Affair Rumors That Will Haunt The British Royal Family Forever

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The British royal family is hounded by affair rumors, and has been for decades. Any avid watcher of Netflix's "The Crown" will know that almost any marriage within the long-standing institution has to navigate actual affairs or rumors of alleged infidelity. There were scandalous affair rumors that plagued Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth for decades. Then, of course, there was the infamous affair between then-Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles while Charles was married to Princess Diana. Unsurprisingly, the affair swayed public opinion, and people favored Diana over Charles and Camilla. 

But even amongst more contemporary royals, affair rumors continue to haunt the family. Fans will recall the messy online whispers about Prince William and Rose Hanbury. Those rumors popped up numerous times, and reached a frenzy during early 2024, when Catherine, Princess of Wales, was notably absent from the spotlight. The "missing princess" headlines added unfortunate fuel to the fire of William's alleged affair. Tragically, Catherine later revealed that she was dealing with a cancer diagnosis, proving the harmful effects of unfounded affair rumors. But the British royal family seems unable to shake gossip about the happiness — and loyalty — of their marriages, with whispers, gossip, and sometimes actual confirmation that these relationships aren't what they seem. In fact, it seems to be an unfortunate part of the deal when marrying into the royal family: that affair rumors will plague the marriages, whether founded or not. 

Married on November 20, 1947, the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married for over 73 years. But their marriage wasn't without its ongoing whispers about Philip's fidelity. The Netflix series "The Crown" didn't shy away from this sensitive subject, depicting through its fictionalized plot the idea that Philip had more than one liaison while married to the queen. But it may not necessarily have been fiction, and these alleged affairs became one of the many rumors about Philip that couldn't be ignored. 

While Buckingham Palace has never openly addressed the issue, it did take action to at least stem the flood of gossip. Philip was sent on the lengthy Commonwealth Tour in 1956 to get him out of Britain and keep him out of trouble. "Royal aids panicked as rumors grew about Philip having affairs," the 2016 documentary "Inside Buckingham Palace" claimed. "The affairs were denied and there was no evidence. But rumors persisted ... Action was needed. In 1956 the queen was advised to let Philip go away on a long overseas tour which should keep him out of trouble." While it got Philip out of the public eye for a time, rumors continued, and several subsequent biographies about the couple claim that women came forward, alleging that they had relations with Philip. For his part, Philip denied it. "How could I? I've had a detective in my company, night and day, since 1947," he said, per Vanity Fair, when defending his fidelity. 

One of the most famous affairs in British royal history — and one that was flatly confirmed — was between then-Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, now more illustriously referred to as King Charles and Queen Camilla. A complete timeline of Charles and Camilla's relationship shows that things were messy throughout, even while Charles was married to Princess Diana. 

Charles and Camilla met in 1970 at a polo match. They hit it off and a romance began. Unfortunately, Charles had to leave for eight months to serve in the Royal Navy, and during that span of time, Camilla became engaged to Andrew Parker Bowles, an Army cavalry officer. They had two children, and Charles was, incredibly, the godfather of their son Tom, so clearly Camilla had no desire to cut off ties with Charles. Meanwhile, Charles met Diana and they married in 1981, welcoming two children of their own. In 1986, Charles and Camilla began having an affair, and, in 1989, Diana admitted to Andrew Morton that she confronted Camilla about it at a party. Then on December 9, 1992, Diana and Charles separated. Charles admitted to the affair in a televised interview with broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby on June 29, 1994. Charles said that their marriage had "irretrievably broken down, us both having tried." That very night, invited to a dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens, Diana exhibited her iconic revenge dress, showing Charles that she wasn't destroyed by his confession. 

While Princess Diana was badly treated by then-Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, she didn't exactly retreat into a convent. The sensational princess had her own roster of companionship that created fodder for whispers and rumors about her in her marriage. A complete timeline of Diana's dating history proves that she got revenge on Charles and Camilla with her own liaisons. 

Prince Harry, their second child, was born on September 15, 1984, and it was after his birth that Charles and Diana's marriage started to unravel. There were rumors that Diana had a relationship with her bodyguard, Barry Mannakee; he was assigned to her in 1985, and the two had a very close relationship, though it's not confirmed whether it was an emotional bond or a physical one. As early as 1986, Mannakee was transferred to a different position because it was believed that he and Diana were becoming too close. When Charles began his affair with Camilla in 1986, it's widely believed that Diana's affair with army captain James Hewitt began around the same time. Their affair lasted for four years, and Hewitt turned out to be a blabber-mouth. He published a memoir in 1994 called "Princess in Love" with author Anna Pasternak, in which he divulged the details of his relationship with Diana. However, he placed the blame on Charles. In 2011, he told ET: "If Charles hadn't cheated, Diana wouldn't have." So Hewitt firmly believed that Charles' affair precipitated Diana's transgressions.

Perhaps one of the most famous royal affair scandals in recent years was the gossip that Prince William had been unfaithful to Catherine, Princess of Wales, with Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley. The rumors have flared up on and off since 2019, when InTouch reported on an alleged liaison between the prince and Hanbury. 

Things went from bad to worse. An anonymous source wrote to DeuxMoi, a celebrity gossip account on social media, that a certain royal gentleman was having an affair because he was a fan of pegging, and that his very conservative wife didn't want to do that. While the gossip wasn't verified, #PrinceOfPegging took off like wildfire online, somehow linked to William. While the rumors died down for a bit, they ignited again in early 2024 when Catherine stepped away from the spotlight for what people would later realize was a cancer diagnosis. Ignorant, online gossip speculated that William and Hanbury's affair had reignited and that Catherine was leaving her husband. In the midst of this, late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert made a joke on air about the affair, and InTouch reported that Hanbury's lawyers sent Colbert a notice, claiming that these allegations were false. For their part, Catherine and William never publicly addressed the rumors; on top of that, Hanbury and her husband, David Rocksavage, and their son, Lord Oliver — who served as a page — were all at King Charles' coronation in May 2023.   

While Meghan Markle would have us believe that she and Prince Harry's relationship has been perfection from its very start, whispers and rumors would say otherwise. Meghan Markle's complete dating history comes with its own tensions and scandals. Meghan has often been photographed with a man named Markus Anderson, who reportedly works for Soho House, an exclusive club, and this connection has led to ongoing affair rumors.

Meghan and Anderson met in 2011 at the Soho House in Toronto when Meghan was working on "Suits" and they have remained close ever since. Even after her marriage to Harry, Meghan and Anderson go to events together frequently. They were spotted at a Vancouver Canucks hockey game in November 2023 with Harry. According to Marie Claire, Anderson even joined them on a trip to Disney World. But they've gone to events without Harry. Meghan and Anderson attended Paris Fashion Week together in October 2025, catching camera flashes everywhere they went. Reddit is overflowing with whispers about Meghan and Anderson. Some claim that Anderson is gay and that he and Meghan are simply good friends. Others claim that this is not the whole truth and that Anderson is in a relationship with both Meghan and Harry, while a third demographic claims that Meghan and Anderson are together on the sly. But one thing everyone agrees on in this online gossip is that there's more than meets the eye in this situation. 

Princess Anne's first marriage to Captain Mark Phillips was full of rumors and reports of infidelity. The two married on November 14, 1973, at Westminster Abbey in London. Her husband was frequently away, and in 1979, rumors started circulating that Anne was having an affair with her bodyguard, Detective Sergeant Peter Cross. Fans of "The Crown" will recall coverage of this incident in season 4. While Cross was quickly removed from his post to avoid scandal, he did speak about it with the Daily Mail. "I had to be with [Anne]. I was her bodyguard. Naturally, we talked a lot," Cross disclosed. "She was just like any other woman in that situation — very lonely and isolated. We became very close because I think the Princess appreciated my point of view on life." Anne went on to have a second affair with Commander Timothy Laurence; the two wrote each other heartfelt letters that were actually stolen, and the release of these letters contributed to further gossip about Anne's infidelity. 

However, if Anne felt too sorry about all of this, there was no need. Phillips was also unfaithful and actually fathered a child in 1985 with a woman in New Zealand named Heather Tonkin. Phillips and Anne separated in 1989 and divorced in 1992. Anne went on to marry Laurence in Scotland in December 1992, hot off of the heels of her divorce from Phillips. They've been together ever since. 

Sarah Ferguson will never live down the toe-sucking scandal. In fact, it was just one of many rumors and scandals that were hard to ignore about Ferguson. The former wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Ferguson created an absolute tabloid mess when she slipped away to the south of France. The incident occurred in 1992 with her financial adviser, a man by the name of John Bryan. To be fair, Ferguson and Andrew had separated in March 1992, but they were not divorced at that point, and the public had only dimly become aware of their split. While at a villa in St.-Tropez, photographers caught Bryan sucking on Ferguson's toes while she lay back in a sun chair with her arms behind her head. What is perhaps even more shocking is the fact that Ferguson's children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, were present, and, in one photo, Eugenie is watching the incident. Not only was it a complication in her split with Andrew, but it was also an incredibly awkward moment for Ferguson's relationship with the British royal family, who did not receive the salacious tabloid coverage well. 

But in recent years, another rumor has broken out that's even more damaging for Ferguson. Reports allege that she and the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein had embarked on an intimate affair. The reports, according to the Mirror, claim that Ferguson was "in love" with Epstein, that they had a lively email correspondence, and that they spent several nights together.

The now-disgraced Andrew Mountbatten Windsor had more going on than even his infamous dealings with Jeffrey Epstein. In fact, there are several scandals that will always haunt Sarah Ferguson and Andrew, though his dealings with Epstein are far and above the worst. On October 30, 2025, Buckingham Palace stripped Andrew of his princely title, giving him the surname of Mountbatten Windsor instead. This happened because of Andrew's long-standing friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Even before this atrocity, Andrew was rumored to have been unfaithful to Sarah Ferguson, whom he married in July 1986. Andrew's former driver, a man named Andrew Lownie, published a tell-all book in 2025 called "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," in which Lownie claims that Andrew slept with over a dozen women in his first year of marriage to Ferguson. Andrew was rarely at home, Lownie alleges, claiming that one year, Andrew was home with his wife for a total of 42 days out of an entire year. The claims get worse. Lownie wrote that when Andrew made a trip to Bangkok, his hotel room was like a revolving door. "Hotel staff were used to foreigners bringing in girls, but amazed that more than 10 a day were going to Andrew's room," Lownie wrote, per The Guardian. Andrew and Ferguson divorced in May 1996, but, incredibly, remained very close after their divorce. Ferguson is famously very loyal to her ex-husband. 

Ah, good ol' Prince Harry. His charming nature as a scallywag seems to align smoothly with the affair rumors surrounding the early days of his relationship with Meghan Markle. While the two have tried to portray their relationship — even from its very beginning — as a fairy tale, there are whispers that Harry had his hands full, and Meghan wasn't the only gal on speed dial. 

Harry has a long dating history, and a few of Harry's exes have said some shady things about the prince. While this may be so, there are rumors that Harry was seeing another woman at the same time that he met Meghan. Royal author Angela Levin wrote in her book "Harry: Conversations with the Prince" that Harry was already seeing someone when he started a relationship with Meghan. "During the very early stages of his relationship with Meghan, Harry was thought to have gone on dates with Burberry model Sarah Ann Macklin," Levin wrote. Another source corroborated this story with the Daily Mail, claiming that Macklin caught Harry's eye at the same that Meghan did. "[Harry and Macklin] were introduced at a social gathering and Harry made a beeline for her," the insider said. "She was very flattered by the attention and they went on a few dates. Everything was kept very below the radar." Harry clearly had his hands full, but eventually chose Meghan.