Prince Albert II And Other Royal Family Members Who Have Had Children Out Of Wedlock

Sep 19, 2019 by apost team

Although members of royal families from around the world must abide by strict rules, that doesn’t mean royalty isn’t immune to scandal.

Here are five members of European royal families who have had children out of wedlock:

King Alfonso XII, who was King of Spain between 1886 and 1931, is believed to have had many illegitimate children. The only one to have been recognized by the crown, however, was Leandro Ruiz, son of late actress Carmen Ruiz Maragas. 

According to the Telegraph, Leandro was confirmed by the Spanish Court as a member of the Spanish Royal family in 2003 at the age of 74. He was uncle to the now-abdicated King Juan Carlos. Leandro passed away in June 2016 at the age of 87, as per Think Spain.

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Billionaire Prince Albert II of Monaco, who is believed to be one of the richest royals in the world, reportedly had two illegitimate children born before marrying his current wife Charlene, Princess of Monaco. 

His first child born out of wedlock is Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and is also his eldest child. She was born on March 1992 in California to Tamara Jean Rotolo, a waitress at the time. Jazmin, however, was not recognized by the Prince until 2006 as per the LA Times.

In 2005, it was revealed that the Prince had another illegitimate child, Alexandre Coste. Coste was born in 2002 to former flight attendant Nicole Coste, with whom according to People, the Prince had a secret 5-year-long relationship. 

Marina Ogilvy, daughter to Elizabeth II’s cousin Princess Alexandra, the Honorable Lady Ogilvy, and Sir Angus Ogilvy, fell pregnant in 1989 when single at the age of 23. The ordeal caused quite a stir in the Royal Family at the time, with the New York Times reporting that her parents allegedly gave her the ultimatum of either marrying the father, photographer Paul Julian Mowatt or having an abortion. 

The couple ultimately got married, just four months before the birth of their daughter Zanouska Mowatt. According to the Telegraph, Marina got married in a Black Velvet gown and red bolero, in what is seen by many as a ‘rebellious’ act towards the crown. The couple went on to have one more child, Christian, but eventually divorced in 1997. A friend of Marina’s told the publication that the marriage “soured quite quickly”, with Marina sticking around to “show her parents she could make it work.” 

“There were fights, sometimes physical ones, between husband and wife. On one occasion Paul was ordered to leave the home by police." The friend explained.

Following her divorce, Marina made headlines again in 2003 for allegedly being the recipient of income support and benefits, despite her parents being worth $40 million. 

Zanouska Mowatt was spotted earlier this year at the Trooping the Colour ceremony. She is pictured in the photo above and is the individual at the farthest left. 

Olympic Medalist Mark Phillips and Princess Anne married in 1973, however, according to the Telegraph, by 1985 Phillips had an affair with a New Zealand school teacher Heather Tonkin who ended up pregnant. Tonkin filed a paternity suit when Phillips started slacking in secret child support money he was sending her. 

A 1991 DNA Test revealed Phillips was the father to Tonkin’s daughter whom she named Felicity. Felicity is now an equine vet. 

Duke of Parma since 2010, Prince Carlos had an affair with his childhood friend Brigette Klynstra that led to her becoming pregnant with a son, Hugo Klynstra. Although Prince Carlos has never disputed that Hugo was his son he has remained adamant that the child should not receive any royal titles. However, Hugo took his father to court over this ruling and won and has now been accepted into the Dutch Royal family. 

Under Dutch law, illegitimate royals can claim their family's names and titles according to the Telegraph.

Do you know about another royal who has had an illegitimate child? Tell us below. Send this article to your friends or family who like staying up to date on royal news.