The past 12 months have certainly been jam-packed with ups and downs for the likes of King Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry after contending with evictions, title rows and the historic Coronation
There’s never a dull moment when it comes to the Royal Family – and it seems 2023 has well and truly proved that is the case.
The past 12 months have seen the Firm experience some tremendous highs including the historic Coronation of King Charles, as well as some tense lows and even more bombshells launched by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. And as the royals prepare to put 2023 behind them and usher in the brand new year, here we look at the last tumultuous year for the likes of the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as Harry and Meghan…
Bombshell New Year
If the Royal Family thought they could have been eased drama-free into 2023 then they couldn’t have been more wrong.
Prince Harry during an interview to promote his memoir Spare (
Image:
ITV)
Back then they were bracing themselves for the release of Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare, just weeks after Harry and Meghan’s controversial series dropped on Netflix. The book was filled with bombshell after bombshell as he alleged William physically attacked him; lifted the lid on Kate’s feud with Meghan; attacked his stepmother Queen Camilla and claimed his dad didn’t hug him after his mother Princess Diana died.
But the royals responded in what has become their trademark way – “never complain, never explain”. And in their first engagement after the release of the book, William and Kate got a rapturous welcome as they opened a hospital in Liverpool. One elderly woman, who had an appointment at the hospital, stood against a barrier waiting to talk to William and when he stopped she grasped his hand. The 81-year-old, who only gave her first name Sylvia, said “Keep going Will, Scousers love you”, and he replied, “I will do”.
Frogmore eviction
But it seems that it was weeks later when the ramifications of the controversial book really started to hit home for Harry when it was revealed that he and Meghan were being evicted from Frogmore Cottage. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed they had been asked to ‘vacate’ their Windsor home, which had been given to them as a wedding present from the late Queen – although they hardly used it.
Harry and Meghan with Prince William and King Charles (
Image:
POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The request to leave their UK base just weeks after Harry’s damning book was released came amid reports that the move was sanctioned by the King and would remove their remaining foothold in the UK and further weaken ties with the royal family. The decision was interpreted as a major rebuke by Charles to his son.
Title reveal
But just days later, it was confirmed that Harry and Meghan’s children Archie and Lilibet had taken on prince and princess titles. Harry and Meghan’s youngsters became a prince and princess when the King acceded to the throne, but have remained a plain ‘master’ and ‘miss’ on the Buckingham Palace website until then.
It is understood the King was aware beforehand that the Sussexes intended to refer to their daughter as Princess Lili and that there had been correspondence about the matter. It came as Lili was baptised in California, with the couple’s spokesperson saying: “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.”
It is understood the titles will be used in formal settings, but not in everyday conversational use by the couple, and this was the first opportunity to do so since the death of the late Queen.
Coronation planning
As 2023 went into the spring, planning and preparation for the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla really started to step up.
The guest list was drawn up and invitations were sent but a big question mark hung over two royals’ attendance – Harry and Meghan. Organisers were going right down to the wire planning the huge spectacle at Westminster Abbey, without knowing if the Sussexes would attend or not.
However, around three weeks before the big day, a final decision was confirmed, Harry would attend his father’s big day but Meghan would remain at home with the children, especially as the day coincided with Archie’s fourth birthday.
Crowning glory
The undoubted high point of the royal year was the Coronation, which took place on May 6 and finally saw King Charles and Queen Camilla officially crowned. Tens of thousands turned out in central London to see the pomp and pageantry, with Charles and Camilla processing through the streets in the Gold State Coach and taking to the Palace balcony in their glittering crowns.
Charles and Camilla on their Coronation Day in May (
Image:
Getty Images)
They were joined by nearly all of their royal relatives including Prince George, who was a pageboy, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. And although Harry was at the Westminster Abbey ceremony, he left for America as soon as it finished. The Coronation kicked off a bumper bank holiday weekend of celebrations, which included a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle and a day of volunteering, which saw William, Kate and their children help to renovate a Scouts Hut.
Speaking after the spectacular weekend, Charles said: “To know that we have your support and encouragement, and to witness your kindness expressed in so many different ways, has been the greatest possible Coronation gift, as we now rededicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and Commonwealth.”
Day of reflection
After the usual summer of attending sporting events and holidaying in Balmoral, the Royal Family had to face a sad anniversary – one year since the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II. On the day of the anniversary, September 8, Charles and Camilla attended the Scottish church where the late Queen worshipped for a poignant event where private prayers were said and a moment of reflection observed for the nation’s longest-serving monarch.
Members of the royal family also marked the anniversary around the country, and the Princess of Wales was visibly moved when, with her husband by her side, she laid flowers by a portrait of the late Queen during a private service at St Davids Cathedral in Wales.
William and Kate remember the late Queen on the first anniversary of her death (
Image:
POOL/AFP via Getty Images)DON’T MISS
The princess, wearing pearl earrings which belonged to Elizabeth II, later spoke to guests at a reception in the cloisters, telling them: “We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them.” Meanwhile, at Windsor Castle Prince Harry even visited St George’s Chapel where his grandmother was laid to rest – although marked the day hundreds of miles apart from his father in Scotland and older brother William in Wales.
Birthday call
Despite the distance, it seems there was a thawing of relations between Harry and his father as the year started to reach its end. It was revealed the Duke of Sussex telephoned the King to wish him a happy birthday as his father celebrated turning 75 on November 14.
The Duke of Sussex called his ‘Pa’ following a day of engagements for the monarch, although the pair had barely been on speaking terms for months. Royal sources said it was likely to be a “nice surprise” for the King, who had not heard from Harry, either by phone or message, “for some time”.
Afterwards, Charles was reportedly still open to hearing from Harry, his “dear boy”. There was an open invite for the pair to meet whenever he’s in the UK, it has been reported, with plans for father and son to talk again soon.
Race row
But just weeks later, Harry and Meghan’s relationship with their royal relatives was put under the microscope yet again due to the release of controversial book Endgme by Omid Scobie, which reignited a royal race row.
That’s because a Dutch version of the book named the two members of the royal family alleged to have raised “concerns” about the skin colour of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son, Prince Archie. The version being sold in English-speaking countries does not name the two people with Mr Scobie stating: “Laws in the United Kingdom prevent me from reporting who they were.”
King Charles with Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales at the Diplomatic Reception earlier this month (
Image:
Getty Images)
In their interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the Sussexes alleged an unidentified member of the monarchy – but not the late Queen Elizabeth II or her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh – had raised “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born”.
Meghan’s claim in 2021 led to a difficult period for the royal family, with the Prince of Wales having to defend the monarchy against accusations of racism, saying: “We’re very much not a racist family.”
The two names came to light in letters exchanged between Meghan and Charles in the aftermath of the Sussexes’ Winfrey interview, according to Endgame. In his book, Mr Scobie says of Charles’s correspondence with his daughter-in-law: “The King, said sources, wanted his response to make clear to Meghan that he felt there was no ill will or casual prejudice present when the two people had spoken about his future grandson.”
United front
But earlier this month, the royals put on a united front with a rare show of unity at a traditional end of year event. King Charles was joined by Queen Camilla , Prince William and Kate at a dazzling Buckingham Palace reception, which traditionally heralds the start of the festive period for the royals.
The royals appeared to brush aside any concerns over the furore at the glittering Diplomatic Corps reception. The annual gathering, which is one of the most scintillating dates in the royal calendar and only postponed during the Covid crisis, welcomes over 500 members of the Diplomatic Corps in the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace.
The royals released a special picture from the glittering Buckingham Palace reception. The Princess of Wales stunned in a pink Jenny Packham dress and diamond encrusted Lover’s Knot tiara. The iconic piece was one of Princess Diana’s favourite pieces and created for Queen Mary in 1914 by the House of Garrard from pearls and diamonds already owned by her family.
The picture was taken in the 1844 Room ahead of the Diplomatic Ball. The Queen wore a cream embroidered evening gown by Fiona Clare; the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara and also the Queen Mother’s – diamond brooch, known as a stomacher, and the late Queen’s diamond bracelet. A royal aide said: “We are very much focused on the job in hand.”
