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King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn -

King Henry led a reign full of scandals. He decided to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, because she did not bear him a son. He then decided to marry his mistress, Anne Boleyn.

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King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn -

However, his plea was denied by the Catholic Church, which led him to take drastic measures to get what he wanted.

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King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn -

In 1534, the Act of Supremacy formally abolished papal authority in England and declared Henry Supreme Head of the Church of England. This meant he could marry Anne. 

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Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson -

Queen Elizabeth II never would've been crowned Queen of England if it wasn't for her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicating so he could marry an American divorcee. This meant her father had to step up to the thrown, putting her next in the line of succession. 

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Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson -

King Edward VIII rocked the monarchy when, after less than a year on the throne, he signed his abdication papers so that he could marry Wallis Simpson.

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Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson -

This put the future of the monarchy in jeopardy, and members of the royal family were said to loathe Simpson. However, Edward VIII's early letters suggest he was never wild about the idea of being king, anyway.

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Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco -

In 1956, when Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer III of Monaco tied the knot, the entire world was entranced by their fairytale union. 

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Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco -

No one ever imagined a renowned Hollywood actress like her could become the Princess of Monaco. 

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Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco -

The couple remained together for 26 years, until Kelly tragically passed away in a car crash in 1982. The prince, who never remarried, died in 2005. 

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Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend -

If you've ever watched 'The Crown,' then you probably know that Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret, fell in love with one of the men working in the Queen's stables—Peter Townsend.

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Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend -

She was under 25 years old at the time so she had to ask for the Queen's permission to marry him. But since he was previously divorced, Queen Elizabeth used her position as the head of the Church of England to refuse.  

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Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend -

Margaret later tried again to marry him after she turned 25, but Parliament said they'd revoke her royal privileges if she married someone who was divorced. She later issued a public statement where she called off her plans to marry him.

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King Charles III and Queen Camilla -

King Charles married Diana and not Camilla because, as heir to the British throne, he was expected to marry someone of noble blood. However, he and Camilla began an affair in 1986, while both were still married to different people.

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King Charles III and Queen Camilla -

After divorcing Diana in 1996, he continued dating Camilla until finally receiving permission to marry her in 2005, decades after they first met in the early '70s.

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King Charles III and Queen Camilla -

A change in the Church of England's rules about remarriage after divorce, which took effect in 2002, made it possible for Charles to marry Camilla.

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Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson -

Shortly after breaking up with American actress and photographer Koo Stark, Prince Andrew went on to marry, Sarah Ferguson, a girl from the English countryside, in 1986.

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Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson -

While it looked like a more appropriate royal fit, Andrew and Ferguson were actually ill-suited to each other, with numerous shocking scandals. 

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Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson -

One of the more shocking scandals was when Ferguson was caught on vacation having her toes sucked by her financial planner, John Bryan. The royal couple divorced in 1996. In 2010 Ferguson was caught trying to sell access to the Prince for £500,000. 

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Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock -

South African-born Charlene Wittstock is 20 years younger than her husband, Prince Albert of Monaco, and she reportedly got cold feet three times before their 2011 wedding.

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Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock -

Charlene reportedly hid out in Paris' South African embassy. Then she tried to escape during the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. Finally, shortly before her wedding day, she reportedly tried to flee to Nice, France, before Monégasque officials took away her passport. 

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Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock -

However, after lots of persuasion, she finally agreed to marry, and they've been together ever since.

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Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist -

Before becoming Princess Sofia of Sweden and the wife of Prince Carl Philip, Sofia Hellqvist was infamous for her provocative modeling career. 

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Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist -

She was also a reality TV star and had reportedly kissed adult actress Jenna Jameson on camera. This was all rather unconventional for the Swedish royal household. 

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Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist -

But after waves of backlash, the couple finally married in 2015. They now have three sons.  

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -

After meeting in 2016, Prince Harry confirmed his relationship with actress Meghan Markle in November of that year, and the latter subsequently faced a wave of abuse and harassment from internet trolls and tabloids. 

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -

The continued harassment by the tabloids led the couple to take a "step back" from the royal family in 2020. The couple also made the rare move to take legal action against the paparazzi for the excessive, negative tabloid attention.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -

Then there was the tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they shared how their treatment by the royal family led them to step down from their positions.

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Former Princess Mako of Japan and Kei Komuro -

In May 2017, it was announced that the former princess was expected to marry Kei Komuro, a commoner. However, the wedding was postponed following media reports that Komuro's mother was in a financial dispute with her former fiancé. This brought about intense public scrutiny. 

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Former Princess Mako of Japan and Kei Komuro -

On top of that, by marrying a commoner, Mako had to undergo an official ceremony to mark her departure from the royal family. She would also be granted a dowry of around US$1.4 million. However, she opted out of both traditions. 

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Former Princess Mako of Japan and Kei Komuro -

After a couple of messy years, Mako officially married Komuro in November 2021. The couple left Japan for New York that same month. 

Sources: (Tatler) (Business Insider) 

See also: How did the British royal couples meet?

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