The British royal family has captured public interest for hundreds of years, from Henry VIII and his wives to the tragic death of the people’s princess, Diana, in 1997.
The British royal family has captured public interest for hundreds of years, from Henry VIII and his wives to the tragic death of the people’s princess, Diana, in 1997.
The royal family is an institution that has significant cultural importance not just in Britain, but worldwide.
Since her coronation in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has been at the head of an ever -growing family. Her reign has been the most publicized in history, following the expansion of the media and creation of the internet – there is no-where to hide.
While it may all look like extravagant carriages, tiaras and socializing, have you ever wondered what secrets lurk behind the gilded walls of Buckingham Palace? Over the years, there have been leaks to the press, incriminating photographs, dozens of affairs and even secret relatives. Although the royal family try their best to keep these embarrassing incidents under wraps, it’s never long before the shocking events surface, tarnishing the Windsor name.
From princesses dating convicts and princes dirty talking with their extramarital lovers, there have been moments the inner workings of the royal family have been laid bare for us all to see, when they should have remained secrets forever. As the years go by, it’s easy to forget just how many shocking stories have passed – and how desperately the royal family wished they had never seen the light of day.
Here are 20 Dark Secrets The Royal Family Wants to Keep Hidden.
20. PRINCE CHARLES WANTED TO BE CAMILLA’S TAMPON
Prepare to be a little grossed out. Prince Charles’ marriage to Lady Diana Spencer was nothing if not rocky. Both parties had numerous affairs, including Prince Charles very public romance with his previous girlfriend, Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall. Both Charles and Camilla were still married to their prospective spouses, but it didn’t stop them exchanging some very kinky phone calls. In 1992, the year Charles and Diana officially separated, a phone conversation was leaked where Charles expressed the desire to ‘live inside [Camilla’s] trousers as ‘a pair of knickers’ or, most disturbingly, ‘a Tampax’. The press went wild and titled the incident ‘tampongate.’ I bet his mother had some stern words with him over that one.
19. WALLIS SIMPSON AND EDWARD VIII HAD NAZI CONNECTIONS
The love affair between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII rocked the 1930’s. Simpson was an American socialite, already twice divorced by the time she met Edward, making her unsuitable to marry the king. In a series of events that scandalized the royals, Edward abdicated the throne to marry her. If that wasn’t enough, prior to and during World War II, the couple were suspected of having strong Nazi connections. In 1937, the two traveled to Germany to meet Adolf Hitler. The FBI also discovered that Simpson had once been the lover of the Nazi foreign minister. Given the atrocities Hitler committed and the devastation caused by the war, it’s not surprising that this is a connection the royals want to remain forgotten.
18. THE QUEEN AND HER SECRET COUSINS
In 2011, a documentary aired on the British network, Channel 4. It was called The Queen’s Hidden Cousins and revealed a scandal that had avoided the public eye for decades. In the 1940’s, mental disabilities weren’t understood like they are today. The Royal Family viewed it as an embarrassment and two of the Queen’s first cousins, Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon fell victim. Nieces of the Queen Mother, the two girls were incarcerated in a mental institution in 1941 and remained in care there for the rest of their lives, cut off from the royals forever. In the documentary, nurses who oversaw them categorically stated that no members of the family ever came to visit the two sisters, who were unable to articulate speech, but had a great mischievous spirit. This claim was disputed by the family.
17. DIANA WAS THAT UNHAPPY, SHE THREW HERSELF DOWN THE STAIRS WHILE PREGNANT
It’s no secret that Prince Charles and Diana had a terrible marriage, as I have previously touched upon. Unlike many royals, Diana was vocal about her private affairs. Despite her short life, we know more about Diana thanks to her personal papers, confidants and biographers, than we know about many other royals still living. In tapes aired on US television in 2004, Diana talks about how unhappy she was within the marriage, her struggle with depression and suicide attempts. In one segment, she describes how she threw herself down the stairs when she was three months pregnant with Prince William, landing at the feet of the Queen. Speaking of her troubles, she said, ‘I was trying to cut my wrists with razor blades…we were trying to hide that from everybody…I was just so desperate.’
16. PRINCESS BEATRICE DATED A KILLER
Seventh in line for the throne and the Queen’s granddaughter, Princess Beatrice is a socialite and philanthropist. She also has made some dodgy dating decisions in the past. In 2006 when the princess was just 17-years-old, she started dating American playboy Paolo Liuzzo. Prior to his relationship with Princess Beatrice, Liuzzo was arrested for the manslaughter of 19-year-old Jonathan Duchatellier. Duchatellier was savagely beaten and died as a result of his injuries in 2002, after allegedly confronting Liuzzo for disrespecting females at a party. Amazingly, the manslaughter charge was dropped and reduced to assault and battery. Liuzzo even broke the terms of his probation while wooing Beatrice, by taking a trip to the French Alps. Thankfully, the relationship was short lived.
15. THE DUCHESS OF YORK HAD HER TOES SUCKED ON CAMERA