What a year it has been for the British Royal Family. Now that the excitement of Christmas and New Year has died down, there is time to properly reflect on 2018. As the Queen said in her own Christmas Broadcast, “Closer to home, it’s been a busy year for my family, with two weddings and two babies – and another child expected soon. It helps to keep a grandmother well occupied. We have had other celebrations too, including the 70th birthday of The Prince of Wales.”
The 2 royal weddings will be stand out memories for many royal fans. The first took place on 19th May, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Prince Harry (who was given the dukedom of Sussex on his wedding day by the Queen), married his then fiancee Ms Meghan Markle. This wedding will go down in history for many reasons; the bride was a divorced mixed-race American, the bride was walked down the aisle by her soon-to-be father-in-law, and the wedding was a more informal affair, with the bride and groom’s family and friends making up the guests. There were contemporary elements, and an untraditional cake (elderflower and lemon!) I believe this wedding will be the way forward to future royal nuptials. You can read a full account of the wedding elsewhere on this blog. The Duchess of Sussex has started to play her part in, “The Family Firm,” as it is often called (see another blog post on her first month as a Duchess for more information). The Duchess has tried hard to stay true to herself, her passions such as Women’s Rights and equality, and also embrace the protocol and traditions of the monarchy. Meghan has had her first engagement with the Queen (without Prince Harry), and made several speeches. The Sussex’s have gone on their first overseas major tour, to New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Tonga, which you can read about elsewhere on this blog. We also have the exciting news that the Duchess is expecting her first baby in Spring 2019. It is with sadness that we acknowledge the reports in the media about a rift between the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex, and brother’s William and Harry. As there has been no official statement, other than that the Sussex’s are leaving their London home of Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace, for Frogmore House, Windsor, we cannot comment on the truth of these rumours. It seems clear that Nottingham Cottage is too small, and although the Sussex’s could have opted for a larger apartment next door to the Cambridge’s, they may actually be taking advice from William and Catherine, and choosing to spend the first part of married life as they start a family away from London; the Cambridge’s only based themselves in London since Prince George started St Thomas’ Battersea school, living firstly in Anglesea and then their Norfolk Home of Anmer Hall. Besides, Windsor is close to London.
The royal family also expanded with the birth of Prince Louis in April. The third child of the Cambridge’s was born at St Mary’s hospital in Paddington. The Duchess of Cambridge has spent much of this year on maternity leave, but is back at work now. Prince Louis has remained out of the limelight, as his parents are conscious that their children have as normal an upbringing as possible. Read a full blog post on Louis’ christening elsewhere on this blog, including the fact that the Queen and Prince Philip did not attend.
2018 has been the first full year that the Duke of Edinburgh has spent in retirement. His last official engagement took place in September 2017. The Duke, now 97, spends much of his time at Windsor, pursuing his hobbies of carriage driving, and morally supporting the Queen and wider family. He made appearances at both Royal Weddings of 2018, and other family affairs. Due to his declining health (he had a major hip replacement) he decides on the day if he will attend. The Duke has handed over his patronages to other members of the royal family, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is now overseen by his youngest son Edward, Earl of Wessex, supported by his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The Queen has also taken this example, and quietly handed over responsibilities to other family members. But, she still does her red boxes of state papers every day bar the 25th December, and meets with the Prime Minister and other government officials. The Prince of Wales has taken on more of a supportive role to the Queen, for example attending occasions with her when the Duke of Edinburgh would have in the past. The Prince of Wales celebrated his 70th birthday this year, marked with charity events, garden parties, galas and private celebrations. He is the oldest and longest Prince of Wales, and has forged a role for himself. You can read a blog post about his 70 years elsewhere on this blog.
The Queen is active at state visits; this year the President of America Donald Trump, and his wife Melania Trump, visited, as did the King and Queen of the Netherlands. Members of the British royal family also paid visits abroad. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall made several tours, as did the Wessex’s and Duke of Cambridge. The Princess Royal is the most active member of the royal family, and the Duke of York also plays a part. There are many day to day engagements that each member of the royal family makes, that have a positive impact on society, supporting charities and initiatives, and shining a spotlight. They support individuals and groups, and lead the nation in celebrations and vigils.
The second royal wedding was that of Princess Eugenie of York and Mr Jack Brooksbank in October. A completely private affair but nonetheless a royal wedding! The ceremony took place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and was attended by the royals, and family and friends of the bride and groom. The ceremony had unique touches such as a reading from, “The Great Gatsby,” that held significance for the bride, and her low backed dress to show her scar from surgery she had as a young child on her spine. This occasion saw the Duchess of York mixing with the royals, although there have been fallings out in the past before and since her divorce from Prince Andrew. Slowly over the years Sarah Ferguson has been included in royal gatherings at Balmoral, and seen at Ascot.
Lastly, Zara Tindall gave birth to a daughter, Lena Elizabeth, another grandchild for Princess Anne, and great-grandchild for the Queen. Thus, the royal family has expanded quite a lot this year, which must have been apparent as they all gathered for Christmas at Sandringham, the Queen’s private home in rural Norfolk.
I think 2018 has been a fantastic year for the British royals. I just hope 2019 will continue in the same way. They remain as popular and hard working as ever. As the Queen grows older, we can expect more changes but I believe she will not retire or abdicate. God has given her this role for life, and she will be Queen until she dies. I think Prince Charles will be the next King; having learned from his mistakes, he is determined to work hard. I hope the Sussex’s and Cambridge’s will settle down, and will be given time to breathe before it is their turn to be senior royals (I think William will be grateful to his father that Charles does not stand down as the next sovereign in favour of the younger William, as it will give William and his family longer without that burden; they have seen the affect of it on the Queen and her young family when she became Queen at the age of 25). Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of the lesser-known royals; the Wessex’s, York’s, Princess Royal, Kent’s, and Gloucester’s.
Happy New Year! Looking forward to another royal year (and a royal baby!) in 2019.