The British Royal Family never fails to astonish or amuse the world by being the talk of the town – whether it is the latest Martin Bashir BBC scandal or Prince Harry’s shocking confessions on The Me You Can’t See. Interestingly, these are not the only scandals that have rocked the royal family.
Here’s an exclusive list of a few more Royal scandals, which you may or may not have seen in The Crown:
1. In 1981, Queen Elizabeth survived an assassination attemptby a ‘mentally disturbed youth’ while touring New Zealand according to Royal historian Ted Powell. The 17-year-old tried to aim a bullet at the Queen while she was exiting the car.
2. Prince Charles and Diana’s 1988 Canada tour produced quite an international buzz as the couple’s pictures resurfacing on media clearly showed signs of marital tensions. Especially, the picture of Diana alone in Taj Mahal didn’t sit well with Royal fans.
3. Princess Kate’s light fabric dress got her into trouble during a 2016 Indian tour when the Duchess was photographed with her dress exposing too much of her lower body due to strong winds. Historian Powell believes that Queen Elizabeth got weights sewed in her dress to present “such embarrassments”.
4. Prince Charles had been physically intimate with a model during his Australian tour of 1979. The bachelor indulged in the intimacy while taking a morning jog near the beach.
5. Prince Philip told a British student that he might go home ‘slitty eyed’ if he prolonged his Chinese tour in 1986 any longer. The remark was internationally criticised on the grounds of communal insensitivity.
6. Prince Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth, tipped and fell on her official tour to Channel Island in 2007. As reported by Express UK, to an officer’s gesture of help, the Princess replied: “Don’t do that, grabbing me around my .. won’t help.”
7. The ex-member of the Royal family was photographed playing ‘strip pool’ in Las Vegas while he was on military leave. The Me You Can’t See producer had his hands laden with crown jewels signifying extravagance.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 5, 2021
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge launched their YouTube channel with a 25-second video of the couple at various destinations, philanthropic events and galas. The video even features a shot of the couple at the Badshahi Masjid in Lahore as well as an inside shot of the rickshaw they took for a dinner in Islamabad.
In the video, William warns a chuckling Kate: “By the way, you have to be careful what you say now because these guys, they’re filming everything.”
“I know!” she exclaims.
The compilation ends with Kate candidly telling her husband, “You didn’t need to roll your r’s.”
“Do I not?” says William in response.
Fans also catch a glimpse of other members of the royal family including Queen Elizabeth II and William and Kate’s three children: Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3 in the video.
The cover photo of the royal couple’s YouTube channel features a pictures from their visit to Chitral in 2019.
Meanwhile, William and Kate celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on April 29 with a sweet video that also included their three children.
2021 sure seems to be full of surprises. Who would have thought that one day the royal family would join YouTube?
To celebrate a decade of their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released photographs showing the couple snuggling in happy embrace, a contrast to the tensions that have gripped Britain’s royal family in recent weeks.
The images show Prince William, second-in-line to the throne, and the former Kate Middleton in complementary shades of blue. One image is reminiscent of their engagement photo.
Second-in-line to the throne William, 38, and Kate, 39, married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, after first meeting at university and then dating for more than seven years. They got engaged in 2010 after William proposed with Diana’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring.
“When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her,” William had said in an engagement interview.
They now have three children — seven-year-old Prince George, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, three — and their family represents several generations destined to head the centuries-old institution for years to come.
After 10 years carrying out solo and joint royal duties as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they have been formally known since tying the knot, the couple are among the most popular monarchy members.
Kate recently drew widespread praise for her demeanor and style at Prince Philip’s funeral, with a striking photograph of her arriving by car wearing a black veil and face mask making waves around the world.
The image drew comparisons with William’s late mother, Princess Diana.
William is far more preferred than his 72-year-old father, with around a third of Britons wanting him to succeed his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, instead.
Meanwhile, Kate is the third most popular family member behind the 95-year-old queen and William. Two-thirds of people had a positive opinion of her, according to a YouGov poll published Tuesday.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s sudden exit from the Royal family and move to California sent waves of shock across the world leaving royal fans baffled and shocked.
Interestingly, renowned royal biographer, Angela Levin told talkRadio that Prince Harry actually quit being a member of the royal to do something Prince Charles had always wanted for a long time. Levin claims that Harry’s farewell to royalty was actually a selfless attempt to “cut the monarchy down in the future and save cash so that people be worth the money they paid for taxes”.
“This is something Prince Charles had wanted as well,” added Levin, explaining that the Queen does not approve of the “cutting down the monarchy”. According to Levin, the Queen very rigid when it comes to changes especially ones involving monarchy restructuring.
Levin even referred to the Queen’s lifelong attempt to hold the Royal family together as nothing more than a “sentimental gesture”.
She said that all that would change when Charles assumes the throne and the new slimmed down royal family will include only Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and their three children.
Those not in the smaller, inner circle may have to enter the public workforce to support themselves financially and could lose their patronages or titles.
The news comes amid rumours that Prince Harry might cancel his upcoming trip to the UK in July after the “very, very cold reception” he received from the royal family at Prince Philip’s funeral.
A royal expert has claimed that Harry may also reconsider his return for the unveiling of a statue of his late mother Princess Diana.
“Some quarters of the family did give him a frosty reception and perhaps that did shock him somewhat,” Russell Myers told talkRADIO, adding the birth of Harry and Meghan’s second baby could provide a “convenient excuse” not to “face the family”.
The statue of Princess Diana was commissioned to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and recognise her efforts for her country and those across the world. It will be installed in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace on July 1, 2021, marking what would have been her 60th birthday. The statue had been commissioned by Harry and William two years ago and at this stage, it is one of their only joint ventures.
After going through a depressive period following Prince Philip’s death and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton headed out to the countryside, driving to a lush green farm in County Durham, where they took a sustainable farming tour. The visit took place two days before the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also met the farmers’ nine and seven-year-old daughters who described the encounter as “nerve-wracking” as they didn’t expect the royal couple to be this kind.
According to the couple’s official Instagram account, Kensington Royal, Kate and William took turns riding a GPS-controlled tractor, discussed mental health issues arising due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and talked about future targets for sustainable farming to address climate change issues.
They were also shown some of the tools used at the farm including grass monitoring, land rotation and feed sampling to improve productivity and ensure that they are able to give back to the environment and increase their sustainability.
Their second visit of the day was to a local youth project Cheesy Waffles Project which benefitted from donations from the couple’s Royal Wedding Charitable Gift Fund in 2011. The project supports children, young people and adults with additional needs aged 7 to 35 from across County Durham.
During their trip there, Kate and William, tried their hand at golf and took part in an art project.
Meanwhile, the Queen also undertook her first public engagement since Prince Philip’s funeral holding two virtual meetings from Windsor Castle with the Ambassador from Latvia and the Ambassador from Côte d’Ivoire.
PICTURES: The Ambassadors who had an audience of the Queen were at Buckingham Palace. The Queen remains at Windsor Castle, where she has been for most of the last year. The audiences were virtual. pic.twitter.com/VCPRoKZqBh
Meghan Markle was recently spotted showing off her baby bump and carrying son Archie.
According to Page Six, this is the first time Markle was seen in public since Prince Harry’s return from the United Kingdom, where he had gone for Prince Philip’s funeral. It was earlier reported that Prince Harry would stay in England for his grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s 95th Birthday, which was on April 21, but Harry returned to California before that.
This year, on Valentine’s Day, the couple announced that they areexpecting their second child. The couple’s announcement on Valentine’s Day was a nod to Princess Diana, who 37 years ago on the same day, had announced that she was pregnant with Prince Harry.
The couple made their final split with the royal family in February this year and in March gave Oprah a bombshell interview in which they accused the royal family of being racist and not supporting them, plunging the monarchy into its biggest crisis since the death of Lady Diana.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, the world’s oldest monarch, turns 95 on Wednesday, but there will be no public celebrations just days after she bade farewell to her husband of seven decades at his funeral.
Prince Philip, whom Elizabeth married in 1947, died on April 9 at the age of 99. The royals paid their final respects to the family’s patriarch at his funeral on Saturday at Windsor Castle.
Today is The Queen’s 95th birthday.
HM was born on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in London, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York.
This year The Queen remains at Windsor Castle during a period of Royal Mourning following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh. pic.twitter.com/kOeH399Ndp
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the queen sat alone during the sombre service for Philip, who she had described as her “strength and stay”.
Elizabeth, who is also the world’s longest-reigning monarch, will be at the castle for her birthday, which traditionally passes off with little or no ceremony.
However, this year, with the royals marking two weeks of mourning, there will be no gun salutes at the Tower of London or the capital’s Hyde park which usually occur on the queen’s birthday.
“I was at the funeral on Saturday, her Majesty was, as always, more concerned with other people than herself, and she will be on her birthday,” Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, told Reuters.
“She doesn’t do ‘I’m the most important person in the room’. She does ‘I mind about the other people more than about myself’. She is an extraordinary person.”
The queen also has an official birthday, which is usually celebrated with greater pomp on the second Saturday in June.
Queen’s Birthday in 2019
Philip’s death has robbed Elizabeth of her closest and most trusted confidant, who had been beside her throughout her 69-year reign.
Newspapers have suggested that family members would be visiting the queen over the coming days to ensure she would not be left alone while mourning her late husband.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment, saying all family matters after the funeral would be private.
The Queen’s message to people across the world who have sent tributes and messages of condolence following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh. pic.twitter.com/1apW7s1zXS
Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, in Bruton Street, central London. She ascended to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, and surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in September, 2015.
Elizabeth is also queen of 15 former British colonies including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
“I would like to send my warm wishes to Her Majesty The Queen on her 95th birthday,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter. “I am proud to serve as her prime minister.”
Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday bid farewell to her late husband, Prince Philip, at a royal funeral like no other, restricted by coronavirus rules but reflecting his long life of military and public service. The Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away on April 9 at age 99, was interred in the Royal Vault at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle after a 50-minute service attended by just 30 guests.
The Queen, 94, seen for the first time since his death, was dressed in mourning black, with a white-trimmed, black face mask. Close family, also masked, sat socially distanced in the historic 15th-century Gothic chapel.
Philip — described by royals as “the grandfather of the nation” — was Britain’s longest-serving royal consort and was married to the Queen for 73 years. He was an almost constant presence at her side during her record-breaking reign that began in 1952 as Britain rebuilt from World War II, and as its global empire began to unravel.
Unseen photo of Queen and Philip in 2003 on the Balmoral estate
His death, which the family said had left a “huge void” in the Queen’s life, has robbed her of the man she called her “strength and stay” and closes a remarkable chapter for Britain’s most famous family, and in the country’s history.
https://youtu.be/OdYWnSZ2rWc
The last high-profile funeral of a senior royal was for the Queen’s mother, who died in 2002, aged 101. But unlike then, when more than one million people thronged outside Westminster Abbey in central London to watch the sombre pageant, the public was noticeably absent from Saturday’s ceremony.
Government guidelines limited the number of mourners and a quartet performed hymns the duke chose himself in a barren nave stripped of seating.
The ceremonial funeral from behind the stately castle walls was broadcast live on television to millions across Britain and the world.
Beforehand, a military gun fired to signal a minute’s silence, when his coffin, draped in his standard and topped by a wreath of white roses and lilies from the Queen, his naval cap and ceremonial sword was borne by a bespoke Land Rover hearse he designed himself, arrived at the chapel.
Across Britain — on the streets, in shops, railway stations and at sporting events — people bowed their heads with respect.
Flights in an out of nearby Heathrow Airport were stopped for the duration of the ceremony.
Despite the restrictions, the stripped-down sendoff for the former Royal Navy commander still combined centuries of royal protocol with pomp, pageantry — and military precision.
Members of the British armed forces, in formal dress, lined the procession route, heads bowed, as the cortege passed, as a minute gun rang out across the grounds and a bell tolled.
Philip’s grandsons William, 38, and Harry, 36, joined the procession, in their first public meeting since a reported falling out about Harry’s shock move to California, and his stinging criticism of royal life, including racism in the family.
Harry had to quarantine when he arrived back in Britain for the first time since his move to the United States with his wife, Meghan, last year. Meghan reportedly watched the funeral at her home in California after she was advised by her doctor not to travel while pregnant. US networks showed the funeral live as did British TV stations.
The religious service was a simple affair, reflecting the wishes of the straight-talking duke, who was known for his aversion to “fuss”.
In keeping with his wishes, there was no sermon, but the service reflected his love of the sea, and long association with the Royal Navy, including hymns and Bible readings.
The Queen, who had been escorted to the chapel by a lady-in-waiting in the royal Bentley, watched from the chapel choir as her husband’s was lowered steadily into the Royal Vault by electric motor.
The Pipe Major of the Royal Regiment of Scotland played a lament, and buglers of the Royal Marines sounded The Last Post.
When the Queen dies, he will be transferred to lie alongside her in the King George VI memorial chapel, which houses the remains of her father, George VI, her mother, also called Elizabeth, and the ashes of her younger sister, Margaret.
Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip will be laid to rest today (April 17) at Saint George’s Chapel in Windsor. The 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh passed away on April 9, 2020.
The funeral ceremony will just have 30 guests in attendance, in line with government COVID-19 regulations. Heir to the throne Charles, his wife Camilla, and the monarch’s three other children and eight grandchildren, as well as all their spouses, will be among those present.
Attendees including the Queen will be required to wear face masks, sit apart and observe COVID-19 social distancing rules.
Queen Elizabeth will be accompanied to the venue in the state Bentley by a lady-in-waiting, before sitting alone in the chapel.
Furthermore, William and Harry will not walk side by side in the procession, Buckingham Palace has revealed, giving traction to reports of rifts between the two. According to details, Princess Anne’s son, Peter Philips, is positioned between them and William will move ahead of his younger brother as the royal mourners enter in pairs.
Meanwhile, here is the full list of mourners who will attend the funeral of Prince Philip at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle:
Queen Elizabeth II
Prince Charles, eldest child of the queen and Prince Philip
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Charles’ wife
Princess Anne, second child of the queen and Prince Philip
Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Anne’s husband
Prince Andrew, third child of the queen and Prince Philip
Prince Edward, youngest child of the queen and Prince Philip
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Edward’s wife
Lady Louise Windsor, Edward and Sophie’s daughter
James, Viscount Severn, Edward and Sophie’s son
Prince William, eldest son of Charles and the late Princess Diana
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, William’s wife
Prince Harry, younger son of Charles and Diana
Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips
Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips
Mike Tindall, Zara’s husband
Princess Beatrice, elder daughter of Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Beatrice’s husband
Princess Eugenie, younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah
Jack Brooksbank, Eugenie’s husband
Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of the queen’s late sister Princess Margaret
Daniel Chatto, husband of Lady Sarah Chatto
David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, son of Princess Margaret
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a cousin of the queen
Edward, Duke of Kent, a cousin of the queen
Princess Alexandra, a cousin of the queen
Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, a German great-nephew of Prince Philip
Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse, a German cousin of Prince Philip
Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a German great-nephew of Prince Philip
Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, a friend of Prince Philip, married to the grandson of Philip’s uncle Lord Mountbatten
Prince William has defended the British royal family after his younger brother Harry and wife Meghan accused them of racism in a bombshell interview watched by millions across the world.
“We’re very much not a racist family,” William told reporters during a visit to a multi-racial school in a deprived area of East London, becoming the first royal to directly address the explosive interview.
The Duke of Cambridge, son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, added that he had yet to speak to Harry in California since the interview first aired in the United States on Sunday.
“No, I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I will do,” he said, as his wife Kate Middleton walked by his side.
Clear answers from Prince William this morning responding to my questions. Not spoken to Harry, and that his family is not racist. Watch it here ⬇️ https://t.co/Y1OA8YRxgD
Harry and Meghan’s allegations of racism and mistreatment have rocked the royal family, and though Buckingham Palace tried to diffuse the situation saying that they will address the couple’s grievances privately, it has failed to quell the controversy.
Meghan, who is biracial, said in the interview she was so isolated and miserable as a working member of the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts. She also said Harry told her there were “concerns and conversations” by a royal family member about the color of her baby’s skin when she was pregnant with their son, Archie.
Meghan and Harry’s comments have touched off conversations around the world about racism, mental health and even the relationship between Britain and its former colonies.
Meanwhile, Charles has yet to comment on the controversy but was filmed on Tuesday touring a Nigerian Christian church in London whose pastors are promoting a drive to vaccinate more black people against the coronavirus.
