Whispers of a mistress have been circulating around the royal family for years, and now Queen Elizabeth’s cousin has confessed to fathering an illegitimate child.
Details recently emerged that were so shocking they sent the palace into damage control.
WATCH: Queen Elizabeth snaps when told not to wear crown
The grandson of King Michael – Romania’s last king – and a distant relative of the Queen, Nicholas Medforth-Mills, has denied for years that he was the father of the child, but a recent paternity test finally revealed the truth.
According to the Romania Journal, the former prince was stripped of his title and removed from the line of succession to the throne in August 2015.
While it was never officially confirmed, many speculated the decision was due to rumours that Nicholas had been involved in a fling that resulted in a baby.
At the time, Nicoleta Cirjan – who alleged that she was involved with the former royal for three months – insisted that Nicholas was the father, but he wasn’t prepared to confirm or deny the allegations until a paternity test was completed.
In December 2017, the Queen’s son Prince Charles – who is said to be an avid fan of Romania and frequently visits the country – attended King Michael’s funeral and would have no doubt been shocked to learn that, just a month earlier, Nicholas’ mistress had insisted on a DNA test.
“For the last time, I remind you: I have never refused to take a DNA test … Now, 10-point question for all my grumblers: if he has good intentions regarding his child why is he refusing to take two tests?” Nicoleta posted on Facebook at the time.
While Queen Elizabeth would’ve most likely wanted the talk of a mistress to go away, it wasn’t until more recently that the truth was finally confirmed.
Eight months after marrying Alina Maria Binder in a lavish ceremony, Nicholas came forward on social media to admit he was the father of the now 3-year-old girl.
“As a result of my insistence on the test of establishing the paternity of my alleged child, Ms Nicoleta Cirjan accepted the realisation. The result was positive, thinking I was her child’s father,” he wrote on his Facebook page earlier this year. “Given the context in which this child came to the world, the fact that I did not have a relationship with her mother, I assumed legal responsibility for it.”
In response, Nicoleta took to social media with elation.
“A day that could really not be more surprising than that! And came to me with the lesson of patience. And with the confidence that the truth will always win.”
This isn’t the first time the British royal family has been hit with rumours of a love child.
While married to Princess Anne, Mark Phillips had an affair with New Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin, and the pair welcomed a daughter named Felicity together.
According to The Telegraph: “Phillips was only confirmed as her father in 1991 following a DNA test.”
Meanwhile, an Australian man has long claimed he is the love child of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.
Born in April 1966, Simon Dorante-Day, who lives in Queensland, previously told New Idea he believes Princess Diana was going public with the information before she died.
“At the time, there were all sorts of rumours flying around about the royal family, and my existence was one of them,” he said.
“I think Diana was at a point where she was finding out answers about her life, how she was wronged, and she was going to go public with it.”
Now that the truth is finally out about the Queen’s distant cousin Nicholas, members of the British royal family, in particular Princess Anne, who has had her own share of troubles, would no doubt be in shock and deeply shamed that once again the monarchy has been hit with another mistress scandal.
In fact, it is said that Princess Anne believes these sorts of private matters should be dealt with behind closed doors.
5 royals stripped of their titles!
In a move no-one saw coming, the Swedish royal palace has revealed that King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia have stripped five of their grandchildren of their HRH titles.
This means, Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill’s three offspring – Princess Leonore, 5, Prince Nicolas, 4 and Princess Adrienne, 19 months – will no longer be members of the royal house. Joining them are the children of Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia.
“The purpose of these changes is to establish which members of The Royal Family may be expected to perform official duties incumbent on the Head of State or related to the function of the Head of State,” the statement read.
Shortly after the announcement was made last week, Princess Madeleine took to social media in support of the change, which also means her children will no longer have access to taxpayer funds.
“This change has been planned for a long time,” she captioned a family photo.
“Chris and I think it is good that our children now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as individuals in the future.”
While the announcement has come as a shock to some, this isn’t the first time a move of this nature has been made by a royal family. Princess Anne famously turned down her mother’s offer to give her children Zara and Peter a royal title.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also chose not to give their baby son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor an honorary title in a bid to give him a normal upbringing.
And while any children of Beatrice and Eugenie won’t be born with royal titles, could this change in the law also encourage the Queen to stop financially supporting future generations of the British royal family?
For more, see this week’s New Idea – out now!
