The Most Memorable Royal Photos of 2022
From Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee to King Charles III's first speech as monarch, here are the British royal family's most memorable moments of 2022.
2022 will go down in history a momentous year for the British royal family. This year not only marked Queen Elizabeth's 70th year on the throne—she became the first British monarch ever to achieve a Platinum Jubilee—but also will forever be remembered as the year the long-reigning monarch passed away.
In the first half of the year, due to the Queen's mobility issues, other members of the royal family filled in for her at various events, while she made select public appearances alongside her children. Following her death in September at Balmoral, Prince Charles became King Charles III, Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge became the new Prince and Princess of Wales, and the entire royal family came together to mourn their matriarch.
In chronological order, here are the most memorable photos of the British royal family in 2022.
January 20, 2022
In one of their first royal engagements of the year, Kate Middleton and Prince William met a therapy puppy named Alfie, an apricot cockapoo, during a visit to meet NHS staff and patients at Clitheroe Community Hospital. Kate's monochrome outfit coordinated perfectly with Alfie's fur.
Later in 2022, to celebrate Princess Charlotte's seventh birthday, Kate and William released three adorable new photos of their daughter. In one of them, Charlotte smiles with the Cambridge family dog, a black cocker spaniel named Orla who made his royal photograph debut.
February 2, 2022
This year, the Duchess of Cambridge became patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, a role formerly held by Prince Harry. After Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior working royals, they had to give up their royal patronages. This England rugby training session was Kate's first event as patron of the Rugby Football Union, and the sporty royal seemed to have a blast.
February 4, 2022
Ahead of the official anniversary marking 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth took a moment to view commemorative items from previous Jubilees. During the viewing in Windsor Castle, she was joined her dog Candy. Queen Elizabeth's corgis were reportedly a "godsend" during the pandemic.
February 5, 2022
On the day of her 70th anniversary on the throne, Queen Elizabeth held a reception in the ballroom of Sandringham House. She cut a cake in a moment that soon went viral, and, as she chatted with her guests, the Queen used a walking stick—which previously belonged to her late husband, Prince Philip.
March 2, 2022
With news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the British royal family began speaking out in solidarity with Ukrainians. Here, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, light candles at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, next to bishop Kenneth Nowakowski.
In an impromptu speech at the cathedral, Prince Charles said, "My wife and I have been deeply moved by everything we've heard today during our visit and above all by the extraordinary bravery, generosity and fortitude of the Ukrainian community in the face of such truly terrible aggression."
While the Queen made no statements, the monarch made a "generous donation" to aid Ukraine.
March 20, 2022
In honor of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, members of the British royal family set off on royal tours around the globe. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge headed to a week-long tour of the Caribbean, visiting Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.
The tour's "charm offensive" did not quite work, as the trip was marked by calls for reparations, anti-monarchy protests, and news that Jamaica is moving to remove the Queen as head of state. However, Will and Kate still put their best foot forward. Here, they're pictured visiting the Garifuna community in Belize.
March 23, 2022
One highlight of Kate and William's tour of the Caribbean was Kate's glamorous moments. Here, she wore a sparkly green off-the-shoulder Jenny Peckham gown, with the Royal Family Order and the GCVO Star pinned to her dress at a reception dinner hosted by the Governor General of Jamaica.
March 29, 2022
At the Service Of Thanksgiving For Prince Philip held at Westminster Abbey, the British royal family came out in full force. Prince George and Prince Charlotte made a surprise appearance with their parents (pictured).
For the service, many members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, chose to wear a particular shade of deep green, known as "Edinburgh green" in tribute to Prince Philip.
April 6, 2022
In a visit to Jane Austen's House, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall revealed she is a big fan of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation as she admired the shirt Colin Firth wore as Mr. Darcy.
2022 has been a big year for Camilla: Queen Elizabeth used her Platinum Jubilee message to say that Camilla should be called Queen. (Previously, Buckingham Palace had said that Camilla would be known as Princess Consort when Charles becomes King.) A Clarence House spokesperson said that Charles and Camilla are "touched and honored by Her Majesty's words."
April 16, 2022
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traveled to the Hague, in the Netherlands, for the previously postponed Invictus Games. This trip marked their first public international trip together since moving to California in March 2020. On their way to the Games, Meghan and Harry stopped in Windsor to visit Queen Elizabeth.
During the opening ceremony, Meghan took to the stage to introduce Harry, calling him her "incredible husband" and "the father to our little ones, Archie and Lili." The two shared a very sweet moment on stage (pictured), and they kissed.
April 17, 2022
While promoting the Invictus Games, Prince Harry sat down with the Today Show's Hoda Kotb. He got candid about life in California, Archie's "cheekiness," his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, and Princess Diana's "constant" presence. He refrained from saying anything too personal, but what he didn't say was considered more telling, specifically avoiding a question about his brother, Prince William, and father, Prince Charles.
April 17, 2022
The majority of the British royal family attended Easter Sunday services at Windsor Castle. Prince William, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte all coordinated their Easter outfits in varying shades of blue.
April 27, 2022
Kate Middleton and Princess Anne stepped out for their first-ever joint engagement together to highlight the role of women's healthcare services. Anne, patron of the Royal College of Midwives, and Kate, patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, visited the headquarters of the two organizations.
With the Queen stepping back from public engagements due to her mobility issues, this year was full of unexpected duos and trios going on royal events together.
April 27, 2022
Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, traveled to the Caribbean on a Platinum Jubilee tour in the wake of Prince William and Kate Middleton's tour of the region. Ahead of the Wessexes' tour, Buckingham Palace announced they would be cancelling a tour stop to Grenada, and during their tour, they also faced protests. Yet, Edward and Sophie—a royal couple who have been in the spotlight more and more this year—seemed to have a grand time on their trip. The Wessexes are pictured here in Sulphur Springs in Soufriere, Saint Lucia.
May 10, 2022
Prince Charles filled in for Queen Elizabeth at the state opening of Parliament for the first time. The Queen gave the authority to Prince Charles and Prince William, as counsellors of state, to open Parliament on her behalf, and Charles read the Queen's speech. The Queen missed the event for only the third time in her reign—the first two were when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. It is the biggest event to date that the Queen has missed.
May 13, 2022
The 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth, who struggled with ongoing mobility issues all year, made a surprise appearance on day two of one of her favorite events of the year: the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The Queen was all smiles as she watched her horses compete. She also watched her granddaughter, Lady Louise, as she drove Prince Philip's carriage in the show. Queen Elizabeth wore a headscarf, one of her signature looks.
May 19, 2022
The Cambridges stepped out in glamorous black and white outfits to see Tom Cruise's newest film, Top Gun: Maverick. Kate channelled Queen Maxima in her Roland Mouret gown as she walked her first red carpet of the year.
May 26, 2022
In the aftermath of the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Meghan traveled to the small town to pay her respects in person. According to a spokesperson, the Duchess of Sussex took the trip in a "personal capacity as a mother," to offer "her condolences and support in person to a community experiencing unimaginable grief." She made a low-key appearance, wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap, and quietly laid flowers at a makeshift memorial outside Uvalde County Courthouse.
June 2, 2022
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee was a historic moment—and Queen Elizabeth appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony three times. Here, at Trooping the Colour, the Queen Elizabeth was pictured in the outfit she wore in her official Platinum Jubilee portrait.
June 2, 2022
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis rode in a carriage during Trooping the Colour, making their debut in the parade.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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