The British royal family is marked by tradition, but also by a history of controversy. With the release of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare (what’s left, in Portuguese), the royal scandals were even more in evidence. However, anyone who believes that Charles III, William and Harry are the only ones to be involved in events that generated discussion is mistaken. Meet other monarchies marked by controversial situations
*Intern at R7under the supervision of Lucas Ferreira
Monaco royal family
The personal life of Prince Albert II of Monaco is marked by controversy. For many years, he was dubbed the ‘Playboy of Monaco’, which was believed to change with his accession to the throne in 2005. However, in recent years, Albert has discovered three illegitimate children, a likely Brazilian daughter, and saw his wife, Charlene, travel for months to South Africa, raising suspicions of a possible marriage crisis
United Arab Emirates royal family
In 2010, a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi was detained by the police following accusations of torture. In a videotape, images show Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, brother of the then president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, beating a man, grazing him with a rifle and driving over him. from him. However, Al-Nahyan was cleared after the court accepted arguments that he had been drugged and ‘was not aware of his actions’
royal family of spain
King Felipe VI of Spain took the throne with the challenge of reconquering a country where support for the monarchy was at an all-time low due to a series of scandals. The monarch’s father, then King Juan Carlos, made a controversial trip in April 2012 to hunt elephants in Botswana and saw his youngest daughter, Felipe’s sister, and her husband being investigated for corruption. The monarch, however, also broke traditions by marrying, in 2004, Letizia Ortiz, a commoner, divorcee and journalist, something unprecedented in the history of the Spanish monarchy.
royal family of Essuatin
Married to 13 women, Eswatini’s king, Mswati III, discovered in 2010 that his 12th wife, 22-year-old Nothando Dube, was having an affair with Ndumiso Mamba, the country’s justice minister and personal friend. At the time, the two were arrested and Mamba, who was married, was accused of ‘trespassing another man’s house’, and could be sentenced to death. Nothando Dube was placed under house arrest and faces the possibility of being banished from Eswatini.
Belgian royal family
Another royal family that went through scandals was that of Belgium. In a book about the Belgian monarchy, it was stated that King Philippe would be ‘gay’ and have a sham marriage. The information was denied by the Royal House, which issued a statement saying that the publication spread an ‘unreal and offensive’ image of the kings and princes. Meanwhile, the monarch’s younger brother, Prince Laurent, sparked controversy when he complained about a cut in part of the royal salary after he allegedly violated orders from the prime minister. Their father, King Albert II, even had a daughter out of wedlock, who was only recognized after a court battle.
Luxembourg royal family
The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Maria Teresa, became involved in controversy, after the country’s government requested, in 2020, a report on the functioning and expenses of the Grand Ducal House, in order to explain the departure of more than 30 employees, about a third of the total number of workers, since 2015. According to the local press, so many casualties in the team would have been caused by the Grand Duchess for allegedly creating a tense atmosphere in the palace and making employees uncomfortable. Grand Duke Henri issued a statement in his wife’s defense and questioned the attacks
Saudi Arabia royal family
A party held in 2015 at a mansion of Prince Majed Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud bin, son of the former King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, in the US, became a police case after he was accused of rape three employees during the event, which did not lack alcohol and cocaine. Another controversy involving Saudi Arabian royalty occurred in 2018, when exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey and was murdered by a death squad.
Swedish royal family
King Carl 16th Gustaf is another monarch whose career has been marked by controversy. The sovereign would have maintained an extramarital relationship with the singer Camilla Henemark for years and was also a regular at parties with women, according to a book published by journalist Thomas Sjöberg. In addition, the king has removed the royal titles of five grandchildren who are not in the direct line of succession to the throne. The decision responds to pressure on the high cost of keeping so many members of the royal family in official roles.
Norwegian royal family
Princess Märtha Louise, daughter of King Harald 5th and Queen Sonja of Norway, announced in 2019 that she would abdicate the title for matters that do not involve the monarchy. The decision came after she and her boyfriend announced a tour titled ‘The Princess and the Shaman’, which sparked criticism in the country for allegedly using her royal status to profit. Thus, she chose to use the title only when representing the Norwegian royal family or in private situations.
Dutch royal family
In 2021, the Dutch royal family had to apologize after King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Máxima, decided to celebrate the 18th birthday of their eldest daughter, Princess Amalia. However, the event, which took place in the gardens of the Huis ten Bosch palace in The Hague, was heavily criticized due to the increasing numbers of cases of Covid-19, not only in the Netherlands, but in the whole of Europe.
Royal Family of Liechtenstein
Prince Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein, the 32-year-old nephew of Hans-Adam II, was accused in 2021 of killing one of Europe’s largest brown bears. In addition to hunting the animal not being authorized, some of the people who were with him would not be allowed to carry a weapon, which led to the case being investigated.
Jordanian royal family
Also in 2021, King Abdullah II of Jordan placed his half-brother Prince Hamzah under house arrest after he was accused of conspiracy against the kingdom, an unprecedented crisis that shook the monarchy. As part of the case, two former senior officials, Bassem Awadallah, the former head of the royal cabinet, and Cherif Hassan bin Zaid, the king’s distant cousin, were sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Danish royal family
Queen Margrethe II was another monarch who decided, in 2022, to strip her four grandchildren of their royal titles on the pretext that she wants them to live their own lives, without any obligations to the royal house. The decision, however, did not please everyone and Prince Joachim, father of the children who had their titles withdrawn, said: ‘We are all very sad. It’s never fun to see your kids being treated like that’
Lesotho royal family
Although monogamy is common in countries in the West, the same is not true in the other part of the world. As a result, King Letsie III caused controversy when he broke the custom of polygamy, adopted by his ancestors, and announced his marriage to the student Karabo Morsoeneg. ‘She will be the only one’