King Charles coronation: 5 dark secrets of British royal family you need to know
Along with royalty comes deep secrets, some of them dark and scandalous. The royal family of Britain are obviously monarchs and heads of state, but they're also a family like any other. Having ascended to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, King Charles is the current reigning monarch in the UK.
King Charles will be officially crowned in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6. As the day is approaching, let's have a look at some of the dark secrets the British royal family would prefer to keep buried far, far away from the public eye.
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1. Queen Elizabeth's hidden cousins
Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon were the first cousins of Queen Elizabeth. They were both born with mental disabilities and were hidden away at the Royal Earlswood Institution for Mental Defectives at the ages of 22 and 15. Their family also reported the girls as being dead in 1961 in an effort to hide their existence from the public. Katherine and Queen Elizabeth were born in the same year, but since the family had little to no understanding of how to navigate mental disabilities, they lived incredibly separate lives.
2. Princess Diana's fall during pregnancy
Its not unknown that Princess Diana struggled while trying to find her place in the royal family, and her mental health needs were not met. Diana is said to have thrown herself down the stairs while pregnant with Prince William, according to The Independent. She had morning sickness throughout the pregnancy and also struggled with an eating disorder. In the documentary 'Diana: In Her Own Words', she says, "Charles said I was crying wolf, and I said I felt so desperate and I was crying my eyes out. And he said: ‘I’m not going to listen. You’re always doing this to me. I’m going riding now.’ So I threw myself down the stairs."
3. Queen Victoria married her first cousin
A lot of people know that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were related, so it might not be surprising to learn that Queen Victoria, who provides the genetic link between the two, married her own first cousin. Victoria and Albert met when she was only 16, and she proposed to him five days into his trip to England.
4. The phone call that broke Diana's heart
In 1993, an Australian magazine published the transcript of a call between Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, a longtime married friend of the king. The transcript all but confirmed what many rumors had postulated - that Charles and Camilla were romantically involved. In one of the more confounding parts of the conversation, the couple jokes about Charles turning into a tampon in order to "live inside" Camilla's trousers. Later that year, Charles and Diana announced their separation.
5. Prince Harry's day in rehab
After admitting to his father, Prince Charles, that he’d tried marijuana on numerous occasions and participated in underage drinking, the 17-year-old Prince Harry was sent to a drugs rehabilitation clinic for a one-day stay., according to The Telegraph. An official at St James’ Palace said it was a way “to learn about the possible consequences of starting to take cannabis.”