The writing was on the wall. Family reunions, legal troubles, fractured relationships and exiled royals -- it was always going to be a tough 12 months for the House of Windsor. But nothing could have prepared the Royal Family for the realities of the past year and the seismic shifts it has endured.
2022 should have been a year of celebration, an opportunity to recognize the entry of Queen Elizabeth II into an exclusive club of world leaders who reached the historic milestone of 70 years of service.
For many Brits, the Queen was the only monarch they'd ever known but instead the summer's Platinum Jubilee became a swansong that united thousands in London to celebrate her reign one last time.
Exuberant partygoers draped in Union Jack flags flocked to the British capital for the long weekend. As expected, the four days of pomp and pageantry were an eclectic and, at times, eccentric British spectacle. But concern for the Queen's health cast a shadow over the occasion -- a stark reminder that her presence was not everlasting.
With her ongoing health and mobility issues, she only appeared twice: once as events kicked off with the Trooping the Colour military parade and at the pageant finale when she for what would become the final time.
Just three months later, in September, as the Queen once more united the nation -- this time in grief at her passing.
With the end of the second Elizabethan Age came a long goodbye. Ten days of mourning and commemoration during which 250,000 people flocked to the Palace of Westminster to as the late monarch's coffin lay in state.
Among the mourners, presidents, prime ministers and dignitaries from around the world -- 2,000 in all -- came together for the Queen's funeral. The mourning period saw a new King grieve publicly as individual family members paid tribute to the late monarch's lifelong dedication and legacy.
The funeral arrangements, which had been the subject of much speculation for years, followed centuries of tradition, and allowed many both at home and across the Commonwealth and world to mourn the Queen's death. Thanks to decades of meticulous planning, the dawn of the new Carolean reign saw Charles III quickly proclaimed before he embarked on a whistlestop tour of each of the U.K.'s nations.
Previously unresolved issues such as what kind of role his wife Camilla would have in the future monarchy had been settled by the Queen in the months before her death. One example was her wish for her daughter-in-law to be known as Queen Consort "when the time comes" in a statement issued in February, on the anniversary of her father's death.
Elizabeth II had made several decisions in the twilight of her reign to try and ensure the transition of power to her son was as seamless as possible. Another was to draw a line under the scandals surrounding -- who at the beginning of the year was still facing a protracted court battle in the United States over historical sexual abuse allegations -- by stripping him of his cherished titles and duties.
The Queen understood the monarchy was being tainted by Andrew's legal woes and removing him from any possibility of a future role in civic life likely helped quell further criticism. Andrew later for an undisclosed figure without admitting any wrongdoing and the case was dismissed. But, apparently understanding that the damage to her son's reputation was irreparable, the Queen had again shown that her institutional duties to the country came first.
With now on the throne, it is unlikely we'll see a reversal of that position. Andrew is still a member of the family and as such was present at Sandringham over the holidays, but the new King is not going to sign off on any kind of return to the royal fold for Andrew. He signalled as much by recently passing on Andrew's former military titles to other members of the clan. Additionally, the family's advisers have, in recent years, been promoting a slimmed-down monarchy and the King will want to maintain that in these austere times.
One issue the Queen wasn't able to resolve was the growing animosity between Prince Harry and Meghan and other members of the family. The Queen had vaguely pushed back against claims in their Oprah interview by saying "recollections may vary" but that they were still "much loved family members." However, the bad blood between the Sussexes and other royals remained until her death. And yes, we saw them reunite briefly with the new Prince and Princess of Wales in Windsor to greet mourners. But it's unlikely that things have improved since the couple's Netflix documentary came out earlier this month.
The six-hour series was an unfiltered telling of the family separation from the Sussex perspective. And while most of the talking points , the claims of institutional gaslighting, bullying behavior and alleged planting of stories in the British press against the couple will not be a moment of the year the family will look back on fondly.
The response from the palace followed a tried-and-true method: silence. Hours after the final part of the series was released, the Windsors put on a unified front at the Princess of Wales's Christmas concert in London. While there was likely unhappiness behind palace walls over the barrage of negative headlines, the family opted against any kind of retaliation and instead laid on a stoic showing. The clear message: Keep calm and carry on. The Windsors' lack of response to the series also signaled that they did not view it as damaging to the institution.
The Firm will come under the microscope again when and presumably they'll choose to handle that second Sussex salvo in the same way. Maintaining a dignified silence in the face of potentially detrimental claims is by no means the easy option but the King will not want to get bogged down in family disagreements as his reign begins. Instead, he'll want to redirect the public's attention to the power of the monarchy .
To say 2022 has changed the Royal Family would be a monumental understatement. Few could have predicted just how much change the year would bring. But 2023 isn't going to be much quieter. The royal diary over the next 12 months is already stacking up and the redrawn family will be hoping it brings some much-needed stability.
With Charles on the throne, the new family dynamics face fresh scrutiny. Questions remain over whether the new King can bridge the divide that has cleaved his children. But Windsor turmoil aside, the business of the monarchy will continue.
Among other things next year will also bring the King's first overseas tour -- the first by a British sovereign since 2015. And then of course we have the coronation -- royal events don't get much bigger than this and the King will want to use it to cement his standing and that of the remaining working royals. Charles has signalled a desire to represent all races and religions, and to protect Britain's diversity -- the invited congregation will reflect that. In doing so, he'll also be hoping to channel his mother's flair for unity and bring the country and Commonwealth together as his reign gets underway.
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