In a time before Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, other controversial couples dominated the negative headlines. GALA presents the most sensational couples in more detail.
In recent years, Duchess Meghan, 41, and Prince Harry, 38, have dominated the headlines as a couple with all sorts of scandals. But before the so-called Megxit, her almost legendary Oprah interview, the racism allegations, the explosive documentary, further interviews and the memoirs, there were other controversial couples who competed with the Sussexes.
Royal couples that shook the monarchies
1. Henry VIII plunged England into the Reformation because of his love
When Henry VIII, †55, King of England from 1509 to 1547, wanted to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, †50, annulled – it produced no male descendants Anne Boleyn Marrying (his second of six wives) marked a historic turning point for Britain.
Prince Harry with a Henry VIII figure
© WPA Pool / Getty Images
Because when Pope Clement VII, †56, denied the monarch’s wish – divorce was strictly forbidden – the United Kingdom separated from the Vatican. Henry VIII reformed his country, seceding it from the Roman Catholic Church and founding the Church of England. But that’s not all! For alleged infidelity, the king beheaded his second wife and remarried four more times.
2. Prince Carl Philip’s love for then-Sofia Hellqvist began with several scandals
Today they are considered the smiling flagship couple of the Swedish royals: Without airs, Prince Carl Philip, 43, of Sweden and his great love Princess Sofia, 38, represent the royal family and, by the way, delight again and again with sweet snapshots of their three children Prince Alexander, 6, Prince Gabriel, 5, and Prince Julian, 1, on Instagram. But their love began with several scandals. Not only was Sofia’s feud with Carl Philip’s sister Princess Madeleine, 40, repeatedly reported. The trigger? Madeleine was friends with her brother’s ex. She also made a name for herself with a few beauty contests, which gave her the title of “Miss Slitz”, for example.
Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip
© Dana Press
Several tattoos, some of which she had to remove with difficulty, adorned and continues to adorn her body – a bigger faux pas then than it is today. And then there were a few bikini pics from the time when Sofia Hellqvist appeared in a Big Brother-like TV format called “Paradise Hotel”. Several scandals that damaged the image of the usually so perfectly shiny Swedish krona, but now seem almost forgotten.
3. The Queen had to end Prince Andrew’s fling with US star Koo Stark
Because of his involvement in the Epstein case, Prince Andrew, 62, is ostracized as a royal, Queen Elizabeth, † 96, stripped her son of his military titles and patronage in January 2022. But his previous relationships also dominated the headlines. Before chasing one scandal after the next with his former wife Sarah Ferguson, 63, his love affair with actress Koo Stark, 66, caused a stir.
Prince Andrew and Koo Stark
© ALL ACTION / Action Press
Already then the monarch had to speak a word of power and end the affair after 18 months. The reason? The New York native once made a name for herself with scantily clad shots and has appeared nude in several films including 1977’s ‘Emily.’
4. Princess Charlène’s alleged attempt to escape from her marriage to Prince Albert
To date, Princess Charlène, 45, and Prince Albert, 64, are the most mysterious couple among the royals. Her growing sadness envelops the ex-swimmer in silence and absence. Since her severe ear, nose and throat infection in 2021, she has been making a name for herself through her absence, repeatedly fueling rumors of a marriage crisis. It was there just before the wedding. From then on, the rumor persisted that the princess should have tried to escape before the wedding with the Monegasque. They are said to have slept in separate beds during their honeymoon. The couple repeatedly denied all of this in the years that followed.
5. Princess Diana, Prince Charles and the big word infidelity
Princess Diana, † 36, King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, should of course not be missing from this list. But not only this team of three – remember Diana’s legendary sentence in the “Panorama” interview “There were three of us in this marriage” – must be mentioned here. But also Diana’s subsequent love affairs with James Gilbey, 64, and James Hewitt, 64.
James Hewitt: At a cocktail party in 1986, Diana met Hauptmann, who was two years her senior. Shortly after the first meeting, she hired him as a riding instructor for her sons, and later she also took riding lessons from him. They grew closer to each other on horseback rides in London’s parks. Circumstances brought them together, Hewitt said later. The intensive relationship lasted about four years. It ended when Hewitt was posted abroad. He later tried to capitalize on his fame as the princess’s former lover: he dabbled on reality TV shows, gave interviews, contributed to tell-all books and wrote his autobiography. Diana saw this as a betrayal. In May of this year, James Hewitt suffered a stroke and a heart attack and had to be hospitalized for weeks.
© ActionPress
With the former, she was involved in a media scandal titled “Squidgygate” in the early ’90s. The series “The Crown” revived the story in which British intelligence allegedly wiretapped Diana and her secret lover James Gilbey before their divorce with Charles and recorded several phone calls. Her flirtation with Army officer Hewitt Diana took part in the interview BBC reporter Martin Bashir public. Their romance began around 1986, a time when Diana was estranged from her husband.
Sources used: townandcountrymag.com, businessinsider.com