The 14 Most Memorable Royal Moments of 2024
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It was a shaky start to 2024 for the House of Windsor: King Charles and Kate Middleton were hospitalized within days of each other in January, only for both royals to subsequently reveal cancer diagnoses. The King and the Princess of Wales both slowed down significantly, with Kate only carrying out a handful of engagements, and Charles scaling back his schedule as much as he could.
With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle charting a new path across the pond—one that included numerous quasi-royal tours abroad and a burgeoning slate of Netflix originals—the "slimmed-down monarchy" King Charles had always pushed for was feeling slimmer than ever.
Reflecting back on the royal family's most significant moments of 2024, the year was undeniably overshadowed by the absence of the King and the Princess of Wales (who has remained out of the spotlight to focus on staying "cancer free," even as Charles has gone full steam ahead back at work—including carrying out a royal tour of Australia—while still in cancer treatment). It wasn't smooth sailing for the rest of the Windsors, either: Princess Anne dealt with a scary head trauma this summer, while Prince Andrew's disastrous 2019 interview about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was back in the spotlight thanks to a film and a TV mini series dramatization. Things seemed steadier in Montecito; as the Sussexes continue to build their lives (and their brand) in California, they are further removed from the royal orbit.
Here, 14 of the most pivotal moments for the royal family in 2024:
Sussexes around the world
Across the pond, Prince Harry and Meghan ventured out of their no-longer-new home of Montecito, California numerous times this year, traveling to Jamaica (in January), Canada (in February), Nigeria (in May) and Colombia (in August). That's not counting domestic trips, like to Florida in April, or Prince Harry's solo trips to Lesotho, New York City, London (multiple times), and more. This marks a definitive shift from past years for the Duke and Duchess, who have historically stayed closer to home.
The Mother's Day photo drama
In March, to celebrate UK Mother's Day, Kensington Palace released a photograph of the Princess of Wales and her three children, taken by Prince William—a photo that quickly turned into a PR disaster, after it was recalled by major photo agencies.
A day later, Kate issued a personal apology for editing the photo. "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day," she wrote, but the apology didn't quell conspiracy theories.
American Riviera Orchard soft launch
In March, Meghan got back online, under a new brand: American Riviera Orchard. A trademark application, viewed by T&C, reveals ARO could possibly sell home goods, cookbooks, tableware, and edible treats—like jams and fruit preserves.
A month later, the Duchess of Sussex soft-launched her first product, sending limited-edition, American Riviera Orchard-branded jars of strawberry jam in a basket of lemons to a select group of people (here's who received the coveted jam). In July, she also sent out homemade dog biscuits and raspberry jam, but since, there haven't been any ARO updates.
However, she is working on a show with Netflix that will see Meghan "celebrate the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship," so perhaps that will tie into the American Riviera Orchard launch.
Fergie back in the royal fold?
At the end of 2023, the Duchess of York surprised royal watchers when she joined the royal family at Sandringham for Christmas. Before, she had last appeared with the royals on Christmas 32 years earlier (way back in 1991).
But Fergie's Christmas appearance wasn't a fluke: On Easter Sunday this year, which marked Charles's return to public engagements after announcing his cancer diagnosis, the Duchess of York was among the very small group of royals who joined for services. Again, she hadn't been to Easter with the royals since 1991—before her split from Andrew—so her appearance was absolutely noteworthy.
The portrait meme'd around the world
In May, King Charles unveiled a portrait by Jonathan Yeo in Buckingham Palace. Yeo said when Charles first saw it, the King was "initially mildly surprised by the strong color." The portrait, which was commissioned in 2020, was the first official portrait made during Charles's reign, and reactions were mixed—to say the least.
“I’m sorry but his portrait looks like he’s in hell,” one commentator wrote on the British royal family's Instagram. “Does it reference the colonial bloodshed produced by British imperialism?” another asked.
The royal-adjacent royal wedding
In June, the billionaire Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, married Olivia Henson in the closest thing 2024 had to a royal wedding. Among the royal guests were Prince William and Princess Eugenie; Prince Harry, meanwhile, declined the invitation.
For the big day, the bride wore an Emma Victoria Payne gown and veil, and a historic tiara, the Fabergé Myrtle Leaf tiara. Her something blue was her blue bridal shoes.
(See all the photos from the wedding here, and the best dressed guests here.)
Slimmed-down monarchy at Trooping the Colour
Kate's first public appearance of 2024 was at Trooping the Colour, when she stood next to her father-in-law and waved from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Despite the celebratory day, it highlighted the absence of the Princess and the King through much of the first half of 2024, and how an already slimmed-down monarchy became even slimmer.
As Princess Anne said last year, "it doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing. I’d say I’m not sure quite what else we can do." She added, "I think the slimmed-down was said in a day when there were a few more people around—make that seem like it was a justifiable comment."
State Visits
King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted two major state visits this year: One, in June, hosting the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and another, just this week, hosting the Amir and Sheikha Jawaher of Qatar.
The King and Queen also traveled to Australia and Samoa, their only major royal tour of 2024. Their trip Down Under faced mixed reactions, despite it being Charles's first visit to any Commonwealth realm outside the UK since becoming King. One major viral moment featured an Australian Senator shouting "You are not my King" at Charles.
When pop royalty met real royalty
While Taylor Swift meeting Princess Charlotte, Prince George, and Prince William at an Eras Tour show in London maybe doesn't exactly measure up to the other moments on this list, it was absolutely memorable.
"I gotta say, Prince William was fantastic, but the highlight was Princess Charlotte. Prince George was great too," Jason Kelce, Travis's brother, said on their podcast. "[Charlotte] was so f*cking adorable. I cannot express how—maybe because I have three girls now, [but] she had a fire to her! She was asking questions. That was the most electric part." Travis agrees, saying Princess Charlotte "was a superstar!"
Princess Anne's head injury
At the end of June, Princess Anne was hospitalized with minor head injuries and a concussion "following a incident on her Gatcombe Park estate," according to Buckingham Palace. Her injuries, per a royal source, were consistent with impact from a horse’s head or legs, but the Princess Royal suffered memory loss so it was uncertain. After five days, she was discharged, and after a period of rest and recuperation, she resumed her normal duties.
Pictured in July, shortly after she resumed public duties.
Prince Andrew's disastrous interview back in the news
In 2019, Prince Andrew gave an interview to BBC Newsnight, during which he discussed his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. (Read more on how the Newsnight team convinced Andrew to do the interview, here.)
That interview was back in the headlines in a major way this year with not one but two dramatizations: Netflix's film Scoop (starring Rufus Sewell as Andrew, pictured) and a three-part miniseries on Prime Video, A Very Royal Scandal. The double header resurfaced not just questions about the Duke of York and Epstein, but Princess Beatrice's involvement in the interview, his private secretary Amanda Thirsk, and Queen Elizabeth's relationship with her third (and reportedly favorite) son.
Duchy documentary
In early November, a new documentary put a harsh spotlight on the finances and practices of both the Duchy of Lancaster and Duchy of Cornwall.
In The King, The Prince and Their Secret Millions, which aired on Channel 4 in the UK, it investigated how royals make their "personal" wealth. As Victoria Murphy wrote in T&C, "The program claims that the NHS, British Armed Forces, and charities are charged millions for use of properties and land on the estates. 'Charles and William’s private estates claim they are not funded by the taxpayer,' Dispatches’ narrator says in the program, 'But [Dartmoor Prison] is just one example of many where they are making an income from the taxpayer.'"
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