Royal splits and scandals

Members of the royal family have certianly got themselves into a bit of trouble over the years. Here, we take a look at the most publicised royal splits and scandals.

Rewinding back to 1955, Princess Margaret is forced by the royal family to renounce marriage plans to Battle of Britain war hero, Peter Townsend, because he is a divorcee.

Pictures of Margaret in a swiming costume with a man 17 years her junior were published in 1976 — two years later she divorced Anthony Armstrong-Jones.

Sarah Ferguson was photographed in 1992 in, er, intimate poses with John Bryan.

Photo: News of the World

Sarah and husband Prince Andrew (pictured with daughters Beatrice and Eugenie) divorced in 1996.

In a 1994 TV documentary, Charles admitted he was unfaithful to Diana. An “authorised” biography the same year reveals how he was pressured by his parents to marry Diana even though he never loved her.

A year later, Diana agreed to an interview with the BBC, in which she revealled her own infidelity with Life Guards officer James Hewitt, among other intimate details about palace life and dealing with the press.

The next day, headlines about Diana’s candid interview ran wild.

Even from as far back as the ’80s, claims of infidelity emerged about the couple, and Diana’s bulimia and attempted suicides were also talk among royal-watchers.

When Diana was killed in a car crash alongside companion Dodi Fayed in 1997, Dodi’s father Mohamed claimed it was a conspiracy. The royals, meanwhile, were criticised for their detached reaction to the event.

Both Anne and Mark sparked headlines in the lead up to their divorce. In 1989, there were love letters found from former royal attendant Tim Laurence, while Mark was accused of fathering a child with another woman in 1991.

In a more bizarre royal mishap, 2001 saw Sophie of Wessex chatting all too candidly with a “sheikh” — who was actually a British reporter in disguise. The News of the World investigations editor claimed that Sophie called then-Prime Minister Tony Blair “too presidential”, his wife Cherie “horrid, horrid, horrid”, while opposition leader William Hague was “deformed”.

Wills and Harry have made headlines for their party-hard approach to socialising, reportedly spending thousands of dollars on alcohol and frequenting nightclubs with hoards of similarly festive friends.

In 2002, Harry admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking under age.

Prince Harry got into a slittle strife when he was photographed drunk in the backseat of a car with his friends.

Pictures of a young Prince William emerged in 2011 of him partying in his boxer shorts and covered in feather bowers. The images were taken during a friend’s 21st birthday party during his university days.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s on-again, off-again relationship makes headlines, with Kate nicknamed “Waity Katey” by UK press.

The royal family was rocked by allegations Princess-in-waiting Kate Middleton’s uncle offered drugs and hookers to an undercover policeman. Prince William was forced to stand by his girlfriend who was reportedly too embarrassed by the scandal, involving her mother’s estranged brother, to visit his family home.

Princess Beatrice has been slammed for her fashion sense and gained attention with a love-it-or-hate-it butterfly headpiece. Her Royal wedding hat also gained her a lot of unwanted attention.

Continuing his streak of scandal, in 2005 Harry turned up at a fancy-dress party as a Nazi — for which he has since apologised.

One of the guards hired to protect Queen Elizabeth was found to be an illegal immigrant who entered the army under a false name, causing red faces for palace officials.

University student Princess Beatrice was heavily criticised over taxpayer-funded refurbishments to her new apartment, which cost more than half a million dollars – while her fellow students were roughing it in 88 pound-per-week digs.

Rumours fly after Prince Harry is spotted partying late one night at the birthday celebrations of Natalie Imbruglia, who is ten years older than the young royal. They were also allegedly hugging and kissing at a London music festival, though both have denied the pair were ever a couple.

Pictures of Prince Harry partying naked in Las Vegas were published online in August 2012. At first there was speculation that the images weren’t of him, however Clarence House soon confirmed that it was indeed him.