11 Biggest Royal Scandals of All Time

8. The Queen’s Sister

Consequences: damaging

Ever since their father inherited the throne from his ill-fated brother, Elisabeth and Margaret were in the public eye. Throughout the 2nd World War and the post-war years, Elisabeth was groomed for a future queen, while Margaret was often left behind. Her parents tried to compensate that by indulging her every whim, but it only made matters worse. Still, had she been permitted to marry her first love, RAF officer and a hero of the Battle of Britain Peter Townsend, she might have settled for a quiet life of a queen’s sister. However, since Townsend was a divorcee, she was forced by her family and the public to cancel the wedding. That decision seemed like a straw that broke the camel’s back and Princess Margaret soon became a regular guest in the gossip sections of the British newspapers. Her marriage with a photographer has caused many a consternation in Windsor. The couple paid no mind to critics and for a while, they seemed very happy together, breaking few royal stereotypes with their Bohemian lifestyle. But in the 1970s, both Margaret and her husband engage in a number of extramarital affairs that shook the British public on almost regular basis. In 1976 a photo of the Princess and her lover caused to marriage to end. Margaret continued with her signature lifestyle, which took its toll on her health in 1985 when she had one lung removed due to cancer. Princess died in 2002 and was mourned by her family, despite all the heartache she caused them.