32 Best Royal Conspiracy Theories

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Harry and Meghan's wedding is part of a plot by Britain to gain control over America.

According to Business Insider, one conspiracy theory suggests that Prince Harry married Meghan Markle just so Britain can regain power in America. Twitchy editor Greg Pollowitz started the tongue-in-cheek "rumor" with this tweet on November 27, 2017, the day Harry and Meghan announced their engagement: "Prince Harry's kids will be Americans. What if one grows up to be president and is in line for the throne at the same time? Brits are playing long-ball here, but it's a smart move. They want America back and this is how they'll do it."

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The queen is a shape-shifting alien reptile.

Yes, you read that right. According to the Express, British conspiracy theorist David Icke promotes an Illuminati theory that states the royal family descends from a line of humans who mated with alien-reptile creatures, and this is how they attained their power. Okay then.

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The queen is a shapeshifting alien reptile.

When interviewed by the BBC in 2016, Icke claimed that his theories are all backed up "by hard factual information." And in April 2016, The Guardian reported that "around 12 million people in the US believe that interstellar lizards in people suits rule our country." Basically, Icke's theories about the queen have inspired a worldwide movement.

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Queen Elizabeth I was actually a man.

Now recognized as simple misogyny, a popular theory once suggested that Queen Elizabeth I died when she was young and was replaced with a young boy who looked like her, according to Business Insider. This was supposed to offer reasoning for why the queen was such a strong ruler (and chaste), but it's clearly just the product of haters insecure with the idea of a woman ruler.

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Princess Margaret had a secret love child.

Fans of The Crown will know that Princess Margaret was romantically involved with divorcé Peter Townsend before she married Antony Armstrong. As the Express reported, their relationship started in 1947 during the royal tour of South Africa, when King George VI and the Queen Mother spent three months visiting along with then-Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. It was during this period that Townsend became Comptroller of the Household for the Queen Mother.

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Princess Margaret had a secret love child.

The Telegraph reported that a man named Robert Brown claimed to be the love child of Margaret and Townsend. Born in Kenya in 1955, Brown said that he had "long sought a response" to his questions and was was forced to appeal to the High Court to have his case looked into. According to the Daily Mail, in 2014 Brown "won a High Court victory in his battle to see" Princess Margaret's will, which he believed would name him. The publication reported that Brown alleges the "princess secretly gave birth to him in January 1955."

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They're members of the Illuminati.

In line with his alien lizard theory, Icke also suggested that royal families around the world are all members of the Illuminati, and that's how they retain their power, according to Reader's Digest.

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Princess Diana and Prince Charles had a secret daughter.

The Globe ran a story in 2014 (via the Daily Mail) suggesting that Princess Diana and Prince Charles had a secret daughter, conceived via IVF, who was born before Prince William. According to the strange theory, when Princess Diana had to visit a gynecologist prior to marrying Prince Charles to confirm that she was fertile, the doctor took some of her eggs.

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Princess Diana and Prince Charles had a secret daughter.

Apparently, the doctor allegedly fertilized the eggs with Prince Charles's sperm, and then had his own wife carry the baby, whom they called Sarah. Woman's Day reported in 2018 that Sarah was allegedly "exiled to stop the scandalous truth from hitting headlines." The publication also featured a supposed photo of Sarah, who looks a lot like Diana with a heavy dose of Photoshop.

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Prince Charles is a vampire.

Without discussing whether or not vampires are real, New Idea reported that Prince Charles is distantly related to Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian prince who inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. The publication purported that one of the reasons this theory carries weight is because the "disease Porphyria is present amongst the royals. Porphyria is an iron-deficiency disease that makes skin sensitive to sunlight." Wait, what?

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Kate Middleton used a surrogate.

Both Closer and New Idea reported the absolutely crazy rumor that circulated after Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to Princess Charlotte, suggesting the duchess was never pregnant, wore a fake bump, and used a surrogate—all because she looked great in the hours after giving birth. Oy.

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Meghan Markle used a surrogate.

That's right. The very same people who believed that Kate used a surrogate during one of her pregnancies were also convinced that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was never really pregnant. As The Daily Beast reported in April 2019, theorists purported that Meghan "hired a surrogate, who is either Talia Brown Thall, Meghan's erstwhile stylist, or a woman who was spotted leaning against a wall outside Westminster Abbey in March." The mind boggles.

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Kate and Meghan are feuding.

Since Meghan joined the royal family, conspiracies regarding her relationship with Kate have sprung up. After The Sun ran an article claiming that Kate and Meghan had a vicious row, the palace was forced to debunk the rumors. However, that hasn't stopped theorists from constantly pitting the women against one another and TLC from airing a special titled Kate vs. Meghan: Princesses at War?

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Meghan is a secret agent.

If you thought the surrogacy claims were wild, then wait until you hear Paul Bettany's theory. According to Vanity Fair, the actor appeared on The Tonight Show and proceeded to "joke" to Jimmy Fallon, "I think that Meghan Markle might be a sleeper agent for the U.S. government." And as for his proof? "The dad doing the photos thing, it's like a false-flag event. I think the C.I.A.'s involved—everybody. I think Piers Morgan's involved." And despite the fact that Bettany was clearly joking, the theory is still doing the rounds online.

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Love Actually predicted Harry and Meghan's romance.

Fans of the classic British rom-com Love Actually will be well aware of the adorable on-screen romance that takes place between Sam and Joanna. Brit Thomas Brodie-Sangster plays Liam Neeson's son, Sam, who has a crush on his American classmate, Joanna. The pair seemingly embark upon a transatlantic relationship when they are just kids.

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Love Actually predicted Harry and Meghan's romance.

And according to The Hollywood Reporter, a plethora of fans think that the Richard Curtis movie predicted Harry and Meghan's love story. For instance, just like Prince Harry, Sam dealt with a tragic bereavement at a young age. Plus, he followed his heart, even though his love interest would be living abroad. And the fact that Joanna is a talented performer is just the icing on the cake.

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Queen Elizabeth I was the real William Shakespeare.

Many theories abound about the true authorship of Shakespeare's works, but one of the strangest is that Queen Elizabeth I was the real playwright. Ranker wrote, "Elizabeth was known to write poetry and was considered to be an incredibly well-educated, witty person," a contrast to Shakespeare, who, "did not have the necessary knowledge to write about life at court."

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Prince Harry isn't Prince Charles's son.

According to Reader's Digest, rumors have long circulated that Prince Harry isn't Prince Charles's son. Many claim that Harry's father is actually James Hewitt, with whom Princess Diana had an affair. Despite having an affair with Diana while she was still married to Charles, Hewitt revealed in a TV interview in 2017 that he wasn't Harry's dad, saying, "No I'm not. It's worse for him, probably, poor chap."

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Queen Victoria's grandson was Jack the Ripper.

According to Business Insider, multiple rumors suggested that Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, or Prince Eddy, as he was often known, was thought to be the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.

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Queen Victoria's grandson was Jack the Ripper.

However, The New York Times reported that an expert on the murders, who died in 1970, had previously claimed to have known the identity of Jack the Ripper, but, in a letter published the day after his death, denied any connection between the killer and the royal family.

Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.

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