When royals get risky: Most scandalous books released with royal family’s support

The royal family’s history is full of the juiciest scandals and the wildest details one could ever imagine.

Most of them remain shrouded in mystery or written off as mere theories and myths — unless the horse’s mouth opens up.

Yes, despite the protocols and cooperation the royal family members adhere to within the Firm, there have been instances where the beans have been spilled by those at the centre of or closest to the Crown.

Here are a few of them:

‘Spare’ by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

Published: January 2023

Breaking out the obvious — Prince Harry’s tell-all style memoir titled Spare, shattered the firmly locked doors on the details of the royal family’s dynamic, eye opening intimate moments, and the many reasons for the ongoing rift between the Duke of Sussex and members of the Crown, including his father and brother.

Becoming the cause of several thinkpieces and reports of denial from his family, Harry came out all guns blazing in the book which described his inner turmoil in a way only he could have.

‘My Story’ by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

Published: November 1996

Co-authored with Jeff Coplon, Prince Andrew’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson released her autobiography at a time when her relationship with the royal family was on the verge of dissemination due to a number of scandals which had wrecked her public image.

In the book, the Duchess discussed her marriage and eventual separation with the Duke of York, her financial struggles, the British establishment’s efforts to tap her, as well as her controversial affair with her financial advisor which was uncovered by Daily Mirror’s photographers — details which have since been long forgotten as Sarah Ferguson has once again become a regular member of the royal family, often seen around them.

‘Finding Freedom’ by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand

Published: August 2020

A book authored around the courtship and subsequent marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Finding Freedom caused a stir upon its release due to the strong speculations that the couple had collaborated with the writers, given the extremely revealing nature of the details shared in the text.

While Meghan Markle denied the collaboration through her legal team, who claimed that a “copy of the book was provided just before its serialisation”, confirming a collaboration to some extent, The Guardian noted that intimate information such as “the deluge of personal minutiae – from Harry’s emoji habit to Meghan’s favourite hair highlight shades – as well as their litigiousness when it comes to undesired invasions of privacy”, pointed in the direction of highly likely support of the book from the Sussexes.

‘Diana: Her True Story’ by Andrew Morton

Published: June 1992

An explosive account of Princess Diana’s personal life and struggles in the shadow of her relationship with the royal family as well as her marital woes, Andrew Morton’s book eventually turned out to be the first of its kind where a royal family member directly divulged intimate details about life as one — as the former Princess of Wales actually sat down to record bits of interviews with the biography’s author, who would later compile the words into a book.

While discussing the book her son and his wife were alleged to have contributed to, The Guardian additionally reported that their denial mirrored “Diana’s similar protestations of innocence” regarding the book about her own life years ago, “all of which Morton scotched about 10 seconds after she died.”

‘A King’s Story’ by King Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor

Published: 1951

The famous British king who abdicated his throne to honour his marriage, the Duke of Windsor (a title he was bestowed after he seized to be the king) authored this text to primarily address the elephant in the room, while recounting his royal upbringing and the lead up to his abdication.

“I certainly married because I chose the path of love. But I abdicated because I chose the path of duty,” he shared in his autobiography.

‘Sophie: Saving the Royal Family’ by Sean Smith

Published: June 2025

The latest addition to join the list of books which have been (admittedly or otherwise) blessed by members of the royal family is Sean Smith’s biography of Duchess Sophie, wife of Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth’s youngest heir.

Provided with unmitigated support, the text is an authorised one and recounts multiple revelations about Sophie’s life — prior and post her marriage into the royal family — including a photo leak scandal which terrorised her ahead of her wedding, as well as her dreaded comparisons to Princess Diana and multiple unfortunate run ins, one of which left her feeling “intimidated” by the late royal.