9 Biggest British Royal Scandals

Starting out our list with one of the smaller biggest British royal scandals, we have Princess Anne‘s run-in with the law over her misbehaving dog. In 2002, she became the first senior royal to get slapped with criminal charges in modern history. Her English bull terrier, Dotty, attacked two children in Windsor Great Park.

The incident occurred when the dog escaped from Anne’s control and bit two boys, aged 7 and 12. After the incident, Anne pleaded guilty to charges under the Dangerous Dogs Act and was fined £500 and ordered to keep Dotty on a leash in public.

Our list of the biggest British royal scandals would not be complete without mentioning the downfall of Prince Charles and Princess Diana‘s marriage.

Despite having two sons, William and Harry, the couple struggled with compatibility issues from the start. Their 13-year age gap and, of course, Charles’s ongoing relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles became very public in the news.

The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. This shocked many people who had seen them as the picture perfect royal couple. Later, in 1997, Diana’s death made things even more complicated. Nonetheless, the whole situation hurt the royal family’s reputation and changed how people viewed the prince.

Next up on our list of the biggest British royal scandals is the infamous “Camillagate” affair. In 1993, the press leaked a secretly recorded phone conversation between Prince Charles and his longtime “friend” Camilla Parker Bowles.

The tape caught Prince Charles and Camilla in an intimate chat, despite both being married to other people at the time. The details of this eavesdropped exchange confirmed the longstanding rumors of their affair. It also greatly affected Charles’ public image and fueled the fire of his crumbling marriage with Princess Diana.

In 2012, Prince Harry surely gave the world an eyeful during his wild weekend out in Las Vegas. Photographers caught the prince partying with his pants down – literally – when they snapped photos of him playing strip billiards in his hotel room and leaked them online.

The pixelated snapshots showed a naked Harry cupping his privates, surrounded by equally as undressed partiers. Some saw this night out as some harmless fun for the Prince Harry. On the other hand, others criticized his reckless behavior, saying a royal prince shouldn’t act that way.

Without a doubt, this British royal scandal added to Harry’s reputation as the royal family’s wild child, earning it a place on our list as well.

In 2020, the most recent British royal scandal on our list, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world when they announced they were “stepping back” from royal duties. The couple wanted more freedom and privacy away from the constant and intense spotlight that they had in royal life.

After they moved to California, they also stopped using their royal titles in official work. This decision, nicknamed “Megxit” by the media, caused a big stir. Many people remember their TV interview with Oprah, which made things even more controversial, as they shared their struggles with leaving royal life.

Up next, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II‘s younger sister, fell in love with Peter Townsend in the 1950s. Townsend was a Royal Air Force officer and a divorced man. Of course, this created a big problem because the Church of England didn’t allow divorced people to remarry.

To no one’s surprise, the royal family and the government opposed their relationship. They told Margaret she’d lose her royal status if she married Townsend. Ultimately, after years of pressure, Margaret chose duty over love and ended their relationship in 1955. Yet again, this showed how strict royal rules are, especially for those closest to the throne.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and son of Queen Elizabeth II, faced major scrutiny for his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Their connection initially came to light in 2011, but gained renewed attention in 2019 after Epstein’s arrest and death.

Photos of the two together began appearing online along with and allegations from one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre. The British royal scandal further deepened when Prince Andrew gave a disastrous BBC interview in 2019, attempting to explain his relationship with Epstein. Unsurprisingly, his denials and lack of empathy for Epstein’s victims led to public backlash and controversy. As a result, Andrew stepped back from royal duties.

Another one of the biggest British royal scandals took place in 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated the throne by insisting on marrying Wallis Simpson.

Yet again, according to the customs of the royal family, the American divorcee would not be an appropriate queen. As a result, Edward was unable to hold onto both the crown and Mrs. Simpson, so he gave up being king after just 326 days.

Shortly after his time as king ended, his brother took over as King George VI. This shocked the country and put Edward’s niece, Princess Elizabeth (now known as Queen Elizabeth II), next in line for the throne.

On March 20, 1974, Princess Anne, then 23, was the target of a kidnapping attempt in London.

First, a Ford Escort overtook their car and forced them to a stop. Then, a gunman named Ian Ball jumped out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots, injuring several people. Anne refused to exit the vehicle but James Beaton, her personal police officer at the time, was shot three times during the altercation.

“He went bang bang, and he shot me in the chest,” Beaton recalled in a March 2024 statement to the BBC. “I tried to fire back at him with my gun. I missed the first shot and then the gun jammed.”

The incident finally ended when a passerby punched the gunman, allowing police to arrest him. Today, Princess Anne lives to tell the story of this famous British royal scandal, capping our list.

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