The biggest Royal moments of the past decade

From Town & Country

From weddings and babies to a Diamond Jubilee and retirement, not to mention a devastating scandal, the past 10 years for the British Royal family have been more than a series of traditional milestones, they have contributed to a decade of major change. Though the line of succession may be dramatically different now than it was in 2009, it is the evolution in other areas that has brought the Firm well and truly into the 21st century. A biracial American now sits proudly in the House of Windsor, and a new direct line of communication with the public, social media, has made senior Royals more accessible than ever before.

As Prince Charles continues to prepare for the throne in the 1920s and Prince William’s prominence continues to grow, we take a look at the past decade’s most memorable – and endearing – Royal moments.

— 2009 —

When Michelle Obama Hugged the Queen

America’s First Lady found herself at the hands of the Royal protocol police after placing her arm around the Queen at a G20 summit reception in April 2009. It was a moment breathlessly described by one British tabloid as “shocking and out of line”, but for Michelle Obama, she later wrote in her 2018 memoir Becoming that they were just “two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes… I did what’s instinctive to me any time I feel connected to a new person.”

A new chapter

In January, the Queen granted Prince Harry and Prince William their own Royal household after years of sharing their father’s office at Clarence House. St James’s Palace gave the brothers a chance to expand on their Royal duties, including the launch of the Royal Foundation, which was set up as a vehicle for their charitable activities.

Ahead of his time

While on tour of South America, Prince Charles became the first Royal to warn the world about irreversible damage caused by global warming. “We have less than 100 months to stop climate change disaster,” he told business leaders. Two months later he had another Royal first: reading the weather for BBC News while on tour of their Scotland headquarters in May.

Honourable mention: the Royals go social

On April 28, the official Twitter account of the Royal family was launched (to just 400 followers). Their first tweet? A photo of the Queen meeting poet Carol Ann Duffy at Buckingham Palace. It took another year before Her Majesty joined Facebook.

— 2010 —

William and Kate get engaged

After seven years of dating (and a brief split), Kate Middleton was finally able to shed the cruel “Waity Katie” moniker given to her by the British tabloids when she and Prince William announced their engagement on November 16, 2010. The soon-to-be Duchess of Cambridge’s blue silk Issa wrap dress became an instant classic, spawning a sea of fast-fashion replicas. And her 12-carat sapphire and diamond ring, which previously belonged to Princess Diana, was presumably pinned to millions of Pinterest engagement boards around the world.

Brothers on tour

Princes Harry and William shared their special bond with the world during a June visit to Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa – their first official overseas visit together. It was a chance for the brothers to highlight the issues most important to them, such as supporting disadvantaged youth and sustainable development, while trying to embarrass each other in front of the cameras too. The best shot of the trip? Wearing a rather feisty rock python during a visit to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve.

The Queen returns to the UN

In her first address to the United Nations in 53 years (and first trip to New York since 1976), the Queen called for a united approach to tackle global terrorism and urged all countries “to work together as hard as ever” to fight issues such as climate change.

Royals under attack

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were left shaken after their car was attacked during a wave of student fee protests ripped through London. Protesters cracked the windows of their Rolls-Royce and threw paint as the Royal couple were driven to the Royal Variety show. “First time for everything,” Camilla later quipped at the event.

Honourable mention: Kate becomes the new Rachel

The Duchess of Cambridge’s iconic shiny blow-out made rich girl hair an instant must-have. “Everyone still asks for ‘the Kate’”, her then-hairstylist Richard Ward recently said. “There’s not really anyone new to rival Kate’s fabulous hairstyle.”

— 2011 —

They Do!

The world almost came to a grinding halt when the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. More than 134 million global TV viewers and YouTube streamers were glued to their screens as they watched the Duchess glide down the aisle as a commoner (albeit in a stunning hand-embroidered and appliquéd lace Alexander McQueen wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton) and leave a fully fledged Royal and future queen. It was a day full of the requisite pomp and ceremony—and a lot of tears. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room (including the bride herself) at the Buckingham Palace evening reception after Prince Harry shared in a speech that the couple’s decade-long romance was his inspiration.

Not all attendees were ecstatic, though. Young bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem went viral for looking bored during the newlyweds’ balcony kiss at the palace.

The greatest grandmother

The Queen became a great-grandmother on December 29 after her grandson Peter Phillips’ wife Autumn Phillips gave birth to their daughter Savannah Anne Kathleen. The year was particularly joyful for Princess Anne, who not only became a grandmother but also witnessed her daughter Zara marry the former rugby player Mike Tindall at Edinburgh’s Canongate Kirk on July 30 in front of 300 guests, including the Cambridges and Prince Harry.

A great shame

Prince Andrew started the decade as he was to later end it – embroiled in Jeffrey Epstein-related scandal. In July, the Duke of York was forced to stand down from his role as Britain’s trade envoy after a British tabloid printed a damning photo of the Royal and an underage Virginia Roberts alongside alleged trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell at the home of the billionaire sex offender Epstein. He denied claims that he had been sexually involved with the then-17-year-old, but little did he know, the photo would come back to haunt him.

The Kate effect

She wore it; you bought it. Flying the flag for British fashion, almost every item of clothing the Duchess wore on her summer tour of Canada with Prince William sold out immediately – a phenomenon that quickly became the norm whenever she stepped out. Whether it was her rewearing the white Reiss dress she first donned in her engagement photos or the nude LK Bennett pumps she repeated throughout the trip, her timeless but youthful style and elegance cemented the Royal as a certified fashion icon, and had women across generations rushing out to emulate the look. It had never been this easy to dress like a Princess.

Honourable mention: mad hatters

They were the hats that spawned a sea of Royal memes, but Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie didn’t initially see the funny side of the jokes made about those headpieces worn to the Royal wedding. “There was a horrible article that had been written about Beatrice and she got upset,” her sister later shared. But Beatrice ended up having the last laugh; a month later, she sold her Philip Treacy creation, which had been compared to a toilet seat and a pretzel, at an auction for $131,341 to raise money for two children’s charities.

— 2012 —

Baby on the way!

They wanted to wait until the end of the first trimester, but St James’s Palace was forced to announce the Duchess of Cambridge’s first pregnancy early after she was admitted to a London hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum, a form of severe morning sickness, which the Royal has suffered from during all three of her pregnancies. Thanks to a change to the ancient rule of Royal primogeniture, which was scrapped in 2011, the Cambridges’ first-born was set to become third in line to the throne regardless of his or her gender.

Long may she reign

Britain dedicated four days of national celebration, including two days’ public holiday, to formally commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen (the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne). Every Royal took part in the June celebrations, which included a pageant of 670 boats on the River Thames and a three-and-a-half-hour concert held outside Buckingham Palace with performances by Stevie Wonder, Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran and Elton John.

Scandal in Vegas

Prince Harry found himself the victim of a TMZ kiss-and-tell after being photographed nude in Las Vegas with an unnamed woman during a pre-Afghanistan trip with friends. While under fire at the Palace, the Prince witnessed solidarity from troops and their wives around the world who posted naked pictures of themselves online. During a 2013 interview, he called the incident, “a classic example of me probably being too much army, and not enough Prince”.

An Invasion of Privacy

In September, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge launched legal proceedings in France against celebrity tabloid Closer, after it published long-lens photographs of the Duchess sunbathing topless. The incident, said a Palace spokesperson, was “a grotesque and totally unjustifiable” invasion of privacy and “reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana”. It took five years for a French court to finally award damages to the Royals, who received more than $110,000 in damages in interest – much less than the $1.67 million the couple’s legal team had demanded.

Stunt Queen

At 86 years old, the Queen took on her first acting role for a spoof Bond sequence with Daniel Craig to open the 2012 London Olympics. The estimated $35 million production saw the monarch seemingly skydive into the July opening ceremony after being picked up from Buckingham Palace by Bond. Ever the pro, the Queen got her scene spot-on in just one take. Mission accomplished.

Honourable mention: Royal PDA alert

More comfortable than ever with life in the public eye, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge didn’t hold back from showing their love for each other at the 2012 Olympics. After holding hands at an equestrian event, the couple went a step further and hugged tenderly in front of the cameras after celebrating a Team GB win at a track cycling final. Another big win for the Royal family? Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall won the silver medal with the British equestrian team.

— 2013 —

The great Kate wait

The world’s press managed to keep themselves entertained for three weeks outside London’s St Mary’s Hospital in the searing summer heat while waiting for the Duchess of Cambridge to go into labour with her first child. But it was worth the wait – on July 22, the first Cambridge baby, a boy, was introduced to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing in the arms of an impeccably presented Duchess. “We’re still thinking of a name,” Prince William awkwardly admitted as they left for their new Apartment 1A home at Kensington Palace. Twenty-four hours later, it was announced: George Alexander Louis.

Harrymania hits America

Prince Harry was at his most charming as he toured the United States for a week of engagements in May, including meeting military mothers with Michelle Obama at the White House. And wherever he went, hearts fluttered. “If all the women on Capitol Hill were dust bunnies, #princeharry would be a Dyson Vacuum,” White House staffer Chris Mickey tweeted. "Every woman is gone. Every. Single. One.”

Patiently waiting

The year 2013 saw Prince Charles become the oldest heir to the throne for almost 300 years, beating the current record of William IV, who became King in June 1830 at 64 years old.

Honourable mention: Harry on the run

Duty came first for Prince Harry when he suddenly dashed for his attack helicopter during a January interview in Afghanistan covering his time on tour as an apache pilot. During the sit-down, he was given the call for duty and quickly pulled off his microphone to run across the flight line to his chopper. Five years later, the clip lived on, becoming a major meme in 2018 about your favourite song playing in the club.

— 2014 —

A charm offensive

The popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their child saw a spike in support for the Monarchy during the family’s tour of Australia and New Zealand in April 2014. Chubby Prince George’s adorable antics on the trip, including his first Royal engagements (meeting a bilby at Taronga Zoo in Sydney and attending a playgroup at Government House in Wellington) saw the eight-month-old dubbed the Republican Slayer after a new poll showed the lowest support for a republican movement in the country for 35 years. The Royal couple also played their part and provided endless photo moments, including re-creating a 1983 photo from Prince Charles and Princess Diana in Uluru.

The Queen gets political

The usually apolitical monarch was asked to make a rare public intervention of the Scottish independence referendum after the British government feared it could lead to the breakup of the United Kingdom. The Queen issued an appeal to the people of Scotland four days before the vote to “think very carefully” about their decisions. It was the first time during her 62-year reign that she had waded into the political arena.

A new legacy

More than a spare: Prince Harry launched the first-ever Invictus Games in March after being inspired by a British team of injured troops competing at the U.S. Warrior Games the previous year. “We want to try to get as many of these servicemen and women back into society,” he said. “Why wouldn’t you do that?”

Honourable mention: the Cambridges say cheese

Informality replaced stuffiness in Prince George’s first official family portrait. Sitting at the window of their Kensington Palace home, the family, including their cocker spaniel Lupo, posed for the celebrity and fashion photographer Jason Bell.

— 2015 —

Record-breaking monarch

Queen Elizabeth II became Britain’s longest-reigning monarch on September 9 when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. “Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones,” she commented. “My own is no exception.”

A Princess is born

The Cambridges presented their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana to the world on May 2 –just 10 hours after Duchess Kate was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital’s Lindo Wing maternity ward. As the Queen’s fifth great-grandchild, she became the first to take the title of Princess for 25 years (thanks to a Letters Patent issued by the Queen) and the highest-ranking female heir in line to the throne. Girl power, indeed.

Hanging up his boots

Prince Harry called time on his 10-year career with the British Army in June, announcing that he is looking forward to a “new chapter” in his life. Though he had finished his final mission in the military, a four-week secondment to the Australian Defence Force, Harry admitted that he was not quite ready to become a full-time senior working Royal, admitting he was at a “crossroads” in his life.

Honourable mention: the Duchess gets a makeover

After five months of maternity leave, the Duchess of Cambridge returned to duties in September with a children’s mental health project – and brand-new bangs. Her feathered fringe quickly became a trending topic and was copied (and later regretted) by many.

— 2016 —

“Boom”

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama helped the Invictus Games go viral in May, when Prince Harry enlisted the couple, alongside the Queen, to star in a video for the event that he personally posted to the @KensingtonRoyal Twitter account. After watching a video of the Obamas throwing down the gauntlet to the British team, the Queen – who sat next to Harry – was less than intimidated. “Oh, really. Please!” Looking at the camera, the Prince delivers his mic drop: “Boom.”

That wasn’t the Obamas’ only time spent with the Royal family in 2016; the couple visited the Royals at Kensington Palace, and were greeted by a somewhat-sleepy (and bathrobe-clad) Prince George.

Headstrong

Princes William and Harry, and the Duchess of Cambridge, embarked on their most ambitious charity initiative in May 2016, launching a mental-health charity campaign called Heads Together. The trio said in a statement that their ambition was to “change the conversation on mental health once and for all”. Since its launch, Heads Together (which started out as an idea on the back of a cigarette packet) has raised millions for mental health charities and continues to challenge (and reduce) the stigma around the subject.

Breaking boundaries

Prince Harry paired with Rihanna during a December visit to Barbados to have their blood samples taken for a live HIV test. Advocating for World AIDS Day, the pair received their results in front of the press to raise awareness of the virus before later appearing onstage together for the country’s 50th anniversary of independence celebrations. It wasn’t the first time Prince Harry had taken the finger-prick procedure; earlier in the summer, he took the test over live web stream at a London drop-in centre.

She’s the one

After dating privately for four months, Prince Harry was forced to confirm his relationship with Suits actress Meghan Markle, after Kensington Palace released a statement condemning the “wave of abuse and harassment” his new partner had received. “Some of this has been very public – the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.” Behind closed doors, their trans-Atlantic relationship was perfect, but little did they know that their battle with the British press would soon get a whole lot worse.

Like mother, like son

During their weeklong trip to India and Bhutan in April, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Taj Mahal and recreated a photo taken of Princess Diana in 1992. Prince William said the purpose of the trip was about “creating new memories for the family”.

Honourable mention: Netflix reignites Royal mania

With a running cost of $130 million per season, The Crown was never going to be anything but a big deal. The Netflix biopic series quickly became must-see TV in the fall of 2016, charting the life (and scandals) of the British Royal family in the second half of the 20th century. Sure, some of the scenes have been reimagined for entertainment purposes, but good golly is it fun.

— 2017 —

A well-earned break

August saw Prince Philip retire after 65 years of service and thousands of Royal engagements (22,219 to be precise). The news came more than five years after the palace announced the Duke of Edinburgh would be winding down his workloads. After retiring, the Consort chose to reside at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate, where he enjoys more low-key pursuits such as reading, painting watercolours and horse-carriage driving. His move came with the Queen’s blessing, although the couple – who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in November – are said to miss each other when apart.

Off the market

Over a roast chicken dinner at Nottingham Cottage (with a custom ring featuring a diamond he sourced from Botswana and two that belonged to Diana), Prince Harry did it: he asked Meghan Markle to be his wife in November 2017, just days after she moved to London from Toronto (and shot her final scenes for Suits). Not only had the couple become the most famous in the world, but Meghan’s effortless style quickly saw the birth of “the Markle Sparkle”, with every item of clothing she wore quickly selling out. From the white Line the Label coat she wore for the couple’s Kensington Palace engagement press conference to the crisp Misha Nonoo “husband shirt” she wore during their official appearance at October’s Invictus Games in Toronto, every item was a hit.

A tribute to mum

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, the Duke of Cambridge who was accompanied by his wife and Prince Harry made a poignant visit to the new Kensington Palace memorial garden dedicated to their mother. The brothers had also spoken candidly about losing their mother in a BBC documentary, Diana, 7 Days, in which they praised their father for supporting them as they grieved.

Fab photo

When single mother Karen Anvil went to watch the Royal family arrive for the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, she was not expecting to leave with one of the most iconic Royal photos of the year. But thanks to a lucky iPhone picture of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, and Meghan (who, in a break from tradition, had been invited to join the celebrations despite not being married into the family yet), the British mum has since banked more than £49,000 from the rare Fab Four snap. “We really wanted to see Meghan, so that’s why we visited,” Anvil later shared. “The photo was just a bonus!”

Honourable mention: the cutest wedding guests

All eyes should have been on the bride, but it was the page boy Prince George and the flower girl Princess Charlotte who stole the show at Pippa Middleton’s 20 May wedding to James Matthews.

— 2018 —

Party of five

Although Louis Arthur Charles’ April birth saw him break a Royal record (at 8 pounds, 7 ounces, he was the heaviest newborn heir in 100 years), it was Princess Charlotte who made history on his birthday when she became the first female Royal to retain her claim to the throne, despite having a younger brother, thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013. And while Prince Louis’s Lindo Wing arrival was as smooth as ever for the Duchess of Cambridge, it was Prince William who seemed to be struggling. Two days after his son’s birth, a sleepy-looking Duke of Cambridge could bare barely keep his eyes open at a Westminster Abbey service.

A new era dawns

From the gospel choir to the rousing sermon about the power of love by Chicago-based Bishop Michael Curry, it was clear that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had planned to project a more inclusive monarchy at their May 2018 wedding. As the interracial Duke and Duchess of Sussex exited Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel to the civil rights anthem This Little Light of Mine it was clear that their day was anything but your average Royal wedding.

It’s also worth noting that the Duchess, who wore an elegant Givenchy wedding gown designed by Clare Waight Keller, walked herself halfway down the aisle before being escorted by her new father-in-law, Prince Charles, for the rest of the walk.

Fast-forward to later in the year, Princess Eugenie also picked St George’s Chapel for her 12 October wedding to her longtime boyfriend and the Casamigos brand ambassador Jack Brooksbank.

Fashion Queen

The Queen made her London Fashion Week debut on 20 February to hand out the first Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Sitting front row alongside Anna Wintour (with her own special seat cushion), Her Majesty looked right at home surrounded by the British capital’s young and fabulous.

First comes love …

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex kicked off their tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga with a bang on October 15, announcing to the travelling media that they were expecting their first child. But the big news didn’t slow the Duchess of Sussex down, with the couple taking on 14 flights and 76 engagements in less than three weeks. The trip capped off a successful year for the newly minted Duchess; just one month prior, she raised more than £495,000 from the sales of her Together cookbook project with a London-based community kitchen helping victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Honourable mention: shhh!

It was the Royal children who stole the show at June’s Trooping the Colour, namely Savannah Phillips, who hilariously covered Prince George’s mouth when he started singing the British national anthem. The Queen was not amused.

— 2019 —

Brothers divided

With both brothers on divergent paths, it was an inevitable move, but the 14 March announcement by Kensington Palace that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be starting their own household team at Buckingham Palace and leaving the Royal Foundation did little to quash rumours of a rift. Prince Harry later went on to reveal that he and his brother have had “bad days” but it was a united front for the Duchesses, who put an end to their own “feud” rumours by sitting together at Wimbledon (alongside Pippa Middleton) in July.

Crash horror

Prince Philip cheated death on 17 January when his Land Rover Freelander crashed into another car after being momentarily blinded by the sun. The Duke of Edinburgh later apologised to the female driver he collided with near the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and after being photographed driving without a seat belt a month later, voluntarily gave up his driving license.

Hello, Archie

No title needed! Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor’s 6 May arrival at London’s Portland Hospital could have gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for Prince Harry’s personal announcement near their Windsor home that day. Much to the annoyance of the tabloids, the Sussexes chose to skip the traditional hospital steps unveiling in favour of something new: a candid photo of their son alongside his proud grandparents, the Queen, Prince Philip and Doria Ragland. Over the months ahead, the Royal couple shared a number of new moments with Archie on Instagram, including adorable footage from his September meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town.

Stepping down

Prince Andrew was forced to withdraw from all Royal duties on 24 November, including his 230 patronages, after the fallout from his friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein became irreversible. Earlier in the month, the Duke of York had attempted to clear his name by speaking openly to the BBC about his friendship with the convicted sex offender, but confusing responses to simple questions and a lack of compassion or empathy for Epstein’s alleged victims did him more harm than good.

Going to war

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex declared war on Britain’s tabloids in September after filing legal claims against The Mail on Sunday (for publishing a private letter written to her father, Thomas Markle), as well as the Daily Mirror and The Sun (for phone-hacking claims). Filed during their successful tour of southern Africa, the legal actions saw the couple draw a line in the sand after almost three years of false stories and negative commentary. As the Duchess told ITV’s Tom Bradby the same month, “I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair.”

Given their experiences with the British press, it’s no surprise that the couple are now using their Instagram account (which broke records by amassing one million followers in less than six hours when it launched in April) for sharing news and photos.

Honourable mention: bride-to-be Beatrice

In a year that a number of Royals would quite like to forget, Princess Beatrice’s Autumn engagement to Italian property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi announcement may have been just the tonic. The Royal shared the news on Twitter alongside stunning photos taken by sister Princess Eugenie.