Royal Family Drama: Divorce, Phone Scandals, and Abdications, Oh My!
KEY POINTS
- â˘In 1936, Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite, causing political uproar.
- â˘Princess Margaret abandoned an engagement to Captain Peter Townsend, a divorced RAF officer, then married Anthony Armstrong Jones before divorcing in 1978.
- â˘Princess Dianaâs 1990s scandals included 'Squidgygate' phone leaks, a 1995 tell-all BBC interview, and the public breakdown of her marriage to Charles.
The British royal family has served up scandals spicier than a curry. In 1936, Edward VIII gave up the crown to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite, because apparently, being monarch wasnât enough to stop Church of England drama. Princess Margaret fell for a married RAF officer, Captain Peter Townsend, but 1950s rules banned their romance, so she settled for the TV's first royal wedding bridegroom, photographer Anthony Armstrong Jones, only to divorce him in 1978âthe first royal split since Henry VIII's neighborhood barbecue in the 1500s. The â90s hit a fever pitch with Princess Diana's infamous 'Squidgygate,' where a guy named James Gilbey called her 'Squidgy' 53 times on a recorded call, and Prince Charles joked about turning into a tampon to live in Camilla Parker Bowles' trousers. Dianaâs 1995 BBC interviewâobtained through alleged fake bank statementsâunpacked affairs, 'three-of-us-in-this-marriage' quips, and a rare public admission of bulimia. Meanwhile, scandalous tabloid brawls didnât stop, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor landed an arrest in recent years, proving the Windsor family tree is more 'drama' than 'duty and decorum.'
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Royal family scandals: from kings abdicating for love to tampon jokes on recorded calls. Proving crowns don't come with silence, just more soap opera scripts.
If royal scandals were Olympic sports, the Windsors would be taking gold, silver, and probably the trophy for best reality TV plot.
Forget Game of Thrones; the British royal family's got divorce, secret lovers, and tampon jokes all in one season arc.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 2/19/2026 | Author: Caroline Praderio,Talia Lakritz,Mikhaila Friel
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