The Royal Family has a dark history. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re highlighting our top choices for the most troubling moments in the Royal Family’s recent history.
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00:00We've come to Buckingham Palace in highly unusual circumstances.
00:04Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're highlighting our top choices
00:08for the most troubling moments in the Royal Family's recent history.
00:11It was all a bit of a shock and it was, I was frightened, I don't mind a bit again.
00:17Number 10, King George VI's death.
00:20At the time of the operation, as you know, structural alterations were discovered.
00:26Of course, the blockage in the lung.
00:30It's time we gave that blockage a name, sir.
00:34It was a tumour.
00:35King George VI was crowned in 1936 and ruled until 1952,
00:40when he perished due to prolonged cancer.
00:42His death signified the end of an era,
00:44and a new one began when his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II,
00:48was thrust into the throne unexpectedly at a young age.
00:51George had been preparing Elizabeth to one day succeed him as the British monarch
00:56and as head of Commonwealth.
00:57The way he'd done this is to essentially demonstrate to her what the role of monarch required,
01:03and also give her opportunities to begin to develop her own public role.
01:08After years of health issues, like lung cancer, which was worsened by his smoking habit,
01:13it was generally regarded as a peaceful passing, so it wasn't a shocking death.
01:18However, he had become a widely adored leader during World War II,
01:22and Elizabeth's coronation was a deeply emotional and sombre moment for the royal family.
01:27In his royal past, and his visits to the Empire and to Commonwealth countries,
01:33he made himself a friend of his people all over the world.
01:379. Megxit
01:39So there was no other option at this point.
01:43I said we need to get out of here.
01:44Megxit was a seismic moment in royal history,
01:47referring to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision in 2020
01:50to step down from their roles within the royal family.
01:53It exposed deep fractures in the family, and brought a plethora of issues into the public eye.
01:58So when I asked the question, why did you leave, the simplest answer is...
02:06Lack of support, and lack of understanding.
02:09The couple spoke openly about the impact being a royal had on their mental health,
02:14with Meghan revealing she often grappled with depression,
02:16and even experienced thoughts concerning taking her own life while a royal.
02:21She sought help, but it was refused because they believed it would reflect poorly on the family.
02:25Additionally, she was the victim of harsh criticism,
02:28which was often racist and sexist, causing widespread controversy.
02:33It's not just a tabloid. It's not just some story.
02:38You are making me scared.
02:408. The Annis Horribilis
02:431992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.
02:511992 was an exceptionally poor year for the royal family, and was so bad,
02:55Queen Elizabeth II called it an Annis Horribilis, Latin for horrible year.
03:001992 saw the breakdown of three royal marriages, Prince Charles and Diana's separation,
03:05Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's separation, and Princess Anne's divorce from Mark Phillips.
03:10Ferguson was involved in a scandal where photos were published of her toe
03:14being sucked by an American businessman.
03:17The Duchess drove at speed for the airport at Aberdeen to catch a scheduled flight to London.
03:22No longer the privacy or privilege of an aircraft from the Queen's flight for the Duchess.
03:26Life outside the family, it seems, is just starting today.
03:29Windsor Castle, one of the Queen's favorite residences,
03:32set on fire, destroying huge parts of the building and priceless art pieces.
03:37At the end of the year, she made a monumental speech calling it her
03:40horrible year, a rare moment of openness for a usually reserved monarch.
03:44I sometimes wonder how future generations will judge the events of this tumultuous year.
03:53I dare say that history will take a slightly more moderate view
03:57than that of some contemporary commentators.
04:007. Abdication Crisis
04:03Edward VIII was crowned king in 1936, but abdicated the same year to marry
04:07Wallis Simpson, controversial because she was both divorced and American.
04:11This was unprecedented for a monarch and created
04:14significant political and social turmoil at the time.
04:17For her, he risks the power and the glory of his position
04:20and creates the greatest British crisis in centuries as he clashes with cabinet and parliament.
04:25The 1930s had a large stigma towards divorce,
04:28so marrying a woman twice divorced was a major scandal.
04:31In the end, Edward chose love over duty, which was viewed as selfish by many.
04:35The thing that he was most clear about was that he could not be an effective king
04:40without the support of the woman he loved and that this relationship meant more to him than anything.
04:46After abdicating, he was given the title Duke of Windsor and spent the rest of his days in exile.
04:51His brother, George VI, was completely shocked to become king,
04:55but thankfully became a much-loved figure once ascending.
04:59Turn the hesitations into pauses and say to yourself, God save the king.
05:02I say that continuously, but apparently no one's listening.
05:06Number 6. Wearing the Crown Jewels
05:08The Crown Jewels are kept in the Tower of London today,
05:11and many were acquired via exploitative colonial practices.
05:14It's hurtful to many Indians around the world and here in the UK that actually it was stolen.
05:20It was taken from Dilip Singh. He was a 10-year-old boy king during colonization.
05:25These royal treasures were taken using violence, coercion and exploitation of colonial nations.
05:31The famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was stolen from India during the British Raj
05:36after the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849 when Britain annexed the Punjab region.
05:41Other jewels were obtained using similar means,
05:44and now their ownership has come under increasing scrutiny.
05:47The Koh-i-Noor diamond from South Asia and the Cullinan diamond from South Africa
05:52essentially highlighted the draining of wealth, resources
05:57and the subsequent inequality the empire wrought around the world.
06:02They serve as a reminder that the wealth of the royal family
06:04came at the expense of many other nations and peoples.
06:07The royal family's reluctance to return these jewels reveals
06:10the dark deeds of British colonialism that can still be felt today.
06:14The whole purpose of the Crown Jewels is to set the royal family apart and evoke awe,
06:20but I think we're no longer in so much awe, and growing sections of the population
06:26now see this increasingly as a flashpoint for dissension.
06:31Diana died tragically in a car crash in Paris in 1997 after a high-speed chase from paparazzi.
06:38Millions mourned her death, causing an outpouring of grief worldwide.
06:42The Kensington Palace was flooded with flowers and tributes,
06:45and more than 2.5 billion people watched her funeral.
06:51And you don't realise just how contagious that is.
06:56I don't even think I can count how many people there were that were actually just crying, sobbing.
07:02Significant criticism of the royal family followed,
07:05since the public believed the monarchy failed to support Diana during her struggles.
07:09This includes her tumultuous marriage to Charles, which was full of unhappiness and infidelity.
07:14There's no better way to dismantle a personality than to isolate it.
07:21So you were isolated?
07:23Very much so.
07:24Many blamed the paparazzi and media culture for her passing,
07:27fueling discussion about privacy and media ethics.
07:30Her death prompted the family to try appearing more in touch with the public.
07:35I, for one, believe there are lessons to be drawn from her life
07:39and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death.
07:434. Frequent Racism
07:45The family regularly comes under scrutiny for racism,
07:48with Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey being one of the most prominent examples.
07:52She revealed there were concerns and conversations
07:55about the skin colour of their son, Archie, before he was even born.
07:59There was a conversation with you?
08:02With Harry.
08:04About how dark your baby is going to be?
08:08Potentially, and what that would mean or look like.
08:11In 2006, a video was released of Harry using a derogatory slur for people from Pakistan.
08:17In 2005, he also wore a Nazi costume to a party.
08:21It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.
08:25I felt so ashamed afterwards.
08:27Another example is Princess Michael of Kent,
08:29who wore an offensive Blackamore brooch in 2017.
08:33You would think with such a colonial past,
08:35the family would be more sensitive about these issues, but often they are not.
08:40And you're not going to tell me who had the conversation?
08:43I think that would be very damaging to them.
08:463. Anne's Attempted Kidnapping
08:48On March 20, 1974, Princess Anne was returning from a charity event,
08:53while on her way home, Ian Ball confronted her and attempted to abduct her at gunpoint.
08:58This was a particularly violent kidnapping attempt.
09:01Shots were fired, causing injuries to several individuals.
09:04I tried to fire back at him with my gun.
09:07I missed the first shot, and then the gun jammed.
09:10Ball was pointing his gun at Princess Anne and saying,
09:13and he said, drop your gun or I'll shoot or something to that effect.
09:18Ball was mentally unstable and believed that he could ransom the princess for a significant sum.
09:22Despite the danger, Anne was courageous and refused to comply with her attacker's demands.
09:26Then he grabbed my arm and pulled.
09:30Unfortunately, well, I don't know whether it was me holding onto him or him holding onto me,
09:34but anyway, we maintained the status quo for a bit.
09:39I wasn't going anywhere, put it that way.
09:41Ultimately, he was apprehended and the attempt was thwarted,
09:44but he was later deemed unfit to stand trial.
09:47Instead, he was placed in psychiatric care for 41 years and still resides in the hospital today.
09:52It's your greatest danger still, the lone nutcase who's, you know,
09:57just got enough to put it together.
09:59Number 2. Andrew and Epstein
10:01You've been on his private plane.
10:03Yes.
10:04You've been to stay on his private island.
10:06Yes.
10:08You've stayed at his home in Palm Beach.
10:11Yes.
10:11Prince Andrew is famous for what many see as his entitled,
10:15unpleasant, and downright disgraceful personality.
10:18He's also known for his shady connections,
10:20such as the son of infamous human rights abuser and dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
10:25However, he's most well known for his history with Jeffrey Epstein,
10:29the globally infamous abuser of underage individuals.
10:32Andrew has been accused of having inappropriate relations with Virginia Dufresne when she was
10:36only 17 years old.
10:38He knows what happened. I know what happened. And there's only one of us telling the truth.
10:43He denied these allegations, and he's since stepped back from royal duties.
10:47The public now has a largely negative opinion of the man,
10:50especially after his disastrous interview in 2019,
10:53where he poorly attempted to explain his friendship with Epstein.
10:57The problem was the fact that once he had been convicted...
11:02You stayed with him.
11:03I stayed with him. And that's the bit that, as it were, I kick myself for on a daily basis.
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11:271. The Marburg Files
11:29What is written here brings the greatest shame upon this family.
11:38Our people would rightfully never forgive us.
11:41The Marburg Files were documents seized by the Allies in 1945,
11:45detailing Operation Willy, a plot to persuade Edward VIII to join the Nazis,
11:50to convince the UK to enter into peace negotiations.
11:52They tried convincing Edward that the King and Churchill were planning to assassinate him,
11:57opening him up to the idea of staging a Nazi kidnapping
12:00and blackmailing the UK into admitting defeat.
12:03The situation is we have a disgruntled duke who doesn't feel he's being taken seriously in Whitehall,
12:10who is in close contact with a German agent,
12:13Giles Beddow, who is believed to be passing information to that agent.
12:18The worst part is that Edward encouraged the Nazi bombing of the UK
12:21and thought it would encourage peace between the nations.
12:24We don't know if he accepted, but we know that he had Nazi sympathies.
12:28Many thanks to you for the wonderful time that we had with you
12:32at the Obersalzberg. This was Hitler's mountain retreat.
12:39This is just an indication that he was very happy to be used by the Germans.
12:44Prince Philip was speculated to have had similar feelings,
12:47with three of his sisters marrying Nazi aristocrats.
12:50What do you think is the darkest moment in the royal family history?
12:53Leave a comment letting us know.
12:55Is there anything you feel has been left unsaid that you would like to say now?
13:03No, I don't think so.
13:20No, I don't think so.