For centuries, multiple European countries have looked to their ruling royal families for guidance and governance. While often viewed as superior powers who do not participate in regular public life. Despite their high and mighty reputations, many of these monarchs have been engulfed in royal scandals that changed the way that their countries viewed them.
Disappearance of the Swedish Count
In 1682, Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle tied the knot with her cousin King George I of England. Unfortunately, it was a strained marriage, with Princess Sophia deciding to seek pleasure elsewhere. After engaging in an affair with Swedish Count Philipp Christoph von Königsmark, Sophia and her new lover decided to run away together. On the day of their escape, however, the Swedish Count disappeared, never to be seen again. It was rumored that King George may have had Philipp executed.
The Mayerling Incident
In 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was found dead in his hunting cabin in the Austrian village of Mayerling. His body was found alongside that of his teenage lover, Baroness Maria Vetsera. While his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I, concealed documents relating to the incident, Rudolf’s wife, Crown Princess Stephanie published his last letter to her. “You are relieved of my presence and vexations; be happy in your own way…I go calmly to my death,” he wrote, implying that a murder-suicide had taken place.
Bad Blood
In 1956, 18-year-old Juan Carlos of Spain shot his brother, the 14-year-old Alfonso in the forehead. The boys’ father, Infante Juan, covered up the controversy, with no autopsy being performed on the body and the death being ruled accidental. This wasn’t the only scandal surrounding Juan Carlos, however. After becoming embroiled in financial scandals, King Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014, leaving Spain six years later.