Ah, royal weddings. So entertaining, so dreamy, and such rare moments of pageantry and fairy tale romance in a modern setting. We love them, and we love to ogle the sumptuous wedding dresses, the sparkly tiaras, the famous guests, the old carriages, the beautiful churches, and the grand ceremonies.
Yes, we love everything about royal weddings, but we'd be lying if we said that we didn't also love the juicy scandals that often come along with the nuptials of the rich and royal. They provide those moments of drama in an otherwise carefully managed affair that lets us know that deep down, we're all the same.
Royal wedding scandals, as old as royal weddings themselves, can come in any form — whether they are about an embarrassing relative (there are LOTS of those), dumb or outdated royal rules, brides or grooms who are deemed less than regal and have to fight opposition, or good, old-fashioned cheating hearts.
Whatever the case, royal wedding scandals often prove that nothing can stay hidden forever and that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong — and at the worst possible time (right before or even during a wedding ceremony). No one is immune to royal wedding scandals, especially not the British royal family — which seems to be mostly run a tight ship and does its best to keep a stiff upper lip about everything — not the royal family that rules the tiny principality of Monaco, and not the obscure Japanese royal family that rarely ventures out of palace doors.
It doesn't even matter how well royal families handle crises, because by the time they do, we've already got all the details, and nothing can change that. So what royal scandals stand out in our collective minds? Well, here are 20 doozies that have lived in infamy for decades, and, in one case, even centuries.
20. Diana Called Charles by the Wrong Name
It was the wedding of the century, where Lady Diana Spencer and Phillip Charles Arthur George would be married. Wait, who? Yup, Diana got Prince Charles' name wrong while saying their vows — saying Phillip ahead of Charles. Talk about a bad omen! But in the moment, it was actually cute. She was a young, innocent bride, there were a bajillion people watching around the world, and, well, he has a really long name. Plus, there was this other thing happening.
Read on…
19. Camilla Came to Charles & Diana's Wedding
Diana was not ignorant of what was going on. She knew Charles and Camilla were still sleeping together after she and Charles got engaged … when she found a box in his office containing a bracelet he had made for Camilla (she wore it frequently). Needless to say, all kinds of alarms went off when Diana spotted Camilla as she entered St. Paul's Cathedral on her wedding day. Princess Di later said she felt "like a lamb to the slaughter" walking down the aisle — though this bit of gossip didn't come out till much later.
It's still scandalous, and desperately sad.
18. German Prince Skipped Son's Wedding Over a Property Dispute
Royalty can be trash, that's not really a surprise (they're just people), but it's always a good laugh to hear the stories. Ernst of Hanover, the heir to the nonexistent German throne, signed over a bunch of castles and land to his son (also called Ernst) so he could avoid taxes. (Classy!) Then, in a super tacky move, the elder Ernst publicly announced he wouldn't attend his son's 2017 wedding to a Russian catsuit designer, because the younger Ernst wouldn't give the property back.
By the way, the wedding reception was held at one of the disputed castles. (In ya face, Pop!) What a family.
17. BBC Reportedly Declined to Air Princess Eugenie's Wedding
It may have been a royal wedding, but the BBC apparently didn't think it would rake in big ratings, so it passed on broadcasting Princess Eugenie's wedding in October 2018. Eugenie's dad, Prince Andrew, reportedly pressured the BBC time and again to reconsider, but the network would not be moved — probably because the wedding was held on a Friday morning, when many people would be working and not watching TV. Luckily, a rival network aired the wedding, and the ratings were good, though not huge.
16. William & Kate Didn't Invite Sarah Ferguson to Their Wedding
Sarah Ferguson's daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, were invited, and so was her ex-husband, Prince Andrew. But did the Duchess of York herself get an invite to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding? Nope — likely because of the remaining bad blood between her and the royal family. She and Andrew's rocky marriage came to an end after Sarah was photographed on vacation … getting her toes sucked by a lover. After their divorce, Sarah was caught on camera offering to sell access to Andrew for money. She has been shunned by virtually every royal since then, except Andrew himself, and Harry — who invited her to his and Meghan's wedding. Sarah told Oprah that the snub was hurtful and made her leave the country, opting to vacation in a jungle in Thailand.
15. Meghan Had Exactly One Family Member at Her Wedding
So much crazy 'ish happened leading up to Meghan and Harry's wedding in 2018, that when we saw Doria Ragland sitting in by herself in the chapel pews, it didn't really register. But, y'all, Meghan only had one family member at her wedding! There were no cousins, no aunts, no uncles — not a soul, other than her mom. It was truly bizarre, but understandable in a way.
All of Meghan's relatives on the Markle side blabbed to the press for money, so they weren't getting an invite. On her mom's side, Meghan's grandparents, and a beloved aunt are deceased, and she didn't appear to be close to anyone else — especially not her granddad's second wife who gave an embarrassing quote to the Daily Mail: "Meggie marrying a prince? Who'd have thunk! I guess it's like your Downton Abbey — and we're the folks downstairs."
Face-freaking-palm.
13. Princess Madeleine of Sweden Broke Off Engagement to Cheating Fiancé
Here is proof that it doesn't matter how pretty someone is, because a cheater will cheat. Sweden's Princess Madeleine was set to marry Jonas Bergstrom in 2010, but then news emerged that he had slept with a college student during their engagement. The couple called off the wedding and went their separate ways, eventually marrying other people. (Whew!) Obviously, Madeleine dodged a bullet there.
14. Kate Middleton's Drug-Loving Uncle Told to Clean Up
The fairy tale status of Kate and William's relationship and march to the altar seemed indestructible … but then, it hit a snag. Tabloids dug and dug and finally hit pay dirt with Kate's embarrassing uncle, Gary Goldsmith, her mom's brother and a millionaire in his own right. A video emerged of him sniffing cocaine and offering it to guests at his Ibiza party villa — named La Maison de Bang Bang. Gary also set up guests with prostitutes, and (gasp!) bragged about his royal connections. He cleaned up his act enough to score an invite to Kate and Will's wedding (yup, e was invited!), but continued to be a source of embarrassment for Kate when he was arrested for hitting his wife in 2017.
12. Princess Stephanie of Monaco Married Her Bodyguard
It seems like Princess Stephanie of Monaco's life never quite got on track after she survived the car crash that killed her mother, Princess Grace (aka Grace Kelly) in 1982. She's been married twice — to her bodyguard, and then to a circus acrobat — and once moved her three children out of the palace and into the circus caravan of her elephant trainer lover. Stephanie even had a child with an unnamed man. (Whew.)
Her first marriage to her bodyguard, Daniel Ducruet, was a scandal, because, well, of his job — and also because she'd already had two kids with him out of wedlock. (It was only after she married him that the kids were placed on the line of succession to the throne.) The marriage lasted 15 months, after Daniel was photographed naked with a stripper.
11. Dutch Princess Beatrix Married a Former Hitler Youth Member ...
Before becoming Queen of the Netherlands, Princess Beatrix fell in love with German aristocrat Claus con Amsberg — who previously was a member of Hitler Youth and served in World War II, though he did not fight. It was a huge scandal, and members of the public even signed a petition to try to stop the wedding. The country had suffered under German occupation, and Beatrix herself had lived out most of the war in Canada. Nevertheless, they married — despite violent protests and smoke bombs on their wedding day. Claus later denounced the Nazis and became a popular member of the royal family.
10. ... And Later, Her Son's Fiancée's Father Was Investigated
Prince Willem-Alexander, who was later crowned king, met Maxima while vacationing in Spain. They fell in love and got engaged, but scandal hit them when the public got wind that Maxima's father had served as a cabinet minister during Argentina's Dirty War. He said that he was not aware of the atrocities because he was a civilian. The Dutch government investigated the matter, but, not surprisingly, Maxima's dad was cleared. Nevertheless, it was suggested that Maxima's dad be banned from the wedding, and he and her mother did not attend.
8. Sweden's Prince Married a Reality TV Contestant
All of the Swedish royal family siblings have made out-of-the-box choices when it comes to spouses. Princess Victoria, who will inherit the throne, married her personal trainer. Her sister, Madeleine, married a British-American financier she met in New York. But brother Prince Carl Gustav raised way more eyebrows when he got engaged to Sofia Hellqvist, a reality TV star who received a topless massage on the show. She also raised eyebrows for making out with adult movie star Jenna Jameson while living in Los Angeles, and for supposedly writing an anonymous — and spicy! — blog with a friend about A-listers they frolicked with.
Prince Carl and Sofia weathered it all, and good for them. Sofia didn't do anything that men don't regularly get a pat on the back for — and at least he didn't get hitched to a former Nazi! And guess what? Sofia is now one of the most beloved of the royal family. But wait, there's more! Sofia recently trained as a medical assistant so she can volunteer as a frontline medical worker in a Swedish hospital.
9. Princess Beatrice Delayed Her Wedding -- Twice -- Because of Her Dad's Scandals
Poor Princess Beatrice. It sometimes seems like her wedding is never going to happen. Before the event was canceled for May 2020 because of the global health crisis, she had already been forced to cancel it twice because of dear old dad. Prince Andrew made major headlines when it was revealed that he was chummy with convicted felon Jeffrey Epstein. He later did a disastrous and tone-deaf television interview that forced him to step down as a working royal.
Beatrice should really just elope at this point.
7. Japan's Princess Sayako Married a Commoner
In the Japanese royal family (yes, there is one, though it's super obscure), princesses who marry commoners can say goodbye to palace life. They're given money to start their new life and then shown the door. The first princess to do this was Sayako, known as Princess Nori, in 2005. She took a table and dresser — and the equivalent of $1.4 million in today's money — and bounced with her government official husband. Don't be sad for her, though. She was outspoken about how lonely and restricted her life had been, and how royal life had taken a toll on virtually all the women in the royal family.
Peace out!
6. The Queen Skipped Charles & Camilla's Civil Ceremony
In 2005, Prince Charles became the first heir to the British throne to marry a divorced woman whose ex is still living — and retain his title — when he finally got hitched to the love of his life, Camilla Parker Bowles. The Church of England banned him from having a religious ceremony, and as the head of the church, the Queen skipped the civil ceremony on principle. But she did attend a blessing held at St. George's Chapel (Harry and Meghan's venue) immediately afterward. Word is that the Queen was happy for Charles, so there's a win.
5. Prince Charles & Camilla Asked for Forgiveness
Wonder what Princess Diana would have thought of this. At Prince Charles and Camilla's blessing ceremony following their civil wedding, the two formally and publicly asked for forgiveness for having a torrid, years-long, marriage-breaking affair when both were married to other people. It was a weird but smart move as most of the British public — which was still mourning Princess Diana — hated Camilla. Charles and Camilla's tactic probably helped pave the way for her eventually being accepted.
4. Charlene Wittstock Cried Through Her Own Wedding
South African former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock is beautiful and seems like a lovely person. We have no idea what she saw in Monaco's Prince Albert, Grace Kelly's son — but to each her own. What made him truly despicable is that just days before their 2008 wedding, news hit that he had fathered a child during their five-year relationship. (He already had TWO other kids out of wedlock.)
A humiliated Charlene reportedly tried to leave Monaco — not once, not twice, but three times — and was intercepted at the airport. Palace officials took away her passport so the prince could talk her into marrying him. Somehow, he succeeded, and she went ahead with the wedding but cried throughout the whole thing. Charlene looked stunning and horribly sad.
They're still married.
3. Meghan Markle's Dad Skipped the Wedding
Meghan's dad, Thomas Markle, was thrust into the unflattering spotlight when she and Harry got engaged. But Thomas made things infinitely worse when he was busted for working with paparazzi to stage pictures of himself preparing for the wedding. It was disastrous, but somehow, things got worse. He pulled out of the wedding — after the ceremony program was printed — in shame. Thomas then said he would come after all … but had a heart attack, only to pull out again. It was the biggest royal wedding scandal in a long time, but somehow, Meghan overcame it, walked down the first half of the aisle alone, then had Prince Charles step in halfway and escort her to the altar.
2. King Edward VII Abdicated the Throne to Marry American Divorcée
Love trumps everything, even royal traditions set in stone. At least it did when King Edward VII, Queen Elizabeth's uncle, left the throne after less than a year in 1936 to marry an American woman named Wallis Simpson. She was twice divorced and had exes still alive — which is a no-no in the Church of England. That was the moment when then-Princess Elizabeth's life changed. Her dad became king, and she became the heir to the throne.
It was the biggest scandal since, well, read on…
1. King Henry VIII Started a New Religion So He Could Dump His Wife
How ironic, no? King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church that wouldn't grant him an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. He started the Church of England in 1534, just so he could make divorce legal, get rid of his wife, and marry Anne Boleyn. It's the biggest royal scandal ever, of course, because Henry went on to have Anne beheaded and marry four more times.
