London: The ongoing 'Kate Gate' surrounding Princess of Wales Kate Middleton's absence from public view and her edited photograph has brought the limelight to the numerous controversies and scandals that have plagued the British Royal Family. While the late Queen Elizabeth II has mostly managed to keep herself largely away from these scandals, others have been mired in cheating rumours, extramarital affairs, divorces and more.
One of the biggest scandals affecting the reputation of the British royals was the separation of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation in 1992, after the former admitted to having extramarital affairs. Another major event was when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they would leave their royal duties in 2020.
Here's a list of controversies surrounding the royal family:
Kate Middleton's disappearance and 'edited' photograph
Kate, 42, is at the centre of numerous speculations, rumours and conspiracy theories after she went for abdominal surgery for a non-cancerous condition in January and has not been seen in public since and Kensington Palace announced that she would not return to her duties until the end of March. While people speculated about her health, the Palace posted a picture of Kate and three children on Mother's Day, that was later identified to have been heavily edited, intensifying claims of a coverup.
The Princess later apologised for the "confusion" generated by the photograph and said she "occasionally experimented with editing". Meanwhile, another picture uploaded last year by the Palace showing the late Queen Elizabeth II with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren was also confirmed to have been edited. Getty Images flagged to its clients that the Balmoral picture had been "digitally enhanced at source," without giving further details.
Prince William's 'affair' with Rose Hanbury
Lady Rose Hanbury, the affluent Marchioness of Cholmondeley with deep connections to the Royal Family, is rumoured to have an affair with Prince William, Kate's husband, in 2019. There has been speculation for years that Hanbury, a former close friend of Kate, is Prince William's alleged mistress, though it has never been proven. The rumours of the alleged affair were thrust back into the limelight after The Late Show host Stephen Colbert dedicated three minutes of his monologue on Tuesday to the topic.
"So, I think we all know who the alleged other woman is -- say it with me -- The Marchioness of Cholmondeley ... now, there have been rumours of an affair between William and [Hanbury] since 2019. According to tabloids back then when Kate supposedly confronted him about he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it. 'Haha,' always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating," Colbert said. It is also rumoured that William is the actual father of one of Hanbury's children. However, Hanbury has denied the affair allegations.
Prince Andrew's alleged links with Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was forced to step down from public duties in 2019 after his connections with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were revealed, marking one of the most intense scandals linked with the Royal Family. He was stripped of its military links and royal patronages - he is no longer known as "His Royal Highness".
The case against Prince Andrew came to prominence after Virginia Giuffre accused him of sexually abusing her while she was a teenager and forcing her to have sex at former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell's house. Andrew's reputation plunged after a disastrous interview where he expressed no regrets about his friendship with Epstein and failed to express sympathy for his victims.
Megxit - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exit from Royal House
Former actress and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry sparked a furore when they announced that they were stepping away from their royal duties in 2020. The couple moved to California and accused the royal family and the press of racism towards Markle. They were also stripped of all their patronages, the 'His and Her Royal Highness' titles, and Harry also lost his prized military roles.
Harry had a past image of recklessness in the royal family, and admitted his illegal drug use in his memoir "Spare". He also mentioned his strained relationship with King Charles over their stepmother Queen Camilla, and that William, now heir to the British throne, knocked him to the floor during a 2019 argument at his London home over Harry's wife.
The love triangle between Princess Diana, Charles and Camilla
Charles, then Prince of Wales, married Diana in 1981, but things took turn when the latter announced that she "was in love with someone" and Charles was engaging in a extramarital relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. The couple welcomed two children, William and Harry, but announced a separation in 1992 and divorced in 1996. A secret recording between Charles and Camilla confirming the affair sparked a major row in the UK in 1989.
“There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," said Diana in an infamous interview with journalist Martin Bashir where she revealed that she was aware of the relationship. She also spoke of the lack of support she received from the royal family and admitted her own affair with former army officer James Hewitt.
Diana died in 1997 while she was being chased by paparazzi photographers when her car crashed into the wall of a tunnel. The royal family was criticised for their unsympathetic reaction to her death
Sarah Ferguson's controversies
Prince Andrew's former wife Sarah Ferguson has seen her share of controversies after her marriage in 1986. The couple separated in 1992 after having three daughters and divorced in 1996. Ferguson created controversy after pictures of her vacation with her financial advisor John Bryan showed him having her toes in his mouth.
Years later, Ferguson landed in hot water again after an undercover reporter posing as a businessman recorded her accepting money in exchange for a promise of access to her ex-husband. She later apologised, saying that part of the money was for a friend in need, and the rest would have gone to paying off her own considerable debts
Princess Margaret's love life
Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister Princess Margaret wanted to marry Peter Townsend, a soldier, in the 1950s. However, Townsend was divorced so Margaret was not allowed to marry him, thanks to the Queen's objection and the Church of England's prohibition on remarriage for divorcees. She married a photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 and had two children, but the couple divorced later when she had an affair with the family's gardener.
King Edward's abdication for Wallis Simpson
In 1936, King Edward VIII decided to abdicate the throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American socialite, which sparked a major constitutional crisis at the time. The British government, the royal family and the Church objected to the marriage as the status of a divorcee was unacceptable for a British monarch's consort at the time. When he was told that he would have to give up the throne, he abdicated and placed his brother George VI as King, succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II.
(with inputs from agencies)
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