When Private Heartbreak Became Public History

History has never been especially kind to famous figures suffering quietly, and divorce has a funny way of turning private disappointment into a public event. But some people’s actions didn’t just make waves in the court of public opinion; they split dynasties, rattled churches, filled newspapers, or made front-page headlines. From ancient Rome to modern royalty, these 20 divorces show that ending a marriage can sometimes be just as historic as starting one.

Series: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989 Collection: White House Photographic Collection, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989 on Wikimedia

1. Julius Caesar and Pompeia

Don’t let any Puritan beliefs fool you—divorces have existed for a long time, as proven by Julius Caesar. He divorced Pompeia in 62 BC after Publius Clodius Pulcher allegedly sneaked into the women-only Bona Dea festival, which was being held at Caesar’s house. Caesar said he didn’t believe Pompeia had done anything wrong, but he still decided his wife had to be above suspicion. Long story short, it was a very Roman way of saying that public image outranked domesticity.

Francesco Bertolini on Wikimedia

2. Mark Antony and Octavia

Mark Antony legally married Octavia in 40 BC, a move meant to steady Rome, considering she was the sister of Octavian, his powerful political partner and future enemy. However, they later split when Antony abandoned that alliance and divorced Octavia in 32 BC, deepening his bond with Cleopatra instead. The split became part of a much larger political disaster. 

Illustrator: John Gilbert. Engraver: Dalziel Brothers on Wikimedia

3. Eleanor Of Aquitaine and Louis VII

Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Louis VII of France had their marriage annulled in 1152 after years of tension and no male heir. That was a big deal back then, but Eleanor got back on her feet and, within weeks, married Henry Plantagenet. He later became King Henry II of England, taking her enormous Aquitaine inheritance into a new political orbit. 

Stefan Oemisch (Germany/Allemagne) on Wikimedia

4. Henry VIII and Catherine Of Aragon

Henry VIII’s effort to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon became one of the most consequential marital disputes in history. Pope Clement VII had initially refused to annul the marriage, so Henry broke with Rome and helped set England on the path toward the English Reformation. Catherine had her own stakes in the story, too; her personal heartbreak became a national religious rupture.

B. Treil (English, 19th century) on Wikimedia

5. Henry VIII and Anne Of Cleves

Today’s celebrities aren’t the only ones susceptible to embarrassingly short relationships. Take Henry VIII, who married Anne of Cleves in January 1540 and had the marriage annulled that July. Anne handled the debacle with caution and accepted the annulment, a decision that probably helped her survive Henry’s court with comfort and status. 

Hans Holbein the Younger on Wikimedia

6. Lucrezia Borgia and Giovanni Sforza

Lucrezia Borgia’s marriage to Giovanni Sforza was annulled in 1497 after her father, Pope Alexander VI, no longer needed the Sforza alliance. Giovanni wasted no time in spreading ugly accusations about the Borgia family, which only helped cement Lucrezia’s scandalous reputation for centuries.

Giannantonio da Foligno on Wikimedia

7. Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine

Remember what we said about not producing sons? Well, Napoleon and Josephine divorced in 1810 for the very same reason, and while their separation was staged with ceremonial dignity, everyone understood that the dynasty beat romance. Josephine remained beloved in French society, however, which made Napoleon’s decision feel a lot colder than he wanted it to look.

Hector Viger on Wikimedia

8. John Ruskin and Effie Gray

The marriage of art critic John Ruskin and Effie Gray was annulled in 1854 after six years, with non-consummation at the center of the case. It seemed like a normal enough reason on the surface, but their split was unusually public because it required discussion of whether the marriage had ever been consummated. Effie later married painter John Everett Millais, Ruskin’s former protégé.

Thomas Richmond (1802-1874) on Wikimedia

9. Albert Einstein and Mileva Marić

Albert Einstein and Mileva Marić divorced in 1919 after years of strain, separation, and family complications. The most interesting part of their divorce, however, was that their settlement famously included an agreement that she would receive the money if he won a Nobel Prize, which he later did. 

Unknown author on Wikimedia

10. Mary Pickford and Owen Moore

Mary Pickford divorced actor Owen Moore in 1920 and married Douglas Fairbanks soon afterward, creating shockwaves through Hollywood. Pickford was known as “America’s Sweetheart,” so the speed and public nature of the divorce kept moral watchdogs pretty busy. That being said, her marriage to Fairbanks only helped create one of the first great Hollywood power couples.

Benjamin B. Hampton on Wikimedia

11. Consuelo Vanderbilt and The Duke of Marlborough

Consuelo Vanderbilt’s marriage to Charles Spencer-Churchill, the 9th Duke of Marlborough, began as a glittering Gilded Age alliance between American money and British aristocracy. It seemed airtight until they separated in 1906, divorced in 1921, and later received an annulment after Consuelo’s mother admitted she had pushed her daughter into the match.

John Singer Sargent on Wikimedia

12. Wallis Simpson and Ernest Simpson

Wallis Simpson’s divorce from Ernest Simpson technically cleared a path for her to accept King Edward VIII’s request for marriage, but it also created a constitutional crisis in Britain. As a twice-divorced American woman, Wallis was considered unacceptable as a British queen by many leaders of the time, and in 1936, Edward chose abdication; being king and head of the Church of England was considered incompatible with marrying a woman whose former husbands were still alive.

Unknown author on Wikimedia

13. Rita Hayworth and Prince Aly Khan

When a major Hollywood actress married into a prominent Muslim princely family, you’re bound to make headlines. Rita Hayworth’s marriage to Prince Aly Khan brought together a level of attention neither one of them could easily deal with, and sure enough, their divorce in 1953 followed years of separation, custody disputes, and relentless press interest in their daughter, Yasmin. They also wound up splashed on just about every paper.

Acme News Photos on Wikimedia

14. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio’s 1954 marriage only lasted nine months before she filed for divorce due to “mental cruelty.” Since Monroe was basically the poster girl for paparazzi, their split shocked fans almost immediately, and the press conference became one of the most photographed moments of her personal life. 

Photographer not credited on Wikimedia

15. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera divorced in 1939 after a marriage marked by political intensity and repeated betrayals. But not even a divorce could keep them apart for long, and Rivera asked for remarriage while Kahlo was in poor health. She accepted, and they remarried there on December 8, 1940, his 54th birthday.

Unknown author on Wikimedia

16. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

Talk about an on-again, off-again relationship—even back then. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton married in 1964 after a scandalous affair during the filming of Cleopatra. They then divorced in 1974. They then remarried in 1975 and divorced again in 1976, which gave the public a rare sequel to a spectacle it already knew well. 

Joop van Bilsen for Anefo on Wikimedia

17. Nelson Rockefeller and Mary Todhunter Clark Rockefeller

Even after more than three decades together, Nelson Rockefeller and Mary Todhunter Clark Rockefeller called it quits in 1962. To make matters worse, his quick remarriage to Margaretta “Happy” Murphy, who had also recently divorced, became a major issue when he sought the Republican presidential nomination. 

Kheel Center on Wikimedia

18. Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon, divorced in 1978 after years of tabloid attention and visible turmoil. It was the first divorce in Britain’s immediate royal family since Henry VIII’s annulment from Anne of Cleves in the Tudor era, which made it an even bigger deal. As you can imagine, with British tabloids, the press went wild.

Jack de Nijs for Anefo on Wikimedia

19. Prince Charles and Princess Diana

In what was easily one of the most widely covered splits in history, Prince Charles and Princess Diana were already separated for four years before finalizing their divorce in 1996. Their wedding was sold as a royal fairy tale, but after years of public tension and relentless press coverage, the end felt inevitable. Diana kept the title Princess of Wales, though. 

Tucker, Robert John, 1948-2023 on Wikimedia

20. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

What never really got as much attention was how Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson also divorced in 1996. Their split, interestingly enough, also followed years of separation (with the pair calling it off in 1992) and public embarrassment, but despite it all, they remained unusually close afterward. 

Andrew_Sarah_wedding_19860723.jpg: Elke Wetzig (Elya) derivative work: Hic et nunc (talk) on Wikimedia