The House of Windsor: Born in Crisis, Crowned in Scandal, Sustained by Secrets

New Delhi,UPDATED: Oct 31, 2025 19:37 IST

Born in crisis, crowned in scandal (abdication), sustained by secrets (affairs, cover-ups), and now purged by its own king, the House of Windsor always proves the crown survives by cutting off its own limbs.

The House of Windsor changed its very identity during World War I. In 1917, amidst rising anti-German sentiment, King George V renounced the family’s original German name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, rebranding the dynasty as the House of Windsor. This symbolic break with the past was meant to protect a monarchy under siege.

THE ABDICATION (1936)

The 20th century was full of drama, scandals and rumors. The first crisis shadowed the dynasty’s very coronation. The abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936—who famously gave up the throne to marry American divorce Wallis Simpson—remains one of the greatest royal scandals of the 20th century. The constitutional catastrophe exposed the limits of royal privilege, thrusting his brother George VI onto the throne to steady a shaken nation.

THE NAZI PLOT (1940s)

Exiled after abdicating in 1936, Edward VIII (Duke of Windsor) and Wallis Simpson visited Hitler in 1937, giving Nazi salutes. Declassified Marburg Files (1957) revealed Edward urged Hitler to bomb Britain into submission, offering to return as a puppet king. FBI dossiers labeled him a security risk.

In 1940, as Governor of the Bahamas, he allegedly passed Allied secrets to German agents via Swedish businessman Axel Wenner-Gren. Churchill threatened treason charges, forcing silence. The couple lived in Parisian luxury on a royal stipend, shunned by the family. The Queen Mother called Wallis “that woman” until death. The scandal cemented Edward as the traitor prince, proving abdication didn’t end his danger to the Crown.

PRINCESS MARGARET & PETER TOWNSEND (1953)

Princess Margaret, 22, fell for Group Captain Peter Townsend, 38, a divorced WWII hero and royal equerry. Their romance blossomed at Elizabeth II’s 1952 coronation.

The Church of England banned royal remarriage of divorcees. The Queen initially blocked marriage, citing succession crisis fears. Margaret was third in line.

After two years apart, Margaret issued a statement on October 31, 1955: “Mindful of the Church’s teachings I have decided not to marry.” She later told friends she was “forced” to choose duty over love.

After dumping Townsend, Princess Margaret spiraled into a decade of scandalous affairs. In 1960, she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones (Lord Snowdon).

Later, paparazzi caught her “nude swimming” with younger men on Caribbean islands. Her 1978 divorce was the first royal divorce since Henry VIII. She was always in the news for heavy drinking and chain-smoking fueled tabloid headlines.

DIANA’S BULIMIA & CHARLES’S CAMILLA (1981–1996)

Princess Diana revealed in 1992 tapes she suffered bulimia from wedding day stress, triggered by Prince Charles’s ongoing affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.

Charles resumed seeing Camilla weeks after the 1981 wedding. Diana told biographer Andrew Morton: “There were three of us in this marriage.”

Camilla was a constant presence—phone calls, secret meetings at Highgrove. Diana’s eating disorder worsened; she threw herself down stairs while pregnant with William.

The 1986 Squidgygate tapes captured Diana’s intimate calls with lover James Gilbey. An amateur radio ham recorded it; the tape later surfaced in The Sun in August 1992.

Charles’s Camillagate tape (1989) had him wishing to be her “tampon.” Camilla replied: “You are a complete idiot!” The call occurred six days after Charles and Diana’s separation announcement. Their 1996 divorce cost £17M.

SARAH FERGUSON TOE-SUCKING SCANDAL (1992)

In August 1992, Daily Mirror photos showed Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York), separated from Prince Andrew, having her toes sucked by Texan millionaire John Bryan on a vacation, while her daughters played nearby.

Fergie was still living in Buckingham Palace. The Queen was reportedly having breakfast when shown the front page; she banished Fergie from the royal table. Fergie later admitted financial desperation; she sold access to Andrew for £500,000 in a 2010 sting. Divorced in 1996, she kept the York title but lost royal status.

DIANA’S DEATH (1997)

On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana died in a Paris tunnel crash with Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. Paparazzi chased their Mercedes; Paul was drunk and speeding. The royal family was at Balmoral; Queen Elizabeth II delayed returning to London, refusing to fly the palace flag at half-mast. The Queen’s TV address five days later saved the monarchy.

Mohamed Al-Fayed claimed MI6 had plotted the crash.

PRINCE HARRY VEGAS NAKED BILLIARDS (2012)

In August 2012, Prince Harry, 27, was photographed naked playing strip billiards in a Las Vegas hotel suite with unidentified women. Harry, on a pre-Afghanistan deployment break, partied with a group after a nightclub. The Palace called it a “private matter” but Harry faced military scrutiny. The scandal reinforced his “wild child” image. It foreshadowed his memoir (2023), where he admitted cocaine use and losing virginity in a field.

MEGXIT (2020)

On January 8, 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they’d step back as senior royals and become “financially independent.” Dubbed Megxit, the move blindsided the Queen. They relocated to California, signing Netflix and Spotify deals. Tensions stemmed from media racism, palace briefing wars, and Meghan’s struggles with royal protocol. The couple kept Duke/Duchess titles but were barred from “royal” branding.

ANDREW TITLE-STRIPPED & EVICTED (2025)

On October 30, 2025, King Charles stripped Prince Andrew of all titles—Prince, HRH, Duke of York—making him Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. He was evicted from Royal Lodge to a smaller cottage. Triggered by new Epstein emails and Virginia Giuffre’s memoir alleging underage sex, Charles acted to save the monarchy before William’s reign.

- Ends