Royal Family secrets that have been spilled through the years

The Royal Family is an integral part of the UK, and as a result all eyes are fixated on their every move. A family like that is bound to have their secrets and hidden controversies, but unfortunately, some of these have been made public—either by the press, royal staff, or by members themselves. 

Here are some royal secrets that have slipped through the years. 

In January 2022, one of Prince Andrew's former employees, Charlotte Briggs, spoke to The Sun about his impressive teddy bear collection.

According to Charlotte Briggs, the Prince's staff had to organise them in the right order on his bed every day. She explained:

‘As soon as I got the job, I was told about the teddies and it was drilled into me how he wanted them. I even had a day’s training. Everything had to be just right. It was so peculiar.’

‘It was so odd. After all, he was a grown man who had served in the Falklands. But he absolutely loved the ­teddies and was very clear about how he wanted them arranged.’

While he hasn't responded to Charlotte Briggs' claims, Prince Andrew spoke about his teddy bear collection back in 2010, saying:

‘I’ve always collected teddy bears. Everywhere I went in the Navy I used to buy a little teddy bear, so I’ve got a collection from all over the world of one sort or another.’

In 1992, Andrew Norton released his autobiography of Princess Diana, entitled Diana: Her True Story, in which he detailed her struggle with bulimia, an eating disorder.

The source for Andrew Norton's book was the Princess herself. She reportedly told the author:

‘The bulimia started the week after we got engaged and would take nearly a decade to overcome. My husband put his hand on my waistline and said: ‘Oh, a bit chubby here, aren’t we?’ and that triggered off something in me—and the Camilla thing.’

Princess Diana did not stop speaking openly about her eating disorder after the book was published. In 1995, she told the BBC:

'You have to know that when you have bulimia you're very ashamed of yourself and you hate yourself—and people think you're wasting food—so you don't discuss it with people.' 

'The thing about bulimia is your weight always stays the same, whereas with anorexia you visibly shrink. So you can pretend the whole way through. There's no proof.'

Then Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles fell in love in 1970, but their love story was short-lived when the Prince had to leave for the Army.

The lovebirds' affair lasted over five decades, including during their respective marriages. The pinnacle happened in 1993, when an intimate phone call was leaked by the press. The scandal was nicknamed as the ‘Tampongate’.

After working hard to rehabilitate Camilla's image to the British public, the couple got married in 2005, years after they divorced their respective partners.

In 2019, a young woman named Virginia Giuffre spoke to the BBC, claiming to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew and his close friend Jeffrey Epstein.

That same year, Prince Andrew denied the allegations during an exclusive interview with the BBC. He said he did not remember meeting the woman, and the events she described ‘did not happen’.

Prince Andrew is not facing any legal action in the UK. However, in light of the accusations, the late Queen stripped her son of his military titles. 

In 2022, Prince Andrew settled the lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre. It is unknown exactly how much he paid.

In 2001, Prince Harry was discreetly taken to a rehabilitation centre, in the hope he would heal from his addiction to drink and drugs.

While the Royal family tried to keep his struggles under wraps, the press got hold of the information. Some experts believed the 16-year-old Prince's relationship with his father, as well as the loss of his mother, played a role in his addiction.

Following in his mother's footsteps, Prince Harry chose to speak openly about his struggles. In his 2023 memoir, entitled Spare, he explained having used drugs as a form of therapy. In a docuseries with Oprah Winfrey, he said:

'I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs. I was willing to do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling. […] And I would find myself drinking not because I was enjoying it but because I was trying to mask something.'

In 2017, Princess Diana's best friend, Rosa Monckton, explained the royal helped her bury her stillborn baby back in 1994, on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

Rosa Monckton spoke of her best friend's generosity and kindness, especially in times of vulnerability. She told Australian Channel 7’s Sunday Night show:

'It was an extraordinary thing to do. She said, 'I'm going to tell the chief inspector that we're going to bury a pet in the garden. 'Only you, I and Rosa will know it's a baby'.'

The Princess, her best friend, and her husband, had a ‘very, very moving ceremony’, after which Rosa was given her own key to the Kensington garden. Princess Diana was the godmother to Rosa's next baby.

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew split up in 1992. Only a few months later, a scandal involving the former Princess rocked the Royal Family.

In the summer of 1992, Sarah Ferguson, also known as Fergie, was photographed while on holiday in the south of France. On the photo, which was published in tabloids all over the country, the Princess was seen having her toes in her financial advisor's mouth.

Following the scandal and her separation from Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson was stripped of her Royal Highness title. However, she remains a Duchess until she remarries, should she choose to do so.

Ever since Princess Diana Spencer married into the Royal family, she grew close to the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret. She told Andrew Norton:

‘I’ve always adored Margo. I love her to bits, and she has been wonderful to me from day one.’

However, tensions appeared between the two women as Princess Diana's marriage to Prince Charles broke down. Despite their sour relationship, Princess Diana took advantage from one of Princess Margaret's secrets.

Princess Diana began using one of Princess Margaret's secret pathways into Kensington Palace to hide her lovers. Royal expert Kinsey Schofield explained on her podcast:

'I remember reading that Margaret had this great driveway or entrance space where you could go unseen, where nobody would see you and so that's the pathway Princess Diana would take her lovers.'

In September 2024, the Mirror revealed Prince William earns money from a secret business, which led to heavy criticism from green protesters. 

Prince William reportedly owns a secret car showroom, which earns him about £800,000 a year from this lucrative business.

The car showroom is seen at odds with the Prince's environmental advocacy. 

In 2005, Prince Harry was photographed wearing a Nazi costume, including a Swastika armband, to a party.

Following the publication of the photographs in the press, Prince Harry was forced to issue an official apology immediately after the scandal. He wrote in a statement: 

‘I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize.’

The incident remains a topic of conversation to this day. In 2022, Prince Harry mentioned it during his Netflix documentary, entitled Harry & Meghan. He said:

‘It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I felt so ashamed afterwards. All I wanted to do was make it right. I sat down and spoke to the chief rabbi in London, which had a profound effect on me. I went to Berlin and spoke to a Holocaust survivor.'

'I could have just ignored it and made the same mistakes over again in my life. But I learned from that.’