Prince Harry’s naked Vegas photos have gone viral on the internet and have created quite a storm, but the playful British bad boy is not the only member of the royal family to get into trouble.In fact, the list runs long, and is reminiscient of erstwhile scandals of the ultra secretive royals. Here are some other incidents that probably had the royal office running around for cover, or as in Prince Harry’s case- controlling publication.
Sarah Ferguson
The Duchess of York, also known as ‘Fergie’, has had her fair share of embarrassing moments. Ferguson was married to Prince Andrew, but the couple agreed to separate in January of 1992 after six years of marriage. Fergie wasted no time and let her spirits run wild. She made headlines in August 1992, just seven months after their separation. The Duchess was photographed sunbathing topless with her former financial adviser, John Bryan, who seemed to be sucking on her toes, as the Telegraph reported. The real truth saw the light of the day only in 2011, when Sarah Ferguson’s current financial advisor told the Independent that Bryan was, as a matter of fact, licking the Duchess’ toe. “He was pretending to try the slipper on my foot and I was Cinderella…and I said, ‘Oh, ha, ha, it doesn’t fit because you are not the prince,” Fergie added to the explanation. That was not all. Sarah Ferguson almost sold her sould to the devil. Things got worse for Ferguson in 2010, when she was caught on tape offering an undercover News of the World reporter access to her former husband for almost $700,000, ABC News reported. As she later told Oprah, Fergie “was in the gutter at that moment.”
Princess Diana
Prince Harry’s parents have been under the pulic radar more often than not for their colourful lives. Both his mother, the late Princess Diana, and his father, Prince Charles, were caught having affairs while they were still married. Diana, who earned the nickname ‘the People’s Princess’, ‘Lady Diana’ for being one of the most down-to-earth royals, reportedly had a minimum of at least five affairs, including one with her polo-playing friend James Hewitt which she admitted to in 1995. Her other suitors included PR executive James Gilbey, art dealer Oliver Hoare, England rugby captain Will Carling, and her bodyguard Barry Mannakee, according to the Daily Mail.
Pippa Middleton
Duchess of Cambridge Catherine, better and popularly known as Kate Middleton’s sister, Pippa Middleton, got into a bad spot in April 2012 when she was photographed in Paris, sitting in a convertible next to a man pointing a gun at a paparazzi, smiling and looking amused. The scandal prompted speculation that the 27-year-old could face time in prison due to France’s strict laws about threatening someone with a weapon, real or fake, the Telegraph reported. Ouch. We can only guess how bratty daughter Zara must have reacted to her father’s comment.
Prince Charles
Prince Charles is rather (in)famous for his long-time affair with current wife Camilla Parker Bowles. Their long-running secret relationship came to light in 1992 after a series of their recorded phone conversations surfaced, including one that came to be known as the ‘tampongate’ scandal, in which the Prince expressed a desire to be “Camilla’s ‘tampax’ so that he could be inside her pants all the time”, according to the Guardian.
Prince Philip II
Prince Philip, the British Queen’s husband, is known for speaking oddly and insensitively. One of such moments came during a meeting with Alfredo Stroessner, Paraguay’s dictator. “It’s a pleasant change to be in a country that isn’t ruled by its people,” the Prince told Stroessner. The comment created quite a stir.Another shocking and careless comment by Philip came during a visit by the royal couple to China in 1986. While talking to a British student, he came out with this unforgettable remark: “If you stay here much longer, you will go home with slitty eyes,” the New York Times reported.
Mark Phillips
Captain Mark Phillips was married to Princess Anne, the British Queen’s only daughter, from 1973 until 1992. Their children, Zara and Peter Philips, are the first royals to evade royal titles, which within itself is a scandal altogether. However, Captain Philips doesn’t seem too delighted with his low-key daughter. While he described Peter as an easy-going child in a 2012 interview, Zara was reportedly something diametrically opposite, the Telegraph reported. “He (Peter) was a very well-behaved little boy; he wasn’t much trouble at all. He knew where the line was and he didn’t cross it,” said Mark. “Zara, on the other hand, who came along four years later, was much more difficult, much more of a brat. I don’t think she accepted that line at all.” Ouch. We can only guess how bratty daughter Zara must have reacted to her father’s comment.
