Britain’s royal family are no strangers to scandal — and that’s equally true of their relatives. From Prince Philip’s familial ties to the Nazi party to the ongoing shenanigans of Meghan Markle’s father and half-sister, check out these royal relations who dredged up embarrassing headlines.

Frank Albert Charles Burke/Fairfax Media via Getty Images
1 / 10
Prince Philip’s Nazi relatives
Anyone who watched Netflix’s The Crown will recall that Prince Philip had some problematic relatives with Nazi connections. Three of the Duke of Edinburgh’s sisters married German princes — all of whom were reportedly members of the Nazi party, which led to an embarrassing photo taken during the Second World War in which the young prince attended a funeral alongside uniformed Nazis, including Herman Goring. Meanwhile, one of his sisters was such a big fan of Der Fuhrer that she named one of her sons Karl Adolf in Hitler’s honour.
RELATED: 10 of the world's most extravagant weddings.
RELATED: 10 of the world's most extravagant weddings.

© Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
2 / 10
Snowdon’s scandals
Princess Margaret’s tumultuous marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones (a.k.a. Lord Snowdon) have been well documented, but the scandals continued even after their 1978 divorce — including the the revelation that he fathered an illegitimate child (with his best friend’s wife, no less) shortly before his marriage to Margaret. In addition, persistent rumours of his affairs with men continued to follow Lord Snowdon throughout his life, even after his death in 2017.

Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
3 / 10
Pippa Middleton’s father-in-law’s rape accusations
He may be only distantly related to the royals, but David Matthews (father of the husband of Pippa Middleton, sister of the Duchess of Cambridge) delivered some big scandal points when he was arrested in 2018 after being accused of allegedly raping an underage teenage girl in the 1980s. After his arrest, a second woman came forward claiming she too had been raped by Matthews. For the record, he has denied the allegations.
RELATED: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and 19 more celebrity couples share their first date stories.
RELATED: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and 19 more celebrity couples share their first date stories.

Getty Images
4 / 10
Fergie’s attempt to sell royal access
Sarah Ferguson’s divorce (and subsequent toe-sucking scandal) were already enough to make her a pariah to the royal family. However, she took things to a whole other level in 2010 when she accepted a $600,000 bribe from a News of the World reporter (posing as a businessman) in exchange for access to ex-husband Prince Andrew. When the video was released, the humiliated Fergie had no choice but to fess up and apologize, admitting that she’d made a “serious lapse in judgement.” You think?

Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
5 / 10
Princess Michael’s history of racism
Princess Michael of Kent has a long and well-documented history of making crude, racist statements, including one incident when she was reportedly annoyed by a table of talkative black diners at a New York restaurant, expressing her wishes that they “go back to the colonies.” Most recently, she took heat for wearing a broach (pictured here) that was judged by many to be downright racist.
RELATED: These are the most beautiful royal wedding gowns — and what they cost.
RELATED: These are the most beautiful royal wedding gowns — and what they cost.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
6 / 10
The Sophie tapes
Sophie, Countess of Wessex (wife of the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward), was reportedly never a favourite of the Queen, and became even less so with the release of the scandalous “Sophie Tapes” in 2001. In the tapes (secretly recorded in a sting operation launched by a newspaper), her business partner in her PR firm offered to set up sex tours for clients, and professed his fondness of cocaine. In addition, Sophie can be heard making disparaging remarks about former British PM Tony Blair and other British politicians. She subsequently resigned from the firm due to the ensuing scandal.

Getty Images
7 / 10
Earl Spencer’s controversial eulogy
Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, reportedly caused a rift in the royal family with his eulogy at the funeral of his late sister containing veiled comments such as his hope that her sons will not have to suffer the “anguish that used regularly to drive you to tearful despair.”
RELATED: Check out these royal pets we can't get enough of.

UK Press Pool/UK Press via Getty Images
8 / 10
Kate Middleton’s uncle’s arrest
Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith has what is euphemistically known as a colourful past — including the time that undercover reporters filmed him chopping up lines of cocaine on the party island of Ibiza. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife during a vicious fight about his cocaine consumption. According to reports, Goldsmith hit his wife so hard she was left unconscious on the pavement outside their home.

Karwai Tang/WireImage
9 / 10
Meghan Markle’s Dad
Meghan Markle’s father has been a constant source of embarrassment to his daughter, appearing regularly on television to complain about being ostracized by the royals due to such antics as taking money from a paparazzi to stage photos, which he first denied but later admitted when incontrovertible evidence was made public. He remains estranged from the Duchess of Sussex, and his continual TV interviews about his daughter aren’t exactly thawing the chill emanating from Buckingham Palace.
RELATED: here's what we can learn from new mom Meghan Markle.
RELATED: here's what we can learn from new mom Meghan Markle.

Getty Images
10 / 10
Meghan Markle’s sister
While Meghan Markle’s dad continues to deliver scandalous headlines about his daughter, he’s small potatoes compared to her half-sister Samantha Markle, who upped the ante significantly with her incessant complaining about how Meghan has cut off her family after her royal wedding. Her incendiary statements about Duchess Meghan (a few examples here) continue to make headlines, and she took things to a whole new level when she paid an in-person visit to Buckingham Palace to hand-deliver a letter, only to be turned away by palace guards (she denied she was given the boot). On the plus side, the stunt gave her even more to complain about. At this point, family reunion seems wildly unlikely.
RELATED: royal baby Archie and all his cousins' net worth.
RELATED: royal baby Archie and all his cousins' net worth.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT