The not-so-secret illicit affairs of the royal family

A royal wedding is a sensation. However, a royal scandal is surely what makes the headlines. Besides the fame and fortune, the British Royal Family have been associated with discomforting divorces and illicit affairs that have lead to various controversies. From Henry VIII to Princess Diana, many of the royal members - irrespective of the changes they've brought to the world - have had clandestine love affairs with other people.

Here are some of the not-so-secret illicit affairs of the British Royal Family.

Going back in time, one of the first known affairs of the British Royal Family is that between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. While the British Monarchy was still under the religious umbrella of Roman Catholicism, King Henry VIII sought the permission of the pope to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon, in order to marry his mistress. The church did not approve of it and King Henry decided to break away from the then existing Church and established a new Church of England known as ‘Anglicana Ecclesia’.

After he had just taken over the throne, King Edward VIII fell in love with a married American woman, Wallis Simpson, who was already a divorcee too. The British monarchy tried their very best to break the affair, however, it only led to the abdication of the throne by Edward VIII, which changed the entire line of British succession.

When the rumours about Princess Margaret having an illicit affair with a married man named Peter Townsend broke out in the public, it caused quite the stir in the royal household. From the Queen to the Parliament to the Church of England, everyone denied their plea to marry.

While their's was a love story that was initially not known to anyone, Princess Anne and Commander Timothy Laurence's love affair came to light when the Sun acquired stolen letters shared between the two. In lieu of the revelation, Buckingham Palace had issued a statement saying, "The stolen letters were addressed to the Princess Royal by Commander Timothy Laurence, the Queen’s Equerry. We have nothing to say about the contents of personal letters sent to Her Royal Highness by a friend which were stolen and which are the subject of a police investigation.”

The crumbling relationship between Princess Diana and Prince Charles was evident to many people. However, what broke the headlines was the revelation of Prince Charles' affair with the love of his life, Camilla Parker Bowles, who was herself married to someone else. Currently, the two are married to one another.

While Prince Charles sought love and excitement in his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, Princess Diana also had many affairs in her lifetime. One of them was with James Gilby, a Lotus car dealer. In 1992, British intelligence recorded their phone calls in what became known as “Squidgygate.” In the conversation exchanged between the two, Gilby had claimed his love for the Princess and called her “Squidgy” 53 times.