It’s fair to say this year has been non-stop in terms of royal news.
Given the passing of the Queen, the Harry & Meghan documentary and everything else that happened this year, there’s no doubt 2022 will be a significant time in the history books when it comes to the British monarchy.
Here are some of the biggest royal moments of 2022.
Prince Andrew's court settlement
In March Prince Andrew was in the headlines after paying a financial settlement to his accuser Virginia Giuffre, regarding allegations of sexual assault. The case claimed that Andrew had assaulted her on three occasions when she was under the age of 18, which the Duke denied.
A document submitted to a US court announced the news of the settlement. It said: “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement".
This formally ended the civil case, with much speculation about how Prince Andrew afforded the settlement, which could have costed millions of dollars. Andrew’s trial was initially set for late 2022, which posed the risk of tarnishing the Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations. With this in mind, it was predicted that the Royals would try to reach a settlement.
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
In lighter royal news, the Queen celebrated herPlatinum Jubileeon February 6 this year, celebrating 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms, and the Commonwealth. As the first British monarch to do so, this was a moment for the history books.
To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary a four day UK bank holiday weekend was announced from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June. Events included street parties, military parades and performances from legends like Elton John, as well as the Queen herself appearing in a sweet sketch with Paddington Bear.
The Prince and Princess of Wales leave London
In September, The Prince and Princess of Wales decided to make a major move, relocating from their London home at Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage some 30 miles west on the Windsor estate.
On the morning of September 7, the pair was photographed taking Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and little Prince Louis to their first day at Berkshire's Lambrook School. The move was reportedly made so that the children could enjoy a more “normal” childhood.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II
Also in September the biggest royal news of the year broke with the passing of Queen Elizabeth’s at age 96. She died peacefully at Balmoral Castle as the UK’s longest-serving monarch after reigning for 70 years. Most of September was filled with news updates about the royal family in the wake of such a momentous loss.
At the time, the Queen was spending her summer break at Balmoral after a few days before performing her last major duty of state, asking Liz Truss to form a government and become her 15th prime minister during her reign.
The state funeral paying tribute to the Queen’s extraordinary reign and life of service took place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September with 2000 guests in attendence. The Queen’s coffin had been Lying-in-State since the evening of Wednesday 14th September, with members of the royal family, famous faces and members of the public making the journey and queuing for hours to pay their respects. The Queen was then buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle.
One of the most significant changes following the Queen’s death was the awarding of new titles to all of her senior members of the royal family. William and Kate assumed the titles that Charles and Diana formerly held —Prince and Princess of Wales—while Charles became king and Camilla the queen consort.
Prince Harry's memoir was announced
In late October, the title ofPrince Harry’s highly anticipated memoir was announced. Spare is due out in January 2023 and is described as “a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.” Royal author and broadcaster Robert Jobson said that the title of the book suggests that Harry “has a chip on his shoulder”.
Royal correspondent Jennie Bond also weighed in on the upcoming memoir, saying: ""I think Harry’s book will be more controversial than the Netflix docuseries because the title is searingly honest."
Jennie went on to add: "I imagine the royals were a bit sad when they heard the name. It’s sad that that's how he has felt all his life. It’s sad, but what can they do about it?"
Harry & Meghan Netflix documentary
In December, Harry andMeghan’s bombshell two-part Netflix docuseries arrived on the streaming service.
Met with mixed reactions, the episodes gave viewers a look behind the scenes during their time in the royal family and their ultimate decision to step down and move to the US.Speaking exclusively to OK!, Katie Nicholl, author of The New Royals, said that after a tumultuous few months Harry is going to have to “win back the trust” of The Firm if their strained relationship is going to move forward in the new year.
She continued: “I think every relationship can ultimately be repaired but it’s going to take a lot of time and Harry is going to need to work very hard to win back that trust.
“It’s clear from the documentary Harry is awaiting an apology from the royal family and I don’t think he is going to get an apology.”
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