The allegations made by the former Dukes of Sussex have led to public scrutiny of the royal family. They exposed what many consider the dark side of the monarchy.
Harry and Meghan’s allegations of racism in a Buckingham Palace who were concerned about their son Archie’s skin color, made during an explosive television interview in which she also said she was having suicidal thoughts after assaulting herself, are the latest scandal in the long list to the credit of the British monarchy.
Edward VIII, love of duty
King Edward VIII put love over duty and caused a veritable earthquake by resigning in 1936, after 326 days of reign, to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice divorced American citizen, rejected by the Anglican Church, over whom he ruled .
He was succeeded by his brother, King George VI, father of the current Queen Elizabeth II, and the former sovereign was disowned.
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Broken hearts and infidelity
Nicknamed the Rebel Princess, Margarita, Elizabeth II’s younger sister, shook up the traditions and conventions imposed by a royal family that prevent her from living her great love.
She married Antony Armstrong-Jones, a somewhat bohemian film and fashion photographer, in 1960 after she was forced to give up her relationship with divorced soldier Peter Townsend.
The couple divorced in 1978, after yet another scandal caused by their infidelity.
“Annus horribilis”
1992 was an “annus horribilis” for the Queen, who was faced with the marital troubles of three of her four children. The most difficult divorce was between the Crown Prince, Charles, and Princess Diana, after eleven years of tumultuous marriage. They divorced four years later.
That same year, Prince Andrew, her second son, divorced from Sarah Ferguson, photographed bare-breasted in the south of France while her financial advisor licked her toes. They were divorced in 1996.
The sovereign’s only daughter, Princess Anne, divorced her first husband, Mark Phillips, three years after their much-discussed breakup in 1989.
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Diana’s death
The Queen was widely criticized for her lack of compassion when, in 1997, the “People’s Princess”, Diana, the mother of Guillermo and Enrique, was killed in a car accident. Adored by the masses, she had denounced on television the infidelity of her husband, heir to the throne, two years earlier.
Messages at the Alma Bridge, in honor of Princess Diana’s memory on the anniversary of her death. Photo: AFP
While the mourning people laid millions of flowers outside the gates of the palaces of Buckingham and Kensington, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth barricaded themselves in their Scottish castle at Balmoral.
Despite the wave of indignation that swept the country, the sovereign only emerged from her silence on the eve of the funeral, when she delivered an exceptional speech on television.
The Andres scandal
Prince Andrew’s friendship with American financier Jeffrey Epstein took its toll when the latter, accused of sexually exploited minors, committed suicide in prison.
An American, Virgina Roberts, claimed she was forced by Epstein to have sex with Andrés, which he denies.
But when he tried to defend himself on the BBC, the prince painted a disastrous picture, with denials deemed inconclusive, with no signs of regret and no empathy for his friend’s victims.
Many of the companies and universities he worked with decided to do without him and he had to withdraw from public life.
The noisy Megxit
Harry and Meghan announced to general surprise on January 8, 2020 that they were resigning from their royal duties. The couple, who had brought fresh air to the monarchy, said they wanted to be financially independent and move to North America, first Canada and shortly thereafter California.
His departure was dubbed “Megxit” by the British press.
A photo taken in Melbourne on March 9, 2021 shows the headlines on the front page of the interview given by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wife of the British Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, to Oprah Winfrey, which was broadcast on the American station CBS. Photo EDH / AFP
After a one-year temporary agreement, Buckingham last month ordered the pair to permanently relinquish their honorary titles and endorsements. Shortly thereafter, a news item broke out about some old complaints about harassment of a former employee when they were still living in the palace in 2018 and the announcement of the royal family that the investigation will be conducted.
In an interview with American television star Oprah Winfrey and broadcast on March 7, Meghan said she had suicidal thoughts in the palace and was refused psychological support because it would damage the image of the institution.
The former actress, who is mestizo, also claimed that when she was pregnant, people in the royal family were concerned about the skin color of her son Archie, who is turning two in May.