal of her own when tapes emerged of intimate conversations between her and alleged boyfriend James Gilbey. Dubbed “Squidgygate,” the infamous recordings that were released in 1992 revealed that Gilbey repeatedly told the People’s Princess “I love you” and called her “Squidgy” a total of 53 times.
Charles and Camilla
Not long after Diana’s leaked phone call, Prince Charles was the victim of his own phone hack, after an Australian magazine published the transcript of a call between Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The transcript all but confirmed the ongoing secret relationship between Charles and Camilla, and revealed a kinky side of the royal.
In one of the more confounding parts of the conversation, the couple jokes about Charles coming back to life as a tampax in order to “live inside your trousers.”
Later that year, Charles and Diana announced their separation.
