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The Duchess of Edinburgh's road accident -

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.

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Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein -

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. 

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Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein -

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.

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The 'Spare' revelations -

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. 

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The 'Spare' revelations -

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. 

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King Charles and Jimmy Savile -

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. 

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King Charles and Jimmy Savile -

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."

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King Charles and the "cash-for-honors" scandal -

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

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King Charles and the "cash-for-honors" scandal - A Russian banker called Dmitry Leus was accused of money laundering, but after making a £500,000 (US$683,200) donation, his conviction was overturned. A Chinese businessman wanted in Taiwan for money laundering has also made a £500,000 donation to the foundation. Reports suggest that these donations were payment for some sort of favor from the British crown, such as British citizenship, honorary titles, and face-to-face meetings with Charles. King Charles denies any knowledge of the shady transactions, but the investigation is still ongoing.

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Simon Bowes-Lyon pleads guilty to sexual assault -

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."

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Princess Beatrice dated a killer - When she was just 17, Princess Beatrice of York dated convicted killer Paolo Liuzzo.

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Princess Beatrice dated a killer - In 2002, Paolo Liuzzo was part of a savage attack on a fellow student that left the victim dead. He broke his probation to go to the French Alps for a ski trip.

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Princess Beatrice dated a killer - Princess Beatrice and the convicted killer separated in 2006. Liuzzo was later charged with numerous offenses, including possessing cocaine after he crashed a hired Audi into traffic lights on Australia's Gold Coast.

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Charles and Camilla indulged in graphic exchanges over the phone - The long-term affair between the current King and Queen was no secret, but the public got to know a little more than they wanted in 1992.

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Charles and Camilla indulged in graphic exchanges over the phone -

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."

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Charles and Camilla indulged in graphic exchanges over the phone - Both Charles and Camilla were still married at the time of the call and when it was leaked to the tabloids.

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Diana threw herself down the stairs while pregnant - In recordings made public in 2004, Diana talked about how unhappy she was and her struggle with depression and her attempts to take her own life.

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Diana threw herself down the stairs while pregnant - She claimed that she threw herself down the stairs when she was three months pregnant with Prince William, landing at the feet of Queen Elizabeth. 

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Sarah Ferguson tried to sell access to Prince Andrew - In 2010, it was reported that the former Duchess of York sold access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.

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Sarah Ferguson tried to sell access to Prince Andrew - She promised to obtain access to her former husband in return for £500,000 (about US$645,000). It was reported that she was recorded offering an undercover reporter "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."

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Sarah Ferguson tried to sell access to Prince Andrew - The ex-wife of the Queen's son reportedly told the reporter that she "has zero money" after taking a divorce settlement of just £15,000 (about US$19,000).

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Sarah Ferguson tried to sell access to Prince Andrew - She later issued a statement: "I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused. It is true that my financial situation is under stress however, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment and I am very sorry that this has happened."

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Prince Andrew introduced Queen Elizabeth to a controversial actress - In the early 1980s, a young Prince Andrew was spotted in the Caribbean with a beautiful woman.

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Prince Andrew introduced Queen Elizabeth to a controversial actress - The tabloids identified her as Koo Stark, an American actress who had appeared in erotic films.

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Prince Andrew introduced Queen Elizabeth to a controversial actress - Reporters found that the Prince had earlier taken Koo Stark to meet his family at Balmoral and possibly even introduced her to his mother. Buckingham Palace issued a statement that, "We do not know if the Queen was aware of the girl’s acting career before she was invited to Balmoral."

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Prince Charles was a teenage drinker - When he was just 14, Prince Charles ordered a cherry brandy at a pub in Stornoway.

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Prince Charles was a teenage drinker - Unfortunately for the young prince, a tabloid reporter overheard him order and the incident made headlines.

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Is Princess Michael of Kent racist? - Princess Michael of Kent reportedly has two black sheep that she named Venus and Serena Williams.

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Is Princess Michael of Kent racist? -

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.

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Is Princess Michael of Kent racist? -

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."

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Mike Tindall went to a dwarf-tossing club - In 2011, Zara Phillips' rugby playing husband and several of his teammates admitted attending a dwarf-tossing event in a New Zealand bar.

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Mike Tindall went to a dwarf-tossing club -

He later said that he did not regret attending the tasteless event and that "not one player threw a dwarf."

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Mike Tindall went to a dwarf-tossing club - Actor Peter Dinklage used his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes the next year to condemn the event, asking viewers to look up Martin Henderson.

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Mike Tindall went to a dwarf-tossing club - Henderson was injured when he was picked up and dropped on the floor by a drunken crowd, which was blamed on the antics of the England rugby team.

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Edward VIII had Nazi connections - King Edward abdicated from the throne after less than a year to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.

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Edward VIII had Nazi connections - But the real cause for concern was the couple's ties to the Nazi party. Before, during, and after World War II, they were suspected of being Nazi sympathizers. In 1937, they toured Germany as guests of Adolf Hitler.

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Edward VIII had Nazi connections - In 1940, the Duke was appointed governor of the Bahamas, in what is regarded as a political attempt to distance the former monarch from the Nazi party.

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Prince Philip's mom was committed to an asylum and became a nun -

Princess Alice of Battenberg, who had been born deaf, was committed to a secure psychiatric sanatorium in 1931 after suffering a nervous breakdown.

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Prince Philip's mom was committed to an asylum and became a nun -

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.

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Prince Philip's mom was committed to an asylum and became a nun - Years later, she hid a Jewish family on the top floor of her house, only yards from Gestapo headquarters. In her later life, she founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns.

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Prince Philip's mom was committed to an asylum and became a nun - After her death, she was interred on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and honored as Righteous Among the Nations for having hidden persecuted Jews in her house in Athens.

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Queen Elizabeth stopped her own sister's marriage - In the early 1950s, it was revealed that Queen Elizabeth's sister was very close to the married Royal Air Force Officer Captain Peter Townsend.

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Queen Elizabeth stopped her own sister's marriage - When rumors became too much to ignore, Townsend divorced his wife and immediately proposed to Princess Margaret.

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Queen Elizabeth stopped her own sister's marriage - Townsend's divorced status made it impossible for Princess Margaret to marry him, as both the Church of England and Parliament were firmly against the match.

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Queen Elizabeth stopped her own sister's marriage - As Margaret was under the age of 25, the Queen had to approve of her sister's marriage to a divorced man. As head of the Church of England, she was unwilling to do so.

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Queen Elizabeth stopped her own sister's marriage - Even after she was 25, the Princess would be stripped of all her royal privileges and her income. Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend eventually called off their engagement and she married the more respectable Antony Armstrong-Jones.

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Queen Elizabeth stopped her own sister's marriage - The couple had two children but very publicly separated in 1976. Buckingham Palace stated "HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and the Earl of Snowdon have mutually agreed to live apart. The Princess will carry out her public duties and functions unaccompanied by Lord Snowdon. There are no plans for divorce proceedings.” They divorced in 1978.

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Princess Margaret had many affairs - But the Princess' indiscretions had started years earlier.

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Princess Margaret had many affairs - In 1973, she reportedly started an affair with a gardener 17 years her junior.

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Princess Margaret had many affairs - In 1976, a picture of the Princess with her lover, Roddy Llewellyn, appeared on the front page of the News of the World.

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Princess Margaret had many affairs - It later emerged that Princess Margaret reportedly had her first extramarital affair in 1966, with her daughter's godfather, Anthony Barton.

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Princess Margaret had many affairs - Intimate letters also indicate that she had a liaison with Robin Douglas-Home, a nephew of former British Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home.

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Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were cousins - It's true. The Queen and her husband were first cousins and their family encouraged the pairing.

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Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were cousins - They had nine children together. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are third cousins, which is still a little close for comfort.

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Princess Anne's husband had a love child - In 1973, Princess Anne married Lieutenant Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey.

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Princess Anne's husband had a love child - They separated in 1989 and divorced in 1992, but before then scandal rocked their marriage.

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Princess Anne's husband had a love child - Phillips had an affair with New Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin. Their daughter was born in 1985.

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Princesss Anne's husband had a love child - Phillips reportedly asked Tonkin to get an abortion, but after she refused he paid her just £6,000 (about US$7,500) a year through an associate for what his accounts described as "equestrian consultancy."

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Princess Anne's husband had a love child -

When the payments reportedly became erratic, Tonkin went public about the details.

See also: Which royal had the most stunning wedding dress?.

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