14 Royal Couples Who Have Divorced
14 Royal Couples Who Have Divorced
Diana Pearl, Brendan LeWed, May 6, 2026 at 2:52 PM UTC
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Princess Diana and Prince CharlesCredit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
Royal couples don't always have a fairytale ending.
Though divorce was once considered such a taboo in the royal family that King Edward abidcated his throne so he could marry a divorcée (and King Henry VIII created a whole new religion so he could annul his own marriages), in the past fifty years, that has begun to shift.
Most notably, Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation on Dec. 9, 1992, following years of rumors about cracks in their marriage. Twelve days later, after Diana's famous Panorama interview, Queen Elizabeth released her royal decree recommending that the two divorce.
In addition to the British, members of the Greek, Monégasque, Albanian and more royal families have revealed their splits in recent years. Ahead, see the royal pairs who chose to dissolve their relationship, the circumstances leading up to their breakups and the aftermath.
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Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Princess Diana and Prince CharlesCredit: Tim Graham/Getty
Perhaps the most famous royal divorce in history (or at least, within the past century) was that of the Prince and Princess of Wales, which was finalized in 1996. Their 1981 wedding appeared to be the start of a modern fairy tale, but there were cracks in the relationship from the beginning. For starters, Charles was Diana's senior by 13 years, and the two shared little in common.
Charles also still carried a torch for his old girlfriend, the then-Camilla Parker Bowles. Diana famously said of Charles's relationship with Camilla, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
Both were unfaithful throughout their 14-year union, but remained wed because, as Diana said, they "didn't want to disappoint the public." They separated in 1992, and though it wasn't a given that their separation would end in divorce, after Diana's famous Panorama interview, the Queen wrote to the couple to urge them to do so, leading to an official announcement from the palace about the split on Dec. 21, 1995. Sadly, just two years after their divorce was finalized, Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
02 of 14
Princess Anne and Mark Phillips
Mark Phillips and Princess AnneCredit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images
In 1992, the same year of Charles and Diana's separation, another royal marriage came to an end. Princess Anne, the Queen's second child, finalized her divorce from her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, after they separated back in 1989.
Initially, the palace said the couple had no plans to divorce, but that attitude quickly changed. Their relationship was said to be lacking in love and little shared time together — and it was revealed that both were unfaithful. Princess Anne recovered quickly from the split: She married her second husband, Timothy Laurence, later that year, and they've been wed since.
03 of 14
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson and Prince AndrewCredit: Tim Graham/Getty
The Queen's third child, former Prince Andrew, married Sarah Ferguson, whom he knew from childhood, in July 1986. Their marriage, however, only lasted six years before they separated in 1992.
The year was so traumatic for the Queen, who saw three of her children's marriages crumbling, as well as a fire in her home at Windsor Castle, that she famously called it her "annus horribilis" in a speech.
They continued to live under the same roof at Royal Lodge in Windsor after their 1996 divorce. Following Buckingham Palace's announcement in October 2025 that Andrew was to relinquish his royal titles due to renewed interest surrounding his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the former prince relocated to a property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, while Fergie was to "move forward independently," per a source.
04 of 14
Princess Margaret and Anthony Eden
Anthony Armstrong-Jones and Princess MargaretCredit: Bettmann Archive/Getty
Princess Margaret married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones on May 6, 1960, in the first-ever televised royal wedding. Though they had two children and lived a glamorous life together for a decade, by the '70s their marriage was in a fragile state amid infidelity on both sides.
After notorious photos surfaced of Margaret with a man 17 years her junior, Roddy Llewellyn, in their bathing suits on the island of Mustique, her marriage to Armstrong-Jones began to publicly crumble. They were divorced by 1978, but it wasn't without controversy. It was the first divorce for a senior member of the royal family since 1901 (Princess Victoria of Edinburgh).
According to Christopher Warwick's biography, Princess Margaret: A Life of Contrasts, she nearly lost her place on the civil list — people who receive money from the government, like many royals — and members of parliament branded her a "royal parasite." She never married again.
05 of 14
Peter and Autumn Phillips
Peter and Autumn PhillipsCredit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
Queen Elizabeth's eldest grandson Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn met in 2003 in her hometown of Montreal at the Formula One Grand Prix before they wed at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2008. In February 2020, they announced they were divorcing after 12 years of marriage, deciding it was "the best course of action" for their two daughters Savannah and Isla and their "friendship." They finalized the divorce in June 2021.
In August 2025, a spokesperson for Peter told Hello! magazine that the businessman was engaged to pediatric nurse Harriet Sperling.
06 of 14
Prince Louis and Princess Tessy of Luxembourg
Princess Tessy and Prince Louis of LuxembourgCredit: Sylvain Lefevre/Getty
In January 2017, Prince Louis and Princess Tessy of Luxembourg became the first royal couple in 10 years to announce their divorce. They married in September 2006 after welcoming their first son in March 2006. Their second son was born in September 2007. They finalized their divorce in April 2019.
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Tessy later remarried Swiss businessman Frank Floessel in July 2021, a month before the couple welcomed their first child.
07 of 14
Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra of Denmark
Prince Joachim and Princess AlexandraCredit: BENAINOUS/DUCLOS/TRAVERS/Gamma-Rapho/Getty
The second son of Denmark's Queen Margrethe II, Prince Joachim married his first wife, Alexandra, in 1995. They were married for nearly 10 years and had two sons before announcing their intention to divorce in September 2004. In a statement, Margrethe and her husband, Prince Henrik, said they "deeply regretted" the divorce. It was the first for the Danish royal family for 150 years.
08 of 14
David and Serena Armstrong-Jones
David and Serena Armstrong-JonesCredit: Dave Benett/Getty
The son of the late Princess Margaret and the nephew of Queen Elizabeth, David Armstrong-Jones and his wife Serena announced their split in February 2020, after 25 years of marriage.
“The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have amicably agreed that their marriage has come to an end and that they shall be divorced,” a spokesperson for the couple said in a statement. David inherited the title of Earl of Snowdon following the 2017 death of his father, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. The pair are parents to Viscount Linley, Charles Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones.
09 of 14
Princess Caroline of Monaco and Philippe Junot
Princess Caroline of Monaco and Philippe JunotCredit: Keystone/Getty Images
Princess Grace and Prince Rainier's eldest daughter has been married three times, but just one has ended in divorce. That was her first marriage, to Philippe Junot, whom she married when she was 21. The union only lasted two years, and they divorced in 1980. Since the Catholic Church didn't recognize divorce, they annulled the union in 1992 in order to legitimize the three children Caroline had with her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi, whom she married in 1983. Sadly, Casiraghi was killed in a speed boat accident in October 1990.
Since 1999, she has been married to Prince Ernst August of Hanover, though they separated in 2009 and live separate lives.
10 of 14
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco and Daniel Ducruet
Daniel Ducruet and Princess Stéphanie of MonacoCredit: AFP/AFP via Getty
Caroline's younger sister, Monaco's Princess Stéphanie, has been divorced twice, both after very brief marriages. She married her bodyguard, Daniel Ducruet, in 1995, after they had two children together. They divorced a little more than a year later. Her second marriage came in 2003, to acrobat Adans Lopez Peres. They divorced in 2004.
11 of 14
Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos of Greece
Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos of GreeceCredit: Chris Jackson/Getty
The office of the former Greek royal family revealed in April 2024 that Princess Tatiana and Prince Nikolaos were divorcing after 13 years of marriage. Just a few weeks prior to the announcement, the two stepped out arm in arm to honor Nikolaos' father, King Constantine, the last monarch of Greece.
Less than a year after their split, Nikolaos became engaged to and married Chrysí Vardinogianni, the daughter of shipping magnate Giorgos Vardinogiannis.
12 of 14
Crown Prince Leka II of Albania and Elia Zaharia
Eia Zaharia and Prince Leka II of AlbaniaCredit: Luc Castel/Getty
The crown prince and princess of Albania, Leka II and Elia, announced on Instagram in January 2024 that they were splitting after eight years of marriage.
"Regardless of the commitment to the institution of the family, LTM Leka believes that the values of mutual respect and understanding will form the basis of the relationship in its continuity, which will have as its motive the growth and education of LSM Princess Geraldine!!!" read the statement on the prince's official Instagram.
According to Hello! magazine, Elia also released a since-deleted statement that the split "is not at all a reality that makes me happy." In October 2025, Leka revealed his engagement to photographer Blerta Celibashi. They married five months later in a private ceremony, "preserving its intimate and solemn character," read the announcement on Leka's Instagram page.
13 of 14
Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette
Prince Bernhard and Princess AnnetteCredit: Marcel Koch/BSR Agency/Getty
After 25 years of marriage, Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau of the Netherlands and his wife Princess Annette announced their divorce in January 2026 via a press release on the Dutch royal family's website.
"We are doing this by mutual agreement and with mutual respect," wrote the couple, who share kids Isabella, Samuel and Benjamin. "We will continue to care for our three children together. Despite this, it remains a difficult step. We therefore ask for everyone's understanding and respect for our privacy."
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King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon
Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty
Theirs was the original royal divorce: King Henry VIII famously split with the Catholic church in 1534 in order to divorce the first of his six wives, Katherine of Aragon, who had not become pregnant with a male heir throughout their marriage. After the Pope denied Henry's request for a divorce, the monarch established his own Church of England and changed the course of world history. (Though technically, he had his marriages annulled, rather than divorcing his wives, so he could remain virtuous.)
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