The Most Controversial Royal Family Moments They Want You To Forget

While many idolize the British royal family, the institution has been rocked with a plethora of controversies through the years. Many royal scandals have played out in the tabloids, meaning that the world already knows the (at times alleged) sordid details, but there are several moments members of the monarchy probably wish we would forget altogether. From very public affairs to illegal activities to embarrassing moments caught on camera, it's been proven time and again that the Windsors are just like the rest of us — even Queen Elizabeth II isn't free from controversy herself.

Living in the public eye is undoubtedly difficult, especially when you're born into public life like the royals are. However, it's impossible to entirely excuse all of the royal family's controversies and scandals, especially as some have prompted legal action or serious brushes with the law. Here, we explore some of the most controversial royal family moments that they probably wish could be erased from history. 

Before Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's tell-all with Oprah Winfrey aired in March 2021, several negative stories about the duchess were leaked to the press, presumably in an attempt to counteract any claims made against the royal family during the interview. One such report involved a pair of Chopard earrings Meghan wore to an October 2018 state dinner held in Fiji. While she initially claimed that the jewels were "borrowed," it was later reported that they were a gift from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (a.k.a. MBS), which drew much criticism — in part because Meghan regularly petitions for human rights across the globe.

The Times reported that Meghan wore the earrings a few weeks after the Saudi prince was accused of approving the murder of The Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. According to Newsweek, the earrings were reportedly "given to Meghan by the crown prince [two months] ahead of her wedding in May 2018, after Queen Elizabeth II had lunch with him." In response, Meghan's lawyers stated (via The Sun) that "every relevant staff member knew who the earrings were from" and advised against her wearing them to a public event, but also claimed that the duchess "unaware" at the time of the allegations surrounding MBS.

The Sussexes called the report, which also detailed allegations of bullying against Meghan, "a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation," adding that they were "disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet."

If you've watched Netflix's The Crown, you'll be well acquainted with the story of King Edward VIII and the object of his affection, American divorcee Wallis Simpson. As noted by BBC News, then-Prince Edward met Wallis at a party in 1931. Though she was still married to her second husband, the future king began spending more time with Wallis, and even introduced her to his mother at a Buckingham Palace party three years later — much to father King George V's chagrin. 

When George died in January 1936, Edward acceded the throne. However, his love interest quickly became the subject of much press, and Wallis separated from her husband, who'd also been having an affair, that July. As BBC News reports, Edward told Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that November that he was "prepared to abdicate if the government opposes his marriage," after being advised that "the British public would not accept" an American divorcee as their queen. Of course, Edward abdicated from the throne in December 1936 and was seceded by his brother, King George VI — thus altering the British royals' line of succession forever.

After fleeing to Austria and later France, Edward married Wallis in June 1937, just one month after her divorce from husband No. 2 was finalized. The couple subsequently became known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. But this is one chapter of history that the royal family probably wishes wasn't quite so highly publicized.

While Prince Harry has overhauled his image since marrying Meghan Markle, his former party boy style and penchant for questionable fashion got him into several, shall we say, scrapes. In January 2005, Harry made the front page of The Sun for wearing an outfit featuring a Nazi swastika armband to a fancy dress party. Major yikes. 

According to BBC News, Clarence House issued a response that said, "Prince Harry has apologised for any offence or embarrassment he has caused. He realises it was a poor choice of costume." As the outlet noted, however, the party in question reportedly had the already offensive theme of "colonial and native," and The Guardian reported that Harry had been photographed "enjoying a drink and a cigarette while dressed as a member of Rommel's Afrika Korps, complete with a prominent swastika armband." A lesser known fact? Older brother Prince William was also in attendance, and was said to have "opted for a homemade lion and leopard outfit more in keeping with the party's 'native and colonial' theme."

In the years since, it's been suggested that the outrage surrounding Harry's costume was in part responsible for the rift that has since formed between himself and William. In his 2020 book, Battle of Brothers, royal historian Robert Lacey claimed (via the Daily Mail) that "following the 'Colonials and Natives' costume fiasco, the young prince began re-evaluating his elder brother's involvement and the unfairness of William's subsequent emergence smelling of roses. It made Harry feel resentful and even alienated."

Princess Anne might seem like a straight-laced member of the royal family, but Queen Elizabeth's only daughter once had her own run-in with the law. In 2002, the princess received a fine of £500 "after pleading guilty to a charge that one of her dogs attacked two children," per BBC News. At the time, Anne was also ordered to keep the dog in question, her then-three-year-old English bull terrier, Dotty, on a leash at all times while in public. 

Understandably, this was a highly emotive case, the sentencing of which drew criticism from members of the public, some of whom thought a harsher outcome should've been achieved. According to The Guardian, "The penalties available for the offence allowed for a fine up to £5,000, six months in jail and the destruction of the dog." However, despite the case being widely reported by the press, Princess Anne was apparently adamant that she didn't want any preferential treatment for being a royal.

Still, the ordeal was notable for two reasons, specifically because Anne is a member of the monarchy, with BBC News noting, "The case is the first time a senior member of the Royal Family has been convicted of a criminal offence, and no other senior royal has attended court for 100 years."

Viewers of The Crown will be at least partially acquainted with the story of Princess Margaret's divorce from her husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, also known as Lord Snowdon. Margaret announced their separation in 1976 after sixteen years of marriage. However, according to BBC News, "It is understood [Lord Snowdon] knew nothing of the announcement prior to its release." While Margaret's alleged solo split decision might seem shocking enough, the separation and subsequent divorce was seen as somewhat of a scandal for the royal family, with the outlet noting that she was "the first member of the royal family to divorce since Henry VIII."

The announcement also followed rumors that Margaret had been having an affair, as she was photographed on the island of Mustique in the Caribbean "with 29-year-old Roddy Llewellyn, son of Olympic gold medalist horseman, Lt-Col Harry Llewellyn." It was also noted that she had "taken several extended holidays without her husband since their marriage," suggesting that there had been trouble in paradise for quite some time. 

While other royal couples have gotten divorced since then, Princess Margaret likely found herself in a very unusual and highly controversial position as the first in several centuries.

Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, was caught out yet again when a sting operation revealed that she'd accepted a bribe for royal access in 2010. As The Guardian reported, the Duchess of York was forced to apologize following what she called a "serious lapse in judgment," after guaranteeing "access to her former husband" for the princely sum of £500,000 (approximately $700,000). The operation had been conducted by News of the World's undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood, who recorded his meeting with the duchess.

In the recording, Ferguson appeared to say, per The Guardian, that the payment "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 of York was referring to her ex-husband's role as the U.K.'s trade envoy, which saw him promoting British businesses abroad. Andrew was given the role in 2001, but as BBC News reported, he announced he was stepping down from the position in 2011. 

According to The Guardian, Ferguson said of being caught in a sting operation, "I can confirm that The Duke of York was not aware or involved in any of the discussions that occurred. I am sincerely sorry for my actions."

Unfortunately, the Countess of Wessex isn't the only member of the British royal family to find topless photos of herself published by the press. When Kate Middleton and Prince William took a summer vacation to France in 2012, a photographer snapped pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge while she was sunbathing topless. 

Per The Sun, William and Kate were staying on private property "in a chateau in the south of France owned by the second Earl Snowdon, the Queen's nephew." The French magazine Closer published the pictures, a decision they likely later regretted. Meanwhile, Britain's tabloids reportedly refused to purchase the photos, and the Cambridges quickly acquired an injunction to stop further publication of the snaps once they learned they'd been taken.

According to The Guardian, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sued Closer and French newspaper La Provence for publishing the photographs. Prince William said of the situation, "In September 2012, my wife and I thought that we could go to France for a few days in a secluded villa owned by a member of my family, and thus enjoy our privacy. ... The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy." The court ruled in Kate and William's favor, and the couple received damages from those involved in the publication of the photos.

As well as having an illicit affair, former King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson reportedly had some rather inappropriate connections to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Royal biographer Andrew Morton explored the connection between the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Hitler in his 2015 book, 17 Carnations: The Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover-Up in History. 

In an excerpt from Morton's book published by New York Post, the royal expert revealed, "After his abdication, Hitler invited the duke and duchess to visit Germany in October 1937. It was the chance for the duke to show his new wife that though he was no longer king, nothing really had changed." Morton added, "They were met by marching bands and cheering crowds, the duke infamously exchanging Nazi salutes with his hosts. The duke even enjoyed a 50-minute private conversation with Hitler at his mountain retreat."

It would seem that, per Morton, "Hitler had spent years courting Edward" in an attempt to exploit a connection to the British throne. As the biographer revealed, a dossier regarding Edward's many connections to the Nazis was discovered, much to the royal family's dismay. While even the prime minister at the time, Winston Churchill, wanted all evidence of Edward's ties to Hitler destroyed, two American academics managed to stop the destruction (as seen in Season 2 of The Crown). Eventually, the incriminating files were published, but not until 1957, per Morton, by which time Edward VIII was long out of the zeitgeist.

In March 2021, CBS broadcast Oprah Winfrey's exclusive interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, in which the couple made several startling claims about the royal family. The Duchess of Sussex alleged that a racist discussion about son Archie took place before his birth, claiming that some unnamed members of the royal family had "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born," an extremely worrying discourse regarding Queen Elizabeth's only biracial great-grandchild.

Meghan also revealed that she was suicidal during her time as a senior member of the royal family and claimed that she sought help from staff, only to be denied mental health treatment. Per Town & Country, she explained, "I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help and said that I've never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution."

Following the interview, Buckingham Palace released a statement, which said (via CNN), "The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

While Queen Elizabeth appears to be the most upstanding member of the royal family, she has been faced with her own controversies from time to time. As reported by Newsweek in 2017, "Queen Elizabeth's estate reportedly invested at least $13.1 million into offshore tax-sheltered funds located in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, prompting Labour Party leaders and anti-monarchists to demand an investigation into Her Royal Highness's finances." 

Understandably, the world was pretty shocked by the news that the queen's finances might not be totally above board, and the monarch drew criticism for being (perhaps indirectly) involved in the Paradise Papers scheme, even if she wasn't personally responsible for managing her own finances. As noted by Newsweek, "Queen Elizabeth receives $97 million each year in tariff-free money funded by British taxpayers," so her alleged involvement in avoiding tax was particularly galling to the general public. The publication claimed at the time, "The Queen is dodging nearly $15 million in taxes on her $680 million duchy — and British politicians are livid."

To be fair, BBC News noted that "the Queen is officially exempt from UK tax laws," but added that "it is extraordinary and puzzling that her advisers could have felt that it was appropriate — for somebody whose reputation is based so much on setting a good example — to invest in these offshore funds."