The royal family is undoubtedly the most talked-about in the world, with the Mountbatten-Windsors being front and centre. And from Prince William and Princess Kate’s recent house move to the fold’s ongoing tensions with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the royals never fail to make headlines.
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It was a lesser known relative who got the world talking this week, as Sophie Winkleman, formally known as Lady Frederick Windsor, opened up about the realities of life in the royal family.
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The 45-year-old Peep Show actress and half-sister to Claudia Winkleman, married into the royal family in 2009, with her husband, Lord Frederick Windsor, being second cousin to King Charles and 54th in line to the throne.
And while Lady Frederick Windsor is reported to be close to multiple senior royals, she does not envy their position, with the actress describing their lives as “total hell”.
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“The more I get to know the royal family, the more I get that their lives are total hell and that level of unasked-for fame is a form of torture,” Winkleman explained in a recent interview with The Times.
“None of them went on Pop Idol or something to be famous,” she continued. “To have that sort of blinding spotlight in your face from when you’re born, not knowing quite whom you can trust, not knowing if someone’s going to betray you, people writing lies about you the whole time, is just brutal.
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“I feel for them all,” she added. “I don’t think a life with that much scrutiny and pressure is remotely healthy, but they have no choice.”
We will continue to update this story.