Power and privilege have a way of breeding scandal, especially when bedroom doors are involved. While the headlines often spotlight the most infamous affairs, there’s a trove of lesser known stories that are equally jaw‑dropping. Below we dive into ten such scandals, each exposing how far some powerful men will go to satisfy desire.
Lesser Known Scandal Insights
1 The Tarakeswar Affair
One of the most gripping tales of sex and murder to hit British‑ruled India unfolded in 19th‑century Calcutta. The head priest of the local Tarakeswar Temple, Madhavchandra Giri, seduced and raped Elokeshi, the young wife of government clerk Nobinchandra Banerji, while he was away on duty. With her parents’ consent, Elokeshi and Giri continued their illicit liaison.
When Banerji returned, his wife confessed everything and begged for forgiveness. The couple reconciled and prepared to leave the area, only to be blocked by the priest’s henchmen. In a fit of fury, Banerji beheaded his wife and was promptly arrested.
The ensuing trial, which captured the British press, saw Banerji initially acquitted, then convicted, and finally pardoned thanks to overwhelming public support for his actions. Giri was stripped of his position and sentenced to three years of hard labour. The Tarakeswar Affair inspired numerous plays and artworks, keeping the story alive for decades.
2 The Geisha That Toppled A Japanese Prime Minister
In the late 1980s, Japan saw two prime ministers resign in quick succession. First, Noburo Takeshita and his cabinet fell amid a massive financial scandal in 1989. His successor, Sosuke Uno, promised to clean up the mess, but his own skeletons emerged when geisha Mitsuko Nakanishi went public.
Nakanishi claimed she and Uno had a five‑month affair that abruptly ended when he left her. While the Japanese public tolerated private indiscretions, they could not overlook her accusation that the wealthy Uno hadn’t paid her adequately for her services. Public outrage over his stinginess forced Uno to resign, making him Japan’s fourth‑shortest‑serving prime minister.
3 A German Doctor’s Scandinavian Scandal
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as the life of Johann Struensee illustrates. The Enlightenment‑loving physician became the personal doctor to the schizophrenic Danish king Christian VII, gaining the king’s trust and, consequently, the affection of the king’s long‑suffering wife, Queen Caroline Matilda.
The two embarked on a torrid affair that many believed produced a princess, Louisa Augusta. Simultaneously, Struensee’s influence over the monarch grew, allowing him to implement sweeping reforms: abolishing press censorship, outlawing slavery, and improving welfare services for common folk. Despite his progressive agenda, the Danish populace resented a foreigner acting as a de‑facto dictator.
King Christian VII’s mother‑in‑law orchestrated a coup that toppled Struensee’s brief regime. He was executed, while Queen Caroline was imprisoned for adultery. Her brother, King George III, later rescued her, and she became known as the “Prisoner of Celle.”
4 The Eulenberg Affair
Just before World War I, Imperial Germany was rocked by accusations that Kaiser Wilhelm II’s inner circle was riddled with homosexual pacifists. Newspaper publisher Maximilian Harden, convinced the Kaiser’s weak leadership would doom Germany, aimed to tarnish the regime indirectly. He enlisted palace insiders, including Otto von Bismarck, to feed scandalous rumors.
One of Harden’s prime targets was Prince Philip Eulenberg, a close confidant of the Kaiser and noted pacifist. Harden alleged that the married Eulenberg maintained numerous gay lovers, even within the military, naming Count Kuno von Moltke among them. The resulting trials devolved into a media circus, with Harden presenting eyewitnesses and “experts” on homosexuality, while the accused sued for libel.
The verdicts were inconclusive, but the accused saw their reputations shattered and careers ruined. Harden’s campaign inadvertently cleared the way for militarists to dominate the Kaiser’s entourage, a factor that helped ignite World I.
5 Kim Jong‑Un Allegedly Executed His Girlfriend
Has North Korea’s newest dictator gone mad with power? South Korean media reported that Kim Jong‑Un had his ex‑girlfriend, Hyong Song‑Wol, executed along with about 20 musicians in August 2013 after they were accused of producing and selling sex tapes. A month later, the alleged “sex tape” surfaced on a Chinese video platform, showing the singer and two scantily clad women dancing to an Elvis Presley song—a far cry from pornography.
A North Korean defector later confirmed the executions, noting that the musicians had claimed Kim’s current wife, Ri Sol‑Ju, had previously made similar videos. To prevent a scandal, Kim allegedly silenced them permanently. North Korean officials neither denied the execution nor the rumors, instead denouncing South Korean and Japanese outlets for spreading “false rumors.”
6 The South African President’s HIV Gague
Current South African president Jacob Zuma famously mishandled HIV prevention. During his 2006 trial for the alleged rape of a 31‑year‑old woman—who happened to be the daughter of a deceased friend—Zuma testified that he knew the woman was HIV‑positive but chose not to wear a condom. Instead, he took a shower after intercourse, believing this would “minimize the risk” of contracting the disease.
The court eventually cleared Zuma, labeling the rape accusations fabricated, but the judge condemned his reckless attitude toward AIDS. Activists and health groups expressed outrage that a deputy president, who also headed health agencies, treated the disease so casually. After the trial, speculation swirled about whether Zuma himself contracted HIV, a rumor he attempted to quash in 2010 by announcing he had tested negative.
7 Generals And Their Mistresses
Uniformed men often display a glaring weakness for women in skirts. Former CIA director David Petraeus, a four‑star general who led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, resigned in 2012 after admitting an affair with his biographer. That’s just the latest chapter in a long line of military romances.
In the 1930s, Douglas MacArthur, while stationed in the Philippines, began a relationship with a 16‑year‑old Scottish‑Filipina girl. Their liaison continued for years, and when MacArthur became chief of staff, he brought her to Washington. The relationship eventually ended, with MacArthur paying off his former lover to keep the affair quiet.
Another famed general, Dwight Eisenhower, reputedly had an affair with his personal driver, Kay Summersby, during World II. Though the rumor never stopped him, it helped pave the way for his later election as U.S. president.
8 Canaan Banana
Yes, there really was a man named Canaan Banana, the first black president of Zimbabwe. While prime minister Robert Mugabe wielded the real power, Banana helped broker a peace deal between the government and rebels. Yet he is more infamously remembered for raping his male aides and bodyguards.
A former bodyguard, who later faced a murder charge, revealed that he killed a victim who had taunted him by calling him “Banana’s wife.” In 1997, several former employees came forward, accusing Banana of raping and assaulting them. Fearing retribution from Mugabe, Banana fled the country before sentencing.
Nelson Mandela eventually convinced him to return, where he served eight months of a ten‑year sentence before being released.
9 The King Of Sweden’s Strip Club Visits
Monarchs are no strangers to scandal, but Sweden’s royal family had long enjoyed a pristine image—until 2010. An explosive tell‑all book, titled The Reluctant Monarch, alleged that King Carl XVI Gustaf regularly attended wild orgies and visited strip clubs, one of which was reportedly mafia‑owned.
The book also detailed an affair with a Swedish model‑singer, describing plans to elope to an island and survive on coconuts. While the king denied the claims, a 2011 interview saw him quip, “It depends what you mean by sex and strip clubs. It is a rather broad definition.”
10 The Philippine President’s Hollywood Affair
Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos already displayed megalomaniacal tendencies before he ever became dictator. One of his self‑servicing projects was a movie dramatizing his supposed exploits as a guerrilla leader during World II. Actor Paul Burke was cast to play Marcos, while Dovie Beams took the lead female role.
When Beams arrived in Manila, Marcos wooed her, and a two‑year affair ignited during production. Marcos tried to keep the liaison hidden from his wife Imelda, but Beams placed a tape recorder under their bed, capturing every intimate encounter.
After the affair ended and Beams wasn’t paid, she released the recordings to Manila journalists. The tapes revealed the president’s off‑key singing and desperate pleas for sexual favors. Fleeing to Hong Kong, Beams escaped an assassin sent by Marcos and a consular attempt to stop her flight to the U.S.
Marcos’s own wife, Imelda, seized the scandal to strengthen her grip on the inner circle. After martial law was declared, she controlled virtually everything—including him.