There’s something truly spectacular about the royals and their love lives.
From the outside, everything may appear to be all shiny tiaras, perfect place settings and elegant royal waves, but behind the scenes some of our favourite blue-blooded aristocrats have ruffled the palace’s feathers big time – all in the name of love.
Scandalous Royal Romances from The Singapore Women’s Weekly on Vimeo.
From Hollywood heavyweights, illicit love affairs to the ultimate sacrifice of giving up the crown, we look back at the top royal romances that shocked the palace and rocked the world:
READ MORE:
The Actress Who Could Finally Be Prince Harry’s Bride
8 Lessons On Love From Will And Kate’s Marriage
10 Times Queen Elizabeth II Proved She’s The Coolest Queen Ever
-
At the time of their first encounter, Grace was dating French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont, but the blonde beauty had already caught Prince Rainier’s attention.
Following their meeting, Grace returned back to the States to begin filming her latest role as a princess in the The Swan. It was during this time she and Rainer began writing to one another.
By the end of the year, they were engaged and the press (rightly so) dubbed it “The Wedding of the Century”.
Inspired by his parents, Prince Albert found love outside the constraints of royal expectations.
Charlene, a South African Olympian, first met the royal at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2000.
The couple went through many battles before making it to the alter.
Talks of the blonde beauty having cold feet made headlines across the globe and there was chatter that Prince Albert had fathered yet another child (he already had two illegitimate children under his belt by then).
(Read more: 5 Career Lessons Working Mums Can Learn From Queen Elizabeth II)
17 years ago, no could have predicted a royal love story for the ages was about to unfold.
Mary Donaldson first crossed paths with Fred at Sydney pub called ‘The Slip Inn’ during the 2000 Olympics. Unbeknownst to the then 28-year-old, she had no idea she’d just met a Danish royal.
Two years later, on October 8, 2003, it was announced that the couple were officially engaged and no one could believe that a girl from rural Australia would one day be the Queen of Denmark.
Britannia’s reigning bachelor found love in a not so hopeless place. The 32-year-old broke the mould, falling for bi-racial American actress Meghan Markle.
While many royals have had flings with Hollywood starlets, Harry made a point to declare his unwavering devotion to the 35-year-old Suits star.
And their relationship seems to be getting serious. The two were spotted holding hands in public for the first time recently and Meghan is said to have met with some members of the royal family who approve of their relationship despite the fact that she’s a divorcée.
If you’re one of the millions across the globe who has watched The Crown, you’ll be very familiar with the sultry affair between the Queen’s sister Margaret and Group Captain Peter Townsend.
Despite clear obstacles including Peter being married with two children and 16 years her senior, the duo fell head over heels.
Sadly, when faced with the reality of being stripped of her royal title if they married, on October 31, 1955 she shared her heartbreaking decision to end their romance.
(Read more: 4 Slimming Tips To Learn From Kate Middleton)
Heiress to the Swedish throne, Crown Princess Victoria married her personal trainer Daniel Westling, now known as Prince Daniel, in June 2010 on the 34th anniversary of Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf’s wedding.
Taking a page out of Britain’s Prince Philip’s book, Daniel famously mused, “My main task is to be Victoria’s support, especially in her next assignment as head of state.”
Prince Carl Philip and his now-wife Princess Sofia certainly take out the award for the most modern love story!
The 32-year-old was best known as a model for men’s magazines and for her role in the reality TV series Paradise Hotel.
Rocking numerous tattoos, and often snapped wearing unique and risqué outfits, it took a while for the Swedish to warm to her.
Thankfully the Prince stood by his leading lady and these days, the couple are loving life as parents.
The 20th century sure knew how to give us sizzling royal scandals.
If it sounds like a Hollywood film, it’s because it has inspired many.
Yes, we’re talking about one of the juiciest romances of all time – the love story between a British King and a divorcée American Nazi-sympathiser.
Edward had been serving as Britain’s king for about 10 months before he gave it all up for the divorcée, who he’d been courting while she was still married to her second husband.
(Text by Chloe Lal, bauersyndication.com.au / Additional Reporting by Natalya Molok)