Abdication, divorce, racism: Queen Elizabeth's crises

From abdication to divorce and accusations of racism, the royal family has been no stranger to scandal over the decades. Queen Elizabeth II is largely credited with weathering the various storms -- the picture of poise amid family dramas that made for juicy tabloid fodder. Here are some of the crises that rocked the royal family during the queen's lifetime:   Love over country

Elizabeth got a brush with royal drama even before she took to the throne in 1952.

Her father George VI only became king after the abdication of Edward VIII, 326 days into his reign in 1936, in the biggest scandal in modern royal history.

Edward's decision to step down to marry an American divorcee -- socialite Wallis Simpson -- sparked a constitutional crisis.

Edward was the first monarch in the 1,000-year history of the British Crown to give up the throne of his own free will.

Margaret's heartbreak

In 1952, her sister princess Margaret, then aged 22, began a romance with her late father's divorced aide, former Royal Air Force officer Peter Townsend.

Their wish to marry prompted a battle between the disapproving government and the public -- which was seen to be sympathetic to the union -- with the...