The British royals can’t seem to escape controversy.
In 2025, the monarchy weathered one of its most headline-grabbing years yet, as King Charles III continued treatment for his undisclosed form of cancer. Family tensions simmered in public view, long-running rifts refused to mend, and several royals unexpectedly found themselves thrust under the media spotlight. One even suffered a dramatic fall from grace — losing his title entirely.
Here are the top 10 scandals that rocked the House of Windsor in 2025:
On Oct. 30, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III stripped his disgraced brother Andrew of his princely title and evicted him from his Royal Lodge home. The late Queen’s favorite son is now styled as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The announcement came after weeks of mounting pressure for the monarch to act on the ex-Duke of York’s relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The 65-year-old is expected to move to a property on the Sandringham estate and receive private financial support from Charles. Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who had been living with him in the 30-room mansion, must find a new home.
Andrew previously stepped back as a senior royal in 2019 following a disastrous interview with the BBC in which he attempted to explain his friendship with Epstein.
Sarah Ferguson, formerly known as the Duchess of York, allegedly brought her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to visit Jeffrey Epstein after he was released from jail in 2009, according to a report, citing leaked emails.
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According to emails seen by the Mail on Sunday, the late convicted sex offender messaged his lawyer, Paul Tweed, in April 2011, claiming Ferguson “was the first” to celebrate his release from jail with her “two daughters in tow.” In the summer of 2009, Epstein was released from a Florida jail after being sentenced to 18 months, following convictions for soliciting a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution.
A source told People magazine that Eugenie and Beatrice never met Epstein. Another source told The Telegraph that neither Ferguson nor her daughters remembers visiting Epstein after his release from jail. The alleged email exchange came a month after Ferguson, 66, gave an interview with the London Evening Standard in March 2011, issuing a “heartfelt apology” for accepting money from Epstein and claiming she wanted “nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
Other leaked emails circulated this year in which Ferguson reportedly called Epstein a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.” It prompted multiple charities to drop her as a patron. Ferguson has admitted to accepting money from Epstein in the past. In a statement to The Guardian, a representative for Ferguson said she stood by her public condemnation of Epstein.
On Sept. 10, Prince Harry reunited with his father, King Charles, for the first time in 18 months. Fox News Digital learned that the Duke of Sussex had a private tea with the king at Clarence House.
The meeting between father and son was significant, as sources close to Harry previously told People magazine that Charles was not answering his calls or letters. In May of this year, Harry told the BBC that he wanted to reconcile with his family.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
Harry has been estranged from his family since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California. In July, the Daily Mail reported that Harry had quietly extended an olive branch to the royals by offering to share his official schedule of engagements. The outlet said this was meant to ease tensions with the king. The outlet also reported that Harry’s aides had a private meeting with the king’s communications secretary in London.
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The efforts to improve relations between Harry and Charles have been coined “Project Thaw” by The Daily Mail. However, royal experts told Fox News Digital that Harry and his older brother, Prince William, are still not on speaking terms, a sign of ongoing deep family tensions.
Meghan Markle’s rocky relationship with her father was back in the spotlight. In December, Thomas Markle, a former Hollywood lighting director who has reportedly undergone a left-leg amputation, told The Mail on Sunday he doesn’t want to die while alienated from his daughter.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex told Fox News Digital that the 44-year-old was able to send a letter to her 81-year-old father, who is currently hospitalized in the Philippines after undergoing emergency surgery.
Thomas and Meghan have been estranged since she married Prince Harry in 2018. People magazine reported that Meghan was trying to reach her father, but her calls and emails weren’t getting through.
The Mail on Sunday claimed Meghan didn’t have her father’s phone number and that he “never uses email.” People magazine reported that Meghan called several hospitals in an effort to locate him. The Mail on Sunday noted that Thomas first shared news of his health condition with its reporter, not Meghan’s half-siblings.
The patriarch claimed he was cut off by his daughter but had never stopped loving her. He said he suffered two heart attacks that prevented him from attending her royal wedding in the U.K. and that Meghan has never forgiven him. It’s believed that the relationship between father and daughter is still strained. While Thomas has made persistent pleas publicly, he continues to speak out to the British press.
Kate Middleton stirred headlines in September when she made a public appearance in London with flowing, sun-kissed tresses, a departure from her chestnut-brown hair. It sparked a flood of online speculation that the Princess of Wales might have been wearing a wig or headpiece. Princess Diana’s personal hairstylist, Sam McKnight, took to Instagram and criticized those who mocked Kate’s look on social media.
“I am shocked, horrified, dismayed and disgusted by all the nasty comments about the Princess of Wales today,” he wrote. “A woman’s hair is very personal to her, it’s armour, defence, confidence and so much more.”
“I cannot believe how evil and lacking in any kind of empathy are the comments, the majority made apparently by other women, attacking a vulnerable other young woman, who has no choice, by dint of who she married, and the role she took on, to bravely face the public,” McKnight continued.
“I’m sure she would rather be away from the public arena. She has brilliantly and quietly, unselfishly represented our country, the soft power we still have as a nation. Cancer affects individuals differently, but is life-changing for everyone. So FFS LEAVE HER ALONE. SHAME ON YOU.”
The mother of three, who announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, revealed in January that she was now in remission.
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Prince Harry hasn’t given up his fight to win back his publicly funded security in the U.K. Months after the Duke of Sussex lost his appeal challenging the government’s decision to strip him of his security, the case is now reportedly set to be reviewed by the Home Office. The Guardian reported that Harry wrote privately to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, requesting a full security risk assessment.
Earlier this year, Harry made a rare appearance at a two-day hearing for his appeal challenging the government’s decision. In court, Harry’s lawyers said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “felt forced to step back from the role of full-time official working members of the royal family” because they “were not being protected by the institution.”
In May, Harry told the BBC that Charles wouldn’t speak to him because of “this security stuff.”
“This, at the heart of it, is a family dispute,” he noted.
Meghan launched her lifestyle brand, As Ever, and her Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan,” earlier this year. However, there were plenty of bumps in the road for the Hollywood Duchess.
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As Ever drew early backlash because a small business in New York already operated under the same name. Meghan’s trademark application also ran into issues because it was similar to that of another retailer. Then the brand’s logo was criticized for resembling the coat of arms of a small Spanish town.
“With Love, Meghan” was quickly panned by critics, who called the series tone-deaf and unrelatable during times of economic hardship. Others argued that Meghan’s seemingly “down-to-earth” image was inauthentic and overly curated.
When Meghan corrected Mindy Kaling in an episode about her name, saying, “You know I’m Sussex now,” online reactions erupted. Some mocked the moment, labeling it pretentious, while others accused the former actress of using her royal titles for financial gain.
Before Andrew lost his titles, his past came back to haunt him. A posthumous memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, titled “Nobody’s Girl,” revived her allegations of being trafficked by Epstein and having sex with Andrew when she was 17 — claims he has always denied.
The book, viewed as her final unfiltered account, intensified public attention and renewed scrutiny around Andrew, leading to the stripping of his prince title, which he had held since birth. Giuffre’s family welcomed the king’s decision.
Giuffre died in April at age 41.
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“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace said. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies are with and will remain with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.”
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie found themselves tangled in the fallout from their father’s ongoing scandals involving Epstein. The Daily Mail reported that while Beatrice has remained close to her mother, her relationship with Andrew has become strained. An insider told the outlet that “things are not warm between them.” The 38-year-old invited her father to her daughter’s christening because “it would be cruel to deprive him of the chance,” the insider said.
The sisters have kept a low profile while supporting King Charles with royal duties. They were noticeably absent from Kate’s “Together at Christmas” carol service. Fox News Digital previously reported that Kate had extended an olive branch to Andrew’s daughters, inviting them to her annual Christmas celebration amid the family’s ongoing turmoil.
“The royal family wants to be seen as united amid what has been a very difficult year,” royal commentator and broadcaster Neil Sean told Fox News Digital.
Harry and Meghan’s appearance at Kris Jenner’s birthday bash didn’t go as planned. A rep for the couple reportedly requested the removal of their photos shared on Jenner’s social media accounts and Kim Kardashian’s platforms. A source told Page Six that the couple didn’t want to upset the monarchy by publicly flaunting their friendships.
Palace insiders allegedly thought the couple’s star-studded night out was “so tacky” and “so far removed from the rest of the family.”
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Reports circulated that the photos were deleted because the royal couple didn’t check off “no” on a photo consent form. However, a source told People magazine that “there were no consent forms.”
In the post shared on social media, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen mingling with the Kardashian matriarch, only for Jenner to delete the images from her account. Kardashian, 45, also shared a photo with the As Ever brand founder while Harry stood in the background — an image that was later deleted from her account.
