What could be worse than defending a known sexual predator on national television?
Doing it as a senior member of the British royal family.
Keep watching for more of the most awkward royal moments.
At the ripe old age of 94, Prince Philip clearly didn't have much time to waste while posing
for a picture at the 75th anniversary event for the Battle of Britain in 2015.
During the photocall, things weren't moving quite fast enough, so he did what any other
self-respecting royal would, and that's snap at the photographer.
"Just take the f—ing picture."
Judging from the laughter in the background, he probably echoed a lot of other people's
sentiments.
Frankly, no one could be that surprised at Prince Philip's outburst, since he's become
known for his public gaffes.
Obviously, he's like that grandfather you absolutely adore, but really wish you could
rein in.
"Well there's an awful lot of things that if I was reading now, I would say, 'Well,
good God, I wish to God I hadn't said that.'"
As one of the queen's grandsons, Prince Harry obviously can't go anywhere without press
hounding him, yet he seems to have no problem holding his own.
For example, in October 2019, Sky News correspondent Rhiannon Mills decided to throw a question
at the prince while he got into the car following a meeting at a health center in Malawi.
After asking the prince how the meeting had gone, Prince Harry appeared to be baffled
by the intrusion.
However, Mills continued, only for the prince to shut her down completely.
"Is that why it's important for you to come here and talk to them?"
"Rhiannon, don't behave like this."
The reason for Prince Harry's abrupt attitude could have been because Mills had broken protocol.
The royals have a well-known policy not to do unscheduled interviews during royal outings,
which Mills clearly ignored.
Still, it makes for a seriously awkward moment that was unfortunately caught on camera.
Living the life of a royal 24/7 is probably harder than we think.
And when you add the responsibilities and stress of having a newborn at home, it's probably
tempting to grab some shut-eye whenever, and wherever, you can.
Two days after his youngest son, Prince Louis, was born in 2018, Prince William was caught
falling asleep during a church service at Westminster Abbey.
The clip instantly prompted sympathy for the proud dad, who was likely up all night, judging
from the dark circles under his eyes.
It's also worth noting that Prince William was more than happy to pass the baton to younger
brother Harry, who welcomed a son of his own with Meghan Markle in May 2019.
When asked about the birth of his nephew, Archie, the Duke of Cambridge told BBC News,
"I'm very pleased and glad to welcome my brother to the sleep deprivation society that is parenting."
Prince Charles' 1977 TV sit-down with Ian "Molly" Meldrum resulted in an excruciating
interview.
Meldrum was so nervous that he had to do the introduction at least twice.
He mixed up his words, flubbed his lines, asked for a glass of water, and forgot his
questions.
Meldrum even apologized to Charles.
An unfazed Prince of Wales reassured the Australian journalist that everything was okay, then
suggested bringing on a teleprompter to read from, but unfortunately, there wasn't one.
"Your Royal Highness.
Oh, I'm sweating like a pig."
Meldrum became so flustered that a production crew member stepped in to offer encouragement
and attempt to calm him down.
However, as his nerves continued to grow, the veteran interviewer dropped the F-bomb
several times.
He even stood up to adjust his pants directly in front of the camera as an amused Prince
Charles watched.
The audience's raucous laughter didn't help the situation much, especially considering
the interview was for ABC's highly-respected and influential music show, "Countdown."
"And, ah dear, sorry mate."
Meldrum later said he had no regrets about conducting the segment but conceded it didn't
go well.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles recorded a humorous video light-heartedly mocking the interview
to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
He joked,
"There is an old showbusiness saying which warns never to work with animals or children,
but nobody prepared me for Molly Meldrum."
"Was it really 40 years ago?
It only seems like yesterday.
I wish it were tomorrow, I'd cancel it."
Probably one of the more awkward royal videos ever was the interview with Prince Charles
and his then-fiancée, Princess Diana, on the day of their engagement announcement.
The conversation included a question about whether or not they were "in love."
The People's Princess shyly looked down and responded, "Of course," while the prince smiled
and replied,
"Whatever in love means."
In 1992, Princess Diana recounted the awkward moment in her own words during an interview
with her voice coach, saying,
"I was brought up in the sense that [...] when you got engaged to someone, you loved them.
[...] And Charles turned around and said, 'Whatever in love means.'
And that threw me completely.
I thought, what a strange [...] answer.
God.
Absolutely traumatized me."
Prince Charles grossed everyone out back in 1981 when he was interviewed with his then-bride-to-be,
Princess Diana, on the day of their engagement announcement.
When asked what his first impression of his future wife was when they first met, the Prince
of Wales answered confidently,
"I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was."
At 12 years Diana's senior, Charles' comments didn't track well.
The couple got married when Charles was 32 and Diana had just turned 20.
To make matters worse, while discussing their 12-year age difference, Prince Charles told
The New York Times in 1981,
"Diana will certainly keep me young.”
"I mean, great fun and bouncy and full of life and everything."
Donald Trump's visit to the UK was controversial from the get-go.
Initially scheduled for 2017, it was postponed after mass protests.
A petition, demanding the then-president be banned from the country, garnered over a million
signatures.
Trump eventually made it to the UK in 2018, after his "official state visit" was downgraded
to a "working visit."
Still, he encountered a hostile reception, and refused to stay in the capital because
he reportedly felt "unwelcome."
However, one person who did seem pleased to see Trump was Queen Elizabeth II.
They met at Windsor Castle, where they were scheduled for a 30-minute afternoon tea that
actually lasted for 50 minutes.
The most controversial part of Donald's visit, though, occurred during a ceremonial inspection
of the Coldstream Guards.
Trump strolled ahead of the queen, blithely surveying his surroundings as Her Majesty
slowly trailed behind him.
Then, he stopped suddenly, forcing the queen to walk around him.
The whole affair was uncomfortable to say the least, and also broke royal protocol.
Princess Diana's infamous interview with the BBC in 1995 goes down in history as one of
the most uncomfortable royal moments of all time.
Diana was allegedly coerced into the interview by unethical and possibly illegal tactics
employed by Martin Bashir.
According to the Mirror,
"[He reportedly] faked documents, lied about her in-laws, played on the fears of a vulnerable
woman, and groomed her brother to help him get access."
However, none of that takes away from the fact that the resulting interview was groundbreaking.
It was the first time a royal had drawn the curtains back on the monarchy, and it completely
blindsided Buckingham Palace.
Diana admitted to having an affair, and talked about her despair and torment over the relationship
between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, famously stating,
"Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
The bombshell interview sent shockwaves throughout the monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth reportedly
calling it a, quote, "frightful thing to do."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's May 2018 wedding was watched by 11.5 million TV viewers.
Since then, an additional 35 million have reportedly watched the nearly three-hour extravaganza
on YouTube, making it the most-watched royal wedding of all time.
But what really seemed to send certain guests into overdrive was Reverend Michael Bruce
Curry's preaching.
The Black Episcopal Church Bishop performed a rousing and emotional 14-minute sermon,
which resulted in differing royal guest reactions, ranging from utter bewilderment and confusion
to amusement and barely restrained sniggering.
In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they would be stepping down as senior
members of the royal family.
The declaration followed a six-week break from royal duties that they had just taken,
in which the couple and their son, Archie, spent some time on Vancouver Island, Canada.
Harry and Meghan could actually see the light at the end of the escape tunnel as March 2020
drew ever closer.
However, they had one last official royal duty to complete before finally being able
to taste freedom.
On March 9, 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Commonwealth Day Service
at Westminster Abbey.
Somewhat ironically, the ceremony is meant to be a celebration, as the official royal
website states,
"[The Commonwealth's] differences, their common ground, what they have achieved together and
what they hope to achieve in the future."
Well, it was becoming pretty clear what Meghan and Harry hoped to achieve in the future,
and it didn't involve the British monarchy in any way, shape, or form.
So perhaps it wasn't all that surprising that they didn't exactly receive the warmest of
welcomes.
Despite not seeing the couple in months, Prince William and Kate Middleton's greeting was
super awkward.
While Meghan and Harry smiled at the duo, Will just about managed to muster up a slight
nod in their general direction, while Kate seemingly chose to completely ignore them.
Prince Andrew's infamous 2019 BBC interview has to be one of the most uncomfortable royal
moments caught on video.
The Duke of York had agreed to sit down and discuss his friendship with late convicted
sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the underage sexual assault allegations against
him made by Virginia Giuffre, which he's denied.
"He knows what happened."
However, he was seemingly unprepared for the questions he'd face, and many of his answers
were exceedingly awkward or circumspect.
For instance, when asked why he flew to New York to stay with Epstein, who was already
a convicted sex offender, Andrew explained that he felt duty-bound to end their friendship
in person.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, 1.7 million viewers watched the explosive "Newsnight" special
on TV, in addition to over 4.8 million YouTube users.
Prince Andrew gave what can only be described as a "Sorry, Not Sorry" excuse for his actions,
and the interview has since been widely labeled a PR disaster.
While Princess Diana's interview was the most tragic and Prince Andrew's was the most uncomfortable,
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's was perhaps the most explosive of them all.
The couple left no stone unturned when they sat down with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021,
resulting in a royal bombshell.
The Duke and Duchess didn't just spill the tea, they seemingly emptied the entire pot.
Harry and Meghan blew the lid off The Firm's well-kept secrets and alleged lies.
For instance, they talked about the racism Meghan was subjected to and how she was relentlessly
hounded by the British press and portrayed unfairly and negatively.
They claimed Buckingham Palace never had her back and essentially hung her out to dry.
Plus, Meghan admitted that life as a royal had severe adverse effects on her mental health,
to the point where she struggled with suicidal thoughts.
The Sussexes also dished on the "invisible contract" they were forced to abide by, including
strict rules and regulations that institution members must follow.
As Meghan revealed,
"And that's, I think, so important for people to remember is you have no idea what's going
on for someone behind closed doors, you have no idea."
For his part, Harry opened up about his overwhelming fears for Meghan's wellbeing and the parallels
with his late mother, Princess Diana.
The Sussexes shot down the idea that leaving the royal family was all Meghan's idea.
However, Harry did admit he wouldn't have escaped if it wasn't for Meghan, because he
previously felt trapped within the "system."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.