Press sources around the world frequently look to the British Royal family for salacious gossip, whether it’s Fergie’s toe-sucking affair, Charles’ “tampongate” moment (gulp), or Harry’s state of dress/ undress. But it’s not just the Windsors who are prone to monumental gaffes, past dynasties have had their share of scandal, some comical, some sinister…
The child killer?
There are pointers to suggest Richard III was a child murderer. Richard’s elder brother Edward IV passed away in 1483, and his immediate successor to the throne was his 12 year old son, also called Edward. A campaign began to stir claiming the child’s ascension to the throne wouldn’t be legitimate as his mother was a commoner, and so the young Edward and his brother were locked up in the Tower of London, never to be seen again. Richard, who had been named their protector after their father’s death, became King instead. Although no clear conclusion has ever been reached, it looks likely that uncle Richard had rather a lot to do with the children’s disappearance.
The serial husband
Egocentric and possessive, Henry VIII had six marriages, two of which ended when he had his spouse beheaded. During his tenure as head of state he separated the Church of England from the Catholic Church, expanded the Navy¸ and brought about the Reformation, but he is far more famous for his vanity, debauchery, and marriages. His first marriage was to Catherine of Aragon, none other than his own brother’s widow, always a healthy start to a relationship. Despite becoming pregnant six times, only one girl was born. Desperate for an heir Henry asked the Pope for an annulment so he could marry Anne Boleyne (one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting) but he refused, not wanting to incite the ire of the mighty Roman Emperor Charles V, who just so happened to be Catherine’s nephew. Henry dealt with this by declaring himself the head of the Church of England, and appointing a new archbishop of Canterbury to annul his marriage, yet after all this effort Henry still didn’t have a son, as the future queen Elizabeth I was born in 1533 instead. This inevitably meant that Henry tired of Anne too, so she was imprisoned and later executed at the Tower of London, on charges of adultery that may have been exaggerated a tad. Finally third wife Jane Seymour gave birth to the boy he wanted, but she died during the birth. A marriage to a German princess, arranged for political reasons, ended on a sour note and resulted in Thomas Cromwell’s execution for treason as he had been responsible for the match-making; another marriage to a teenage girl ended with her beheading for adultery, but his last wife Catherine Parr acted as nurse and companion, outliving him when he passed away at the age of 56 in 1547.
\n\nThe hedonist
Charles II was crowned in 1660, taking over from the ultra-conservative Oliver Cromwell. The two men could not be more different; to say Charles indulged in a debauched lifestyle is a bit like saying fish prefer to be in water than on dry land. One of the first changes he made was to repeal obscenity laws and reduce sentences for prostitution; he had a voracious appetite for sex and many mistresses, he frequented the brothels and theatres at Bankside and even appointed himself a royal pimp to ensure he would never be short of female company. He spent more time getting his rocks off than ruling the country and other members of the court followed his example, under his reign everything was permissible, and it was in fact somewhat unfashionable to not have several mistresses dangling from your arm at social engagements. His day job came second, as he was unprepared for meetings and often had forgotten to pay important bills, much to the chagrin of his ministers. Among his many mistresses was Nell Gynne, who he asked his brother James to look after financially after he died.
\n\nGeorge IV
George IV was another sovereign who put his sexual urges before anything else, well before he became King. Unfortunately for him he wasn’t blessed with the best of looks, and so he would promise large sums of money to the women he wanted to sleep with, only to not pay them and reject the illegitimate children he fathered along the way. His father George III, (the one who eventually went mad), was often the one left to deal with the debt collectors his son was infuriating with his gambling habits and other leisurely pursuits. But the biggest scandal of the day his involvement with a Catholic widower, Maria Fitzherbert, who would only sleep with him if they wed. A marriage of the sort would be illegal for an heir to the throne, so naturally he did it in secret in 1785. Ten years later he had to have an arranged marriage with Princess Caroline of Brunswick so that Parliament would pay off his debts, and Fitzherbert was informed by letter that their relationship was over. After his father was declared insane and he was crowned king, he tried to divorce her but his court wouldn’t allow it. Towards the end of his life he disengaged himself from politics and public life, dying in 1830.
The anti-conformist
King Edward VIII is the only British monarch to have ever abdicated voluntarily, and he did it to marry the woman he loved. He had a bit of a rep for being a ladies man in the 1920s, but he fell for Wallis Simpson, a married American socialite. She divorced her husband intending to marry him, however the government and the monarchy were having none of it; the King of England could not be married to a divorcee. Rather than marry someone suitable and carry on an affair (sound familiar?) he resigned. As Simpson was never accepted by the British Royals the couple settled in France, where they lived together till Edward’s death in 1972.
Controversial Royals
We take a look at some of Britain's most unruly Royals through the ages.
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