How the royal family navigated the highs and lows of 2022: From the Queen's death to the Platinum Jubilee
27 December 2022, 10:07
For the royal family, 2022 will always be associated with the death of Queen Elizabeth II - but it was also marked by the highs of celebrations for the Queen's 70 years on the throne, and the lows of the worsening relationship with Harry and Meghan.
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The nation was united in grief for weeks after the Queen died on September 8 aged 96, having been on the throne since 1952.
As 2022 comes to a close, LBC looks back at the biggest developments for the royal family over the year.
The death of the Queen
The Queen died on September 8 aged 96, bringing her 70-year reign to a close and ushering in the era of King Charles.
Her death of the UK's longest-serving monarch sparked an outpouring of grief in the nation and across the world, with people queueing for hours to pay their respects.
King and Prince of Wales greet mourners in queue for Queen’s lying in state
The Queen's state funeral was attended by members of the royal family, heads of state from around the world, prime ministers, and government representatives.
Members of both Houses of Parliament, the armed forces, the police, the civil service, and around 200 people who were recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours earlier in the year.
The funeral also saw Meghan and Harry return to the UK from the US, and the Queen's grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry made rare public appearances together.
Read more: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dies aged 96, Buckingham Palace confirms
The Platinum Jubilee
The Queen's death came just three months after the 70th anniversary of her ascending to the throne.
Brits gathered in street parties across the country to celebrate the Queen's reign on the weekend of June 4 and June 5.
A pageant was held, led by the historic Gold Stage Coach through the centre of London.
The Queen herself was not well enough to attend most of the official ceremonies outside Buckingham Palace, but appeared instead in hologram form beamed onto the coach.
She also appeared on the balcony with much of the rest of the royal family for the Trooping of the Colour.
The Queen makes balcony appearance as Jubilee celebrations end
The procession that followed was designed to show British life and culture from across the Queen's 70-year reign, organised according to the decade.
Read more: 'Your Majesty, Mummy': Charles thanks the Queen in emotional Platinum Jubilee tribute
Harry and Meghan
The rift between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the rest of the royal family deepened this year with the release of the Meghan & Harry documentary series on Netflix.
The £100 million show featured the royal couple taking aim at the British media for their coverage of Meghan and Harry, a look at Meghan's upbringing in California, and Harry's accusation that while his family would lie to protect his brother William, they wouldn't tell the truth to protect his wife.
The rest of the royal family have not commented publicly on the documentary or the accusations the couple make in it. But Harry and Meghan are still invited to King Charles' coronation next year, according to reports.
It came after Harry's memoirs, called Spare, were trailed publicly in October. The book, which will be published in January, after the documentary, is billed as "his story at last".
Harry and Meghan's 'punchy' second half leaves the Royal Family 'limited' to how it can respond
Harry delayed the release date from November because he got "cold feet" following the death of his grandmother the Queen.
He was said to be worried parts of the book "might not look so good" after the public outpouring of support for the monarchy last month, and he feared being vilified as a result.
In the announcement, Penguin Random House described the book as "an intimate and heartfelt memoir".
A race row hits the royal family
A long-serving lady-in-waiting and confidante to the Queen sparked a race row in December after repeatedly asking a black British woman where she was from.
Ngozi Fulani, who runs the Sistah Space domestic abuse charity for black women, said Lady Susan Hussey made the remarks at an event at Buckingham Palace.
Lady Susan later apologised for her questioning in a meeting "filled with warmth and understanding".
A spokesperson for the palace said: "Lady Susan has pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the issues in this area.
"Ms Fulani, who has unfairly received the most appalling torrent of abuse on social media and elsewhere, has accepted this apology and appreciates that no malice was intended."
Earthshot
Prince William and Kate Middleton travelled to Boston in December to hold the awards ceremony for their Earthshot prize to develop technology to protect the environment.
They gave prizes of £1 million ($1.2 million) each to five winners of the prize.
The winning projects, announced at a glitzy gala in Boston in the US on Friday night, included a scheme by childhood friends in Oman to turn potentially harmful carbon dioxide into rock.
Earthshot was seen as a success for William and Kate, coming against the backdrop of the Ngozi Fulani scandal and trailers for Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary.
William said during the ceremony at the MGM Music Hall on December 2: "I believe that the Earthshot solutions you have seen this evening prove we can overcome our planet's greatest challenges."
"By supporting and scaling them we can change our future."
The five winners came in separate categories, focusing on air pollution, agriculture, waste reduction, the oceans and climate change.
William hits the streets
Prince William was praised for selling the Big Issue to raise awareness of homelessness.
The prince who is patron of Centrepoint, the homeless charity, was spotted by shocked bystanders wearing the red uniform recognisable to so many as one of the magazine's vendors.
He stopped for a picture with a surprised passerby and was photographed grinning as he tried to sell him a copy.
The charity uses the magazine as a vehicle for homeless people or those at risk of ending up on the street the opportunity to earn money.
Read more: Undercover William praised after being spotted selling Big Issue on the streets of London
