Ultimate list of royal scandals ranked, from Megxit to abdication and Epstein row

While members of the Royal Family typically strive to be viewed as figures of high moral standing, it would be an understatement to say that there aren't some rather scandalous skeletons in the closet. Even though there are countless examples which date back across the centuries, recent decades have seen many damaging events come to light.

Whether it is Prince Andrew's association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from royal life or the abdication that rocked the world, the Royal Family has never been far from the nation's front pages.

Express.co.uk has put together a full round-up of 11 of the most significant royal scandals and exactly what happened.

"I have been aware that, subject to my renouncing my rights of succession, it might have been possible for me to contract a civil marriage. But mindful of the Church's teachings that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before others. I have reached this decision entirely alone, and in doing so I have been strengthened by the unfailing support and devotion of Group Captain Townsend."

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> The scandal rocked the Royal Family at the time, but Mr Bryan broke his silence in 2022. He told the Mail: "I don't want to be forever known as 'Fergie's Texan toe-sucking financial adviser'. For starters, I'm from New York."

He went on: "The attraction was mutual - and instant. I loved her then and I adore her now. We were in a private villa with seven acres of land surrounding us to ensure our absolute privacy. The girls [Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie] were tiny, just four and two. We were out by the pool and I was practising swimming with the children.

"Yes, Sarah was topless, but this was the South of France for heaven's sake. And we were in private - or so we thought. We're with the kids, having a great time. We used to play fun games, make-believe games. On this day we were playing Cinderella and I said, 'Look, let's kiss Mummy's toes'. It was part of the game. I did it first and then I think one of the girls, probably Beatrice, did it. It was totally innocent; a beautiful family moment of love."

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> King Charles' Black Spider memos were released. So-named because of the then-Prince of Wales' scrawled handwriting, 27 letters which were sent between 2004 and 2005 were released after the Guardian won a long-fought freedom of information case with the government.

In the memos, Charles can be seen making direct and persistent policy demands to the then-PM Tony Blair and several prominent members of his Labour government. In one letter from February 2005, he urged a badger cull to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis, while calling the cull's opponents as "intellectually dishonest", he lobbied for his preferred person to crack down on the mistreatment of farmers by supermarkets; proposed his own aide to brief Downing Street on the design of new hospitals; and urged Blair to tackle an EU directive limiting the use of herbal alternative medicines in the UK.

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> Prince Harry and his brother Prince William.

In the book, Harry also recalled a physical encounter that he had with William in 2019, whereby he got hurt. Describing the confrontation at his London home, Harry says William referred to Meghan Markle as "rude" - leading to a physical attack by his elder brother.

Harry said: "He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> the Duke and Duchess of Windsor travelled to Germany to meet Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler. The couple were pictured grinning and reciprocating the Nazi salute when they arrived to greet Hitler. There have long been assumptions that the former King was a Nazi sympathiser, particularly after it emerged that his 1937 visit had involved a visit to the concentration camps.

Andrew Lownie, who wrote the book, Traitor King, said of Edward: "He read the papers, so he must have seen even before the war there were all sorts of terrible things going on. I don't think he could have had any misconception about what the Nazis were about."

The Duke's alleged associations only grew deeper when the Marburg Files were published in full in 1957. The top-secret records from the Second World War made up of over 400 tons of foreign minister archives from Nazi Germany. Included in the Marburg files was a top-secret cable message from the German ambassador in Lisbon to Berlin that read: "[The Duke of Windsor] is convinced that if he had remained on the throne, war would have been avoided, and he characterises himself as a firm supporter of a peaceful arrangement with Germany. The Duke definitely believes that continued severe bombing would make England ready for peace."

Speaking about the Duke's association, Mr Lownie said: "Here is the former king of Great Britain saying that if you bomb Britain, bomb his family, bomb his country, that that's the best way to bring them to sue for peace. He's quite prepared to go to those lengths in order to achieve his aims. It's chilling and sinister. And it's frankly very shocking. He was so disloyal to his brother that he was calling for the bombing of Britain as a way of subjugating them."

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> Harry and Meghan released a docuseries on Netflix.

In this, the couple shared insights into their love story and why they decided to leave the Royal Family in 2020. Each of the six episodes had some accusation targeted at Harry's family, especially at his brother Prince William. Harry claimed that William had decided to "scream and shout" at him during a meeting in early 2020 over theSussexes's decision to step back as working royals.He said: "It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that simply weren't true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in."

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> Charles and Camilla in 1989 was recorded by an amateur radio fan who claimed to have come across the conversation while moving between audio channels. During the phone call, which took place while the couple were both married to other people, then-Prince Charles told Camilla he wanted to be reincarnated as a tampon so he could "live inside" her.

The audio and transcript of the six-minute conversation were published by a tabloid, and were then dredged back up in 1993 following the announcement of Charles and Diana's separation. The scandal was featured in Netflix's the Crown and was renacted by Dominic West as the then-Prince of Wales and Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles.

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> Sarah, Duchess of York was recently embroiled in a fresh scandal after it was reported that she had sent an apology to paedophile financier Jeffery Epstein after publicly cutting ties with him in 2011.In the days that followed, a number of the Duchess's charities disassociated themselves from her.

Following claims that the Duchess emailed Epstein, her spokesperson has said she was "taken in by his lies" and sent the email only to avoid the threat of defamation. The spokesman said: "The Duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims. Like many people, she was taken in by his lies."

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> King Edward VIII's decision to abdicate the throne after less than 12 months will forever be ranked as one of the biggest scandals in royal history. His determination to marry twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson, in a time of staunch conservatism was one of the major pillars of his downfall.

A day after he'd signed his abdication papers at Fort Belvedere, the King spoke to the nation from Windsor Castle. He began: "At long last, I am able to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now, it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak. A few hours ago, I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor, and now that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart."

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> made an announcement on January 8 that they were stepping back from their roles as senior royals.

In a statement at the time, the couple said: "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support."

It was reported that the Queen, Charles and Prince William had very little notice of the announcement the couple were going to make.

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" /> Prince Andrew's ill-advised association with disgraced paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. The Duke opened up about his ties to the late financier in his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview.

Throughout the interview, claims from Virginia Giuffre, who took her life earlier this year, were put to the Duke. Ms Giuffre, who was one of the most outspoken victims of Jeffrey Epstein, claimed she was trafficked to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions.

The Duke of York has vehemently denied these claims made against him. He did settle out of court with Ms Giuffre for an undisclosed sum; however, this was not seen as an admission of guilt.

Ever since the interview, the Duke has permanently stepped back from royal life and been stripped of his HRH status, his official roles and military associations.

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