Because they're figureheads with large platforms, the royals are definitely held to a high standard. That means that when they do let us down, they usually let us down in a big way. We can imagine it's the same for Queen Elizabeth: She expects her family to always be on their best behavior, and when they make mistakes, it reflects poorly on them all. These embarrassing royal moments are proof of that.
There's a range of cringe to choose from when it comes to the royal family. There are more minor incidents like the royal children being naughty and more serious scandals, such as accusations of infidelity. And with the rise of paparazzi, so many of these awkward and uncomfortable moments have been caught on camera and preserved for decades.
Here are 18 times the royal family looked foolish to the outside world — and to each other.
Diana's See-Through Skirt
Before she married Prince Charles, Lady Diana Spencer posed for a photographer who unfortunately got a shot of her with the sun streaming through her skirt. You can't see much besides her legs, but even that was considered scandalous at the time. The royals are so prim and proper, and here came Diana, who dared to have legs. The horror!
Diana's Wedding Flub
When she married Charles in 1981, Diana accidentally called him by the wrong name — Philip Charles Arthur George — instead of Charles Philip Arthur George. To be fair, he has a lot of names, but that's still super embarrassing. The whole world was watching! Of course, it would be far from the couple's biggest problem, though.
'Tampongate'
When Charles was secretly seeing Camilla Parker Bowles during his marriage to Diana, a leaked recording of one of their phone calls revealed a little too much about how Charles felt about Camilla. In one notable quote, he said that he wished he could be a tampon so he could be with her all the time. Talk about cringey!
Sarah Ferguson Cheated
It was embarrassing enough for the royal family that Sarah, Duchess of York, cheated on Prince Andrew, but worse yet was that the paparazzi got photos of her and her American boyfriend. In one of the pictures, he was kissing Fergie's feet, and we can imagine the Queen was not pleased that the duchess was seen in that light.
Princess Anne's Dog Killed the Queen's Corgi
We know how much the Queen loves her corgis, so it must have been devastating to lose one at the hand of her own daughter's dog. In 2003, Anne's bull terrier attacked one of the Queen's corgis to the point where it had to be put down due to its injuries. This was the same dog who had previously bitten two children.
Prince Harry's Halloween Costume
Harry has long been getting himself into trouble, like when he went to a costume party dressed as a Nazi soldier. After the media got ahold of the images, Harry released an apology statement. "I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume, and I apologize," he said.
The Vegas Incident
A few years later, while on a trip to Las Vegas, Harry was photographed partying and playing strip pool. He later reflected on the incident while on the Armchair Expert podcast, saying that he was struggling with his responsibilities and his mental health. Harry explained: "It's the job, right? Grin and bear it. Get on with it. I was in my early 20s, and I was thinking, 'I don't want this job; I don't want to be here. I don't want to be doing this.'"
Prince Philip Flashed Everyone
At the Scottish Highland Games in 2012, Prince Philip wore a kilt with nothing under it. We know this, because at one point he temporarily forgot he wasn't wearing pants and sat with his legs wide open. Unfortunately for him, everyone there and the paparazzi cameras saw everything.
Kate Middleton's Topless Photos
Early on in her marriage to Prince William, Kate was sunbathing topless at their private French abode when her privacy was invaded by a paparazzi photographer. The topless photos were then sold to various magazines. The couple sued to have the photos taken out of circulation and were later awarded monetary damages for the harm caused. It's in no way Kate's fault that this happened to her, but it was definitely an unfortunate incident for the royal family.
Kate's Flying Skirts
The Queen reportedly has weights sewn into her skirts and dresses so the breeze never lifts them, but apparently the Duchess of Cambridge hasn't yet followed suit. She's had many a near-flashing incident over the years on particularly blustery days. Kate and the wind are definitely not friends.
Meghan Markle's Wardrobe Malfunctions
Like her sister-in-law, Kate, the Duchess of Sussex has also had her share of wardrobe malfunctions during her days as a working royal. The cameras have caught everything from Meghan accidentally flashing her bra to wearing a skirt that turned out to be a little too see-through to forgetting to take the tag off a new dress. So embarrassing!
Getting Handsy
The Queen is usually a pillar of poshness, always doing the exact right and proper thing. She has a whole host of protocol rules that everyone around her has to follow — but even she sometimes falters on politeness. In 2017, she got caught picking her nose while attending a horse show. She seemed to briefly forget that the cameras were watching her, and she just went for it. Awkward!
Savannah Phillips Pushed George
Anne's granddaughter apparently has a mischievous side to her, because she was caught pushing her younger cousin Prince George down a hill at a polo game a few years ago. Everyone emerged unscathed, but the video will live on forever. Expect Savannah to still get it brought to her attention years from now.
Meghan's Car Protocol
When Meghan and the Queen had their first joint appearance together, Meghan was totally thrown off by the car protocol. She didn't know which side to get in on, or whether she was supposed to sit down before the Queen — and it was a little uncomfortable watching her try to figure it out. Poor Megs, there are just so many rules to keep track of!
William Fell Asleep
Newly being a father of three must have taken quite a toll on William, because he appeared to drift off to sleep during a 2018 event. He was with Meghan and Harry at the Anzac Day service, which honors New Zealanders and Australians who served and died in combat. Quite an awkward time to take a nap.
William's Cheating Rumors
The royal family members rarely comment on rumors, and so they never said anything about the speculation that William allegedly cheated on Kate with her friend Rose Hanbury. True or not, having that kind of a story circulating about a member of the royal family is always going to be embarrassing.
Prince Andrew — Just In General
Andrew became a huge embarrassment to the royal family when he associated with convicted felon Jeffrey Epstein and then gave a disastrous interview where he weirdly defended that friendship. Following the BBC appearance, Andrew stepped down from his working royal duties amid intense public outcry.
The Oprah Winfrey Interview
Because the royals usually have a policy of not speaking on sensitive issues to the press, it was a huge deal that Harry and Meghan talked so candidly to Oprah Winfrey. They opened up about everything from the Kate Middleton feud to the time Meghan was allegedly denied mental health help. The couple even claimed that one of the royals made racist comments about Archie's skin color. The whole thing refelected very poorly on the rest of the royals.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
