200 Years Of Royal Scandal: Sex, Money, Power, & The Crown

Those​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ folks riveted by the drama in today’s royal scandal news and find it shocking, might want to consider the past ones. In fact, there’s no shortage of them in history over the last two centuries. And yet, somehow, the monarchy survived them all. 

The Regency Drama

King George IV was the one who, at the beginning of the 19th century, demonstrated how royals perfected scandal. The king was on a short leash financially, and his extravagantly lifestyle was condemned by the public at the time.

Secretly, he married Maria Fitzherbert, a twice-widowed Catholic woman. Of course, the marriage was completely illegal according to the Royal Marriages Act. And, there was no way the monarch would grant permission.

Anyway, he later dumped her because of his philandering ways. Notably, he had a marriage coming up with Caroline of Brunswick, per Britannica.com.

Eventually, Maria consulted with the Pope who said they were married, but that short reunion didn’t last, either. At the time, the public were engrossed in the chaos and they supported Caroline. Step aside Meghan Markle.

Victorian Secrets and Scandals

During the reign of Queen Victoria, the monarch’s life was a great example of moral principles and self-control. Yet, her first-born son, Edward, was leading a very different kind of life. His love affairs started when he was still young, and very soon everyone was talking about them.

In 1870, his name was mentioned in the Mordaunt divorce case as the person who committed adultery with a married woman, Harriette.  Besides that, he was compelled to give his deposition in court. Interestingly, the next royal person who answered questions in court was no other than modern-day Prince Harry. 

Notably, the shame didn’t stop there. Years later, Edward found himself at the center of the infamous Royal Baccarat Scandal after people linked him to a cheating controversy during a card game.

The King Who Gave Up The Crown

Americans are more familiar with the scandals of the 1930s. Edward VIII’s amorous affairs led to the upheaval of the monarchy. The man really wanted a marriage with American divorcée Wallis Simpson.

In fact, the news caused a crisis for the constitution and attracted the attention of the entire world. Neither the Church nor the government gave him their approval. Edward, therefore, made a historic move by being the first British monarch to voluntarily relinquish his throne.

Because of that, although he wasn’t that keen on the job, his younger brother became King George VI, and thus, a new era came in. And of course, that inevitably led to Queen Elizabeth taking the throne.

Elizabeth’s ‘Annus Horribilis’

The reign of Queen Elizabeth II looked very stable and unshakable, but it also generated royal scandals. At first, officials shut the door on the idea of Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, marrying Peter Townsend, her divorced love.

However, it kickstarted massive debate about outdated royal rules. More of the monarch’s rule rocked the news headlines. So much so, that in 1992, the Queen referred to the past year as her “annus horribilis.”

At the time three royal marriages were on the verge of breaking up. And among them was the scandalous news that Prince Charles and Lady Di were falling apart.

The unfiltered 1995 interview of Diana with Panorama was the point at which the royal image was shattered most. You might recall that she claimed that there were “three of us in this marriage.”

Harry, Andrew, & More

The beginning of the new century saw a range of different problems for the royal family. Prince Andrew’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein resulted in legal issues and, finally, he recently agreed to dump his title as the Duke of York. Plus he took a step back from royal duties.

Meanwhile, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a step-back decision from royal life, headlines blossomed. Media called the event “Megxit,” and some alarming allegations arrived in the Oprah Winfrey interview.