Although generational wealth seems like an appealing goal, something’s gotta give right? I mean, you can’t possibly amass so much wealth and also avoid coming face to face with just how twisted the world can get. I once heard someone say that wealth and fortune are like a pendulum – the worse someone’s circumstances have been, the greater the upswing of their fortune has the potential to be.
Similarly, I’ve also heard about how the higher you climb the wealth and status ladder, the more you end up attracting complex situations in your life – ‘New levels, new devils.’ So, maybe the wealthiest families we see today have also dealt with generations of strange and unfortunate events.
Which is why we thought of exploring this a little more and looking into some scandalous and whacky secrets about royal and old money families across the world. Because it all looks glamorous and comfortable from the outside, but is that really the case? Read on:
1. Princess Diana once jumped off a first-floor balcony in an Austrian mountain resort.
Apparently, she did it to escape her protection team. Princess Diana was known for not being a willing participant of the fame and popularity she received, and towards the end of her and Prince Charles’ marriage, both parties became very secretive and found ways to run from protection teams.
2. King George VI asked MI5 to spy on his brother Edward.
It was suspected that Edward VIII and his wife Americal Wallis Simpson were supporters of Hitler, so King George asked Britain’s security services to put surveillance on the couple!
3. William A. Rockefeller was a bigamist and con artist.
William Avery Rockefeller posed as a salesman who was deaf and dumb to further his peddling scheme, but him and his wife Eliza Davison gave birth to John D. Rockefeller who became a descendant of one the richest families in the American industry. Later Rockefeller deserted his wife Eliza and adopted the name Dr. William Levingston, and concluded a bigamist marriage with a Miss Margaret L. Allen in Ontario.
4. The Rockefeller family’s early wealth was connected to a secret deal with the Vanderbilts.
Railroad and shipping biggie Cornelius Vanderbilt entered a deal with John D. Rockefeller to help them both profit. Vanderbilt got exclusive rights to ship Rockefeller’s oil on his trains for a lower price. But soon Rockefeller outran Vanderbilt after amassing so much wealth that he built his own pipeline to transport the oil.
5. William Randolph Hearst was expelled from Harvard.
Head of the massive newspaper brand’s Hearst clan William Randolph was actually expelled from Harvard for ‘Raucous’ behaviour.
6. Maharaja Bhupinder of Patiala was known for being one of the kinkiest royals of India.
The king had a harem of wives with whom he had 88 children. He even paraded naked in front of them every once in a while to prove he was alive and well.
7. King Albert II of Belgium fathered a secret child from an affair (and only admitted to after five decades)
Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, had an affair with the former King Albert II of Belgium while he was still married to the Italian princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria.
8. Queen Alamelamma’s curse has lead to the Mysore empire worshipping the Wadiyar Dynasty queen, till the present day.
The Mysore Empire took over the Wadiyar Empire by killing King Tirumalaraja and his wife Queen Alamelamma, which lead to the queen cursing the Mysore Empire of never having an hier.
9. Prince Albert of Monaco’s wife Princess Charlene of Monaco ran away from her wedding thrice before finally tying the knot.
Such is the case of this runaway bride that Princess Charlene of Monaco’s passport was even taken away by the Palace staff. Even today, the couple’s marriage is constantly put under a microscope around rumours of separation.
10. Maharaja of Junagadh, Muhammad Mahabat Khan III owned over 800 dogs.
Who by the way had their own room, a telephone and an attendant! He was possibly the last of the dog-loving royal (to this extend) we’ve had.
Spicy scandals! We don’t wish this amount of public scrutiny on anyone famous or well-known though.