You would think divorce would be considered unforgivable for the royal family. However, royals are human, too, and marriage doesn’t always go exactly as planned. According to Andrew Goddard, an Anglican priest at St. James the Less, “That would have been a no-no” for the royal family not so long ago. “It’s not until the last half of the 20th century that divorce becomes common and the stigma begins to falls away,” he added.
From Prince Charles and Princess Diana to Meghan Markle, here’s every royal family member who’s been divorced.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Princess Diana And Prince Charles In Australia | Patrick Riviere/Getty Images
Looking back on Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage, it was clearly doomed from the start. Before they even wed in 1981, neither one seemed particularly excited to walk down the aisle. For starters, during their engagement interview, Diana claimed, “Of course [we’re in love].” Charles added, “Whatever ‘in love’ means.”
They both had affairs outside of their marriage over the years, which included Charles’ now second wife, Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles and Diana separated in 1992, but finally divorced in 1996 — just one year before Diana’s tragic death.
Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones
In 1978, Princess Margaret made history as the first royal family member to get a divorce since 1901. The queen’s sister wed photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960, but after infidelity and abuse of drugs and alcohol got in the way, they decided to call it quits.
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle (right) and her ex-husband, Trevor Engelson, in 2011 | MaximoTV via YouTube
Even though Meghan Markle certainly isn’t the first royal to have been divorced, that didn’t stop fans from wondering whether or not Queen Elizabeth would approve. Luckily she did, and Markle became the Duchess of Sussex by marrying Prince Harry on May 19, 2018.
Her first wedding, however, took place in 2011. She wed film producer Trevor Engelson, but they divorced just two years later. And according to royal biographer Andrew Morton, the split took Engelson by complete surprise.
“The marriage ended so abruptly that Meghan sent Trevor her diamond wedding and engagement rings back by registered mail,” Morton claims. Engleson still reportedly “can barely contain his anger” about how it went down.
Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips
Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, Princess Anne, married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. They stayed together for over 15 years before separating in 1989. During that year, People reported that Anne and Phillips didn’t intend to legally divorce, but by 1992, they made their split official.
According to Elite Daily, “The split was reported to have been due to unfaithfulness on both their parts and, in general, distance and a lack of love in their relationship.”
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson on her wedding day in 1986 | Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York via Instagram
Yet another one of Queen Elizabeth’s children had their marriage end in divorce. Prince Andrew, her third child, wed Sarah Ferguson in 1986. Like Charles and Diana, they separated in 1992 and officially divorced in 1996. They’re the parents of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and reportedly remained on good terms.
Andrew seems to be the only member of the royal family Ferguson is on good terms with, however, as she’s caused quite a bit of scandal. Just a few months after their divorce, she was photographed sunbathing (sans top) alongside her financial adviser. She’s also had some financial issues and just barely avoided jail time, so it’s safe to say she’s out of the queen’s good graces.
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