The world is so full of scandals! The Royal families are just prone to attracting attention for the most trivial of things due to the position and authority they reserve.
As Kate Middleton’s rumors about an alleged doppelganger and Prince William’s alleged affair made rounds, people wanted to remember all the other Royal families and their scandals that shocked us. These are the 7 Royal scandals that will blow your minds away!
Juan Carlos from Spain
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The former king of Spain saw many allegations. It began with the 1980 cover-up of a coup d’etat attempt. But post his retirement in 2014, multiple investigations into his financial goof-ups gave big revelations. As per BBC, these wrongdoings included, “alleged involvement of Juan Carlos in a high-speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia.” This is one among the many scandals. The King was abdicated after a corruption scandal that was, “involving his daughter’s husband and a controversial elephant hunting trip the monarch took during Spain’s financial crisis,” as confirmed by BBC. A recent event of Juan Carlos’ daughter-in-law, the now Queen Letizia cheating on her husband King Filipe made citizens question the need for a monarchy.
Dutch Royal Family from the Netherlands
The Dutch royal family is always in news specifically because of Prince Bernhard. He handled royal duties between 1948 and 1980 as the husband of Queen Juliana. He made headlines in 1976 when he reportedly accepted a $1.1 Million bribe from the aircraft company Lockheed Martin. Bernhard supposedly took this bribe to “promote the sale of [Lockheed’s] aircraft” to the Dutch Military as per Washington Post. As Bernhard was the inspector general of the Dutch armed forces, his influence was visible. Despite being lowkey, an investigative team found a “labyrinth of bribery allegations, discussions of secret financial deals, contradictory statements and … a picture of indecisiveness and silence in the face of offers of huge gifts,” as per the New York Times.
Disappearance of Princess Latifa bint Mohammed from UAE
This marks one of the most controversial moments in the history of Royal families. The disappearance of Princess Latifa bint Mohammed was a mystery in itself. Daughter of Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the then ruler of Dubai, it was alleged that Latifa escaped from the UAE on a yacht. As per The New Yorker, “For more than half her life, Latifa had been devising plans to flee her father,” and added further, how she was, “training in extreme sports, obtaining a fake passport and smuggling cash to a network of conspirators.” Also called the “Fugitive princess of Dubai ” Latifa was found again. Many videos of her solitary confinement came out in the following months, as per The Guardian. Eventually, she left the country and is now believed to be living in Europe.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from Saudi Arabia
The ruler of Saudi Arabia has been alleged to have given orders of execution for many big political opponents. It is also reported that he has detained and arrested many Saudi elite members, including his own family members. He captured anyone who threatened his power. As per New York Times, bin Salman locked hundreds of “royal relatives and wealthy Saudi businessmen in a Ritz Carlton hotel”. But Al Jazeera revealed these scandals are a way of removing the Crown from power.
Maha Vajiralongkorn from Thailand
Maha Vajiralongkorn married Sineenat, a royal guard and former nurse in July, 2019 making her his “royal noble consort”. This was the first time that a mistress got this position of honor. All of a sudden, after a few months Sineenat was missing and her explicit photos were leaked in mid-2020 post her sudden disappearance from the public eye. No one has published reports on this in Thailand, as this can lead to imprisonment.
Jefri Bolkiah from Brunei
Jefri Bolkiah has been in headlines for various reasons, deemed “harem”. A former US model alleged him on charges of using her as a “sex slave”. His brother also faces charges of money laundering of $15 Billion from the Brunei Investment Agency. This started a legal battle that was settled out of the UK courts. The settlement was 600 properties, 2000 cars, 100 paintings, and 9 aircraft as per Economic Times.
Swedish Royal Family from Sweden
The Swedish royal family had great respect until 2010. However, Carl XVI Gustav, who was the king, was accused of attending sex parties and going to strip clubs. The Sweden secret police Sapo was also allegedly involved in covering the monarch’s activities. This made people lose trust in the Swedish Royal family.
