Before Andrew, There Was Megxit, Diana, Annus Horribilis, And The Abdication: 10 Royal Scandals

Last Updated:February 19, 2026, 19:41 IST

There British royal family has witnessed a century of the crown in crisis due to public scandal and scrutiny, with the aftermath impacting social and political life in the UK

If The Crown is your favourite television series, you’d know that before Britain gobbled up disgraced former prince Andrew’s sordid Epstein links or the Meghan-Harry crisis aptly named “Megxit", there was no dearth of scandal in the British royal family.

There has been a century of the crown in crisis due to intense public scandal and scrutiny, with not just washing dirty linen in public but the aftermath impacting social and political life in the United Kingdom – the antics of King Henry VIII, with multiple wives and an unhealthy male heir obsession, practically triggered the English Reformation in the 16th century with the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church.

You also must recall the life and death of Princess Diana, which was at least eight scandals in one – starting from marriage troubles in 1992 (described as the “annus horribilis" by the late Queen Elizabeth II) to a highly publicised divorce in 1996 and a controversial death in 1997 that threw a nation in the throes of grief.

Then there was the constitutional earthquake of a King abandoning his throne for love in 1936. Nevertheless, the British royal family has often found itself at the centre of controversy, frequently forced to address deep fractures, tragic losses, and personal indiscretions.

News world Before Andrew, There Was Megxit, Diana, Annus Horribilis, And The Abdication: 10 Royal Scandals

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