The year of 2022 will go down in history for many reasons, and it's certainly marked the biggest change for the Royal Family in over 70 years. During the summer, the nation celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee with lemon trifle and laughter over Prince Louis' iconic expressions.
As the Queen became frail, changes were made to the State Opening of Parliament and in September, Her Majesty was laid to rest after passing away at the age of 96. The late monarch's funeral was watched by 28 million people and emotional moments touched the hearts of Britain as a new King was crowned.
Now we head into 2023 having watched Harry & Meghan's bombshell Netflix documentary and King Charles III's first speech on Christmas Day. It will be a monumental start to the year with a new Queen Consort, changes to British coins and Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare'.
70 years on the throne
The royal's rollercoaster year started with the late Queen reaching the incredible milestone of 70 years as monarch.
It was on February 6, 1952, that her father George VI died and she automatically became Queen and she spent the 70th anniversary of her accession privately at Sandringham.
However, she did issue a message, where she renewed her vow made when she was just 21 to devote her life to service.
She said: "As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service.
"As I look ahead with a sense of hope and optimism to the year of my Platinum Jubilee, I am reminded of how much we can be thankful for.
"These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress socially, technologically and culturally that have benefitted us all; and I am confident that the future will offer similar opportunities to us and especially to the younger generations in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth."
Queen Consort Camilla
The statement released to mark her accession day also hit the headlines after the late Queen declared her wish for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be known as Queen Consort when Charles became King.
It had been thought that upon Charles' accession, his wife Camilla would be known as the Princess Consort - and this was announced on their wedding day in 2005.
But the Queen added in her unprecedented statement: "When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service."
State Opening of Parliament
As the months went on and the Queen became increasingly frail, changes had to be made to her duties.
And one of the biggest came when she pulled out the State Opening of Parliament - leaving son Charles, then Prince of Wales - to carry out the duty for her.
On arrival at the House of Parliament, Charles could be seen emerging from his car wearing his Admiral of the Fleet uniform, medals and honour insignia, while Camilla looked elegant in a navy coat dress and matching hat.
Prince William joined them with him and his father jointly opening Parliament on the Queen's behalf as Counsellors of State.
Charles sat not on the sovereign's throne, which had been removed, but on the consort's throne, which used to be occupied by his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, and which Charles has used in recent years.
A space remained next to him, where the missing throne is usually located, under the opulent canopy, with the monarch's Imperial State Crown in front on a velvet cushion
Platinum Jubilee weekend
However, one huge event the late Queen rallied for was her unforgettable Platinum Jubilee weekend in early June to celebrate her 70 year reign.
The bumper four-day bank holiday began on the Thursday with the return of Trooping the Colour to London for the first time since the Covid pandemic.
As well as the usual carriage processions and military parade, the Queen stood with her family on the Buckingham Palace balcony as they watched a majestic RAF flypast.
But it wasn't the monarch who was the star of the show, it was her four-year-old great-grandson Prince Louis, who delighted fans with his hilarious faces.
The second-day of celebrations kicked off with a service at St Paul's Cathedral and the one and only public appearance of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - however, the Queen was unable to attend.
Meanwhile, the next day saw a huge concert performed outside Buckingham Palace with acts taking part including Queen, Alicia Keys and Diana Ross.
However, the night will always be remembered for the Queen's sketch with Paddington Bear, where she finally revealed what she kept in her handbag - marmalade sandwiches.
The unforgettable weekend came to a conclusion with a colourful pageant before yet another balcony appearance - in what turned out to be the Queen's last.
For it she was joined by her direct heirs Charles, William and Prince George, as well as Camilla, Kate, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Queen's final duty
On September 6, the Queen hosted a historic audience with new Prime Minister Liz Truss in the informal surroundings of her Scottish home of Balmoral.
While the Queen was said to have ongoing mobility issues, she looked bright yet frail as she used a walking stick to greet the leader of the Conservative party.
Photographs showed the pair in the green drawing room for the Monarch's tradition of 'kissing the hands' to welcome the 15th leader of her reign.
It was the first time Her Majesty had conducted the appointment in Scotland instead of in London at Buckingham Palace.
The pair chatted for around 30 minutes before the Queen was visited by the outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who tendered his resignation.
In true fashion, the Queen, who was wearing a cardigan and a skirt of Balmoral tartan, didn't let go of her black patent handbag.
Queen's death
At 3.10pm on September 8, Queen Elizabeth II peacefully passed away at the age of 96 in her beloved Scottish home, Balmoral Castle, surrounded by her family.
The Queen's two oldest children - Charles and Anne - were at her bedside in her final moments and were lucky enough to say goodbye. Other senior members of the family, including Prince Edward, Sophie Wessex and Prince William, rushed to Scotland when her conditioned worsened however they didn't arrive in time.
Buckingham Palace made the announcement at 6.30pm, stating: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."
The Queen's cause of death was later confirmed as old age on her death certificate, with no other contributing factors.
New King
Prince Charles officially became King Charles III the moment his mother passed away, with September 8 officially his Accession Day. While coming to terms with losing his mother, Charles had to start a number of official proceedings as Monarch.
The following day he address the nation with an emotional message, in which he paid tribute to his late mum and appointed Kate and William the Prince and Princess of Wales. He also sent his love to his second born, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle.
He said: "The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.
"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
"During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held."
Queen's funeral
The Queen's funeral was held on September 19 at Westminster Abbey, where around 2,000 mourners - including world leaders, royals and NHS staff - gathered to pay their respects to the late Monarch.
The Queen's coffin was marched by gun carriage from Westminster and past Buckingham Palace before departing London on her last journey.
A tearful King Charles and other royals including young Prince George and Princess Charlotte paid their respects in a smaller ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Queen Elizabeth II was then laid to rest in the Royal Vault beside her late husband Philip.
The day was marked as a national holiday and the funeral service was aired on more than 50 UK channels, allowing 28 million people to tune in and mourn the Queen's passing.
Emotional moments that will always be remembered include the Queen's corgis saying their final goodbyes, the Queen's piper's last lament at Windsor and King Charles tearing up at 'God Save the King'.
Harry and Meghan's Netflix show
More than two years after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed a $112m deal with Netflix, their highly-anticipated docuseries about life in the royal family and beyond finally dropped.
Across six explosive episodes of 'Harry & Meghan' the couple revealed unseen photos, confessions and a behind-the-scenes look at their private lives.
Among the shock bombshells were claims Harry was left "terrified" when William "screamed and shouted" at him during a meeting about Megxit.
In another scene, Harry accused royal insiders of "lying" to protect his brother in the trailer of the show.
The Duke of Sussex said: "They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to protect the truth to protect us."
Meghan said she "tried so hard" but that it "still wasn't good enough" as she described stepping back as a working royal.
Near the end of the final episode of the documentary, Meghan added: "A part of what's beautiful here is the freedom to have family moments out in the world.
"And I want our kids to be able to do that and to be able to travel and to fall in love. I just want them to be happy."
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment on the documentary with the royals carrying on with business as usual.
Christmas
In what was likely an emotional festive period for the family, the royals made their annual trip to their Norforlk estate, Sandringham, for the Christmas period.
King Charles led his family to the traditional Christmas Day church service, chatting with well-wishers on their way in and out of the religious building.
While he's led the family in previous years when the Queen wasn't well enough to attend, this was the first time he did it as Monarch.
And the royals were out in force as they came together to navigate their way through the emotional festivities.
The King and Queen, the Wales family, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands, the Tindalls, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex and their children were among those to attend.
Prince Louis made his Christmas debut, looking adorable in little shorts as he held hand with his proud parents. Beatrice's step-son Wolfie also attended for the first time after joining the family at the Jubilee celebrations.
Later in the day, Charles made his first King's Speech, in which he paid tribute to the Queen and spoke about the Cost of Living Crisis.
Earlier in the month Princess Kate hosted a carol concert at Westminster Abbey, which she dedicated to her husband's late grandmother.
What royal moment will you always remember from this year? Let us know in the comments.
