Half a century of excellence
The strain of being exiled from Greece took its toll on the Princess, and her religious beliefs became extreme. By 1930, she was reportedly hearing voices and believed she was having physical relationships with Jesus and other religious figures.
Princess Alice of Battenberg, who had been born deaf, was committed to a secure psychiatric sanatorium in 1931 after suffering a nervous breakdown.
She also wore a Blackamoor brooch to the Queen's Christmas lunch, where she met Meghan Markle. Blackamoor jewelry romanticizes slavery and is generally considered racially insensitive today.
In 2004, she reportedly told a group of black patrons at a New York City restaurant to "go back to the colonies." She then told the New York Post, "I did not say ‘back to the colonies.' I said ‘you should remember the colonies.’ Back in the days of the colonies, there were rules that were very good."
A phone conversation between the two was leaked, in which Charles expressed the desire to live inside Camilla’s trousers as "a pair of knickers" or "a Tampax."
He later said that he did not regret attending the tasteless event and that "not one player threw a dwarf."
When the payments reportedly became erratic, Tonkin went public about the details.
Simon Bowes-Lyon, Earl of Strathmore, was jailed on February 23, 2021, after being sentenced to 10 months for sexually assaulting a woman who was a guest at his ancestral castle in Scotland, Page Six reports. Bowes-Lyon had pled guilty to assaulting the 26-year-old woman in February 2020 in a bedroom at Glamis Castle, which was the childhood home of the Queen Mother. A first cousin twice removed of Queen Elizabeth, the Earl said he was “greatly ashamed of my actions which have caused such distress to a guest in my home."
Epstein was an American financier who was found guilty of soliciting prostitution from children in June 2008. He dodged punishment for years, and then in August 2019 he killed himself in a Manhattan federal jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
The King was in hot water in 2022. The CEO of Charles' charitable organization stepped down amid accusations that he helped to secure an honorary title for a major donor. It's alleged that he had been working with paid intermediaries to arrange favors or access to the royal family in exchange for large donations to the foundation
King Charles seems to be at the heart of most of the scandals to embroil the British royal family. In 2022, he was associated with the prolific British child abuser, Jimmy Savile. A Netflix documentary released on April 6 delved into the horrific story of Savile, a man who used his power as a beloved TV personality to cover up decades of sexual abuse against vulnerable children. The Metropolitan Police estimated that the total number of victims was 589, most of whom were under the age of 18. His crimes weren't properly investigated until after his death in 2011, despite decades of rumors and accusations.
Prince Andrew's status as a royal has been reduced bit by bit over the last few years as terrible revelations about his association with convicted sex offender and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein came to light. One of Epstein's most prominent accusers claimed that Prince Andrew had abused her too, and as soon as news broke that he had settled the lawsuit she brought against him, an official statement was issued from the House of Windsor. The late Queen was stripping Andrew of his honorary military roles and royal patronages that associate him with charities and organizations all over the nation.
Another blow to Prince Andrew's reputation came on April 27 2022 when the council of York unanimously voted to remove his "freedom of the city." Andrew was named Duke of York by Queen Elizabeth in 1987, and the city granted him the ceremonial honor of becoming a "freemen" of York that same year. The distinction has existed since medieval times and this is the first time the city has ever chosen to take it back from a recipient. Other honorees include Princess Anne and Dame Judi Dench.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have gradually shared their stories of the nasty inner workings of the British royal family since their exit in 2020. Through explosive interviews, their Netflix docuseries 'Harry & Meghan,' and Harry's tell-all memoir 'Spare,' they've made allegations of racism, mistreatment, manipulation, and even physical violence.
In one of the most shocking stories from 'Spare,' Harry claims that his brother William, Prince of Wales, physically assaulted him during an argument in recent years. The brothers were having a heated discussion at Harry's London home prior to his exit from the royal family. The topic of the conversation was his wife, Meghan Markle. Harry claims that William described her as "rude" and "abrasive," which he saw as a mimicry of the narrative created by the British tabloids. The conversation quickly escalated to a shouting match. Insults were exchanged and Harry felt that William was losing control of his temper. He told him, "I can’t speak to you when you’re like this,” and went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water.
According to Harry, this is what followed: “He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. 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.” He says that William initially urged him to fight back, but when Harry refused, William left the house. He came back a short time later "looking regretful, and apologised.”
Through the book, Harry describes how his relationship with his brother fell apart over his marriage to Meghan Markle. They had met that day to discuss “the whole rolling catastrophe” of their relationship and the situation with the press, but it only made things worse.
The docuseries, 'Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story,' bears many revelations, one of which was Savile's close relationship with Charles. Director Rowan Deacon "gained access to dozens of letters in which the prince regularly sought guidance from the presenter." Charles first wrote to Savile in 1986 looking for advice on reaching a wider audience. For the next 20 years, Savile served as an unofficial press advisor to the then Prince of Wales. A 1989 letter from Savile outlined his guidelines for how he believed the royal family should publicly respond to significant incidents and disasters, to which Charles responded that he had shared with the Queen. Other sources even suggest that he looked to Savile for informal counseling when his marriage to Princess Diana was falling apart. "He was duped, like we all were," Deacon says. "The letters show the trust that King Charles put into Jimmy Savile. He was trying to appeal to the British people, trying to modernize. And he saw Jimmy Savile as his conduit to that. In hindsight, that was catastrophic."
On May 10, 2023, the Duchess of Edinburgh was traveling through London with a police escort when tragedy struck. The Duchess, Sophie Rhys-Jones, is the wife of Prince Edward—King Charles' youngest brother. An 81-year-old woman named Helen Holland was struck by one of the police motorcycles escorting Sophie's car. She was taken to hospital with critical injuries, and sadly passed away on May 24. Holland's son said that his mother suffered "multiple broken bones and massive internal injuries" from the accident, sharing that she fought "for her life for nearly two weeks, but irreversible damage to her brain finally ended the battle today."
"The Duchess of Edinburgh is deeply saddened to hear that Helen Holland has passed away," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "Her Royal Highness's deepest condolences and sympathies go to all of Ms. Holland's family." The Independent Office for Police Conduct is reportedly investigating the crash.
Historical stories of royalty are filled with drama and scandal, but clearly, the contemporary royal family isn't squeaky clean either. From King Charles' long-lasting infidelity to Prince Andrew's sexual assault allegations, there have been some incredibly damning incidents over the decades.
Click on to reveal more of the dark moments in the royal family's history.
The dark secrets of the British royal family
King Charles and Queen Camilla's controversial relationship is just the tip of the iceberg
CELEBRITY Scandal
Historical stories of royalty are filled with drama and scandal, but clearly, the contemporary royal family isn't squeaky clean either. From King Charles' long-lasting infidelity to Prince Andrew's sexual assault allegations, there have been some incredibly damning incidents over the decades.
Click on to reveal more of the dark moments in the royal family's history.