The Royal Family’s highs and lows of the last decade

It’s fair to say the Royal Family have been pretty busy over the last decade.

We’ve had fairy tale weddings, nude Las Vegas pictures, milestone anniversaries, political scandals and a whole new generation of young Windsors – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

As we head into 2020, join us by looking back at the Royal Family’s ups and downs of the last 10 years.

Weddings

The 2010s were a big decade for love in the Windsor clan.

First up was Prince William and Kate Middleton’s stunning ceremony at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.

The historic nuptials brought us Kate’s beautiful Alexander McQueen wedding gown, her sister Pippa’s equally as incredible spotlight-stealing dress, as well as an unprecedented second kiss on the iconic Buckingham Palace balcony – and one very moody little bridesmaid.

An equally as memorable day on 19 May 2018 saw Meghan Markle join the royals as she married Prince Harry.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding brought along with it a specially designed veil dedicated to the Commonwealth, a stunning gospel choir and Chicago-born bishop and plenty of famous faces including Serena Williams and George Clooney.

Other royals who have tied the knot over the last decade include Prince Eugenie who married Jack Brooksbank in 2018 and Zara Phillips who exchanged rings with Mike Tindall in 2011.

Babies

It’s been one baby after another over the last ten years – and the public couldn’t be happier to have lots of royal children running about.

Future king Prince George arrived in 2013, followed by little sister Princess Charlotte in 2015 and Prince Louis in 2018.

The Cambridge family was great and all – but if there was one thing missing, it was a cousin.

Meghan announced she was pregnant in October 2018, with Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor capturing the hearts of the nation in May 2019.

The Queen and Philip’s first great-grandchild, Savannah Phillips, was also born to Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn in 2010, followed by her sister Isla in 2012, while Zara Tindall welcomed Mia in 2014 and Lena in 2018.

Funny moments

Royal protocol may be in place – but that doesn’t mean the Windsors don’t like to have a little fun.

Charles spurred laughs when he gave weather forecasting a try during a BBC Scotland TV studio tour, while the Queen’s appearance in the London 2012 Olympic opening delighted the public, with the monarch ‘parachuting’ into the Olympic Stadium.

If we’re talking comedy though, the younger royals have it in the bag.

Harry got cheeky when he jumped the gun to beat Usain Bolt in a race, Kate and Paddington Bear were an unlikely coupling when they danced together outside Paddington Station and Princess Charlotte has provoked giggles several times over the years with her cheeky antics.

Low points

The Royal Family may have had a successful decade overall, but that doesn’t mean the 2010s didn’t come with some massive lows.

In 2012, Prince Harry sparked outrage when he was pictured frolicking naked in Las Vegas.

His father the Prince of Wales had his own scandal in 2014 when it was revealed he had tried to intervene in political decisions, despite the royals’ duty of remaining impartial.

Kate and William both had a few awful moments, with the duchess heading to court after being pictured topless on holiday in France, and her husband being branded ‘Workshy William’ after it was revealed he worked 80 hours a month as an air ambulance pilot.

In an emotional interview in October, Meghan revealed that it hadn’t been all sunshine and rainbows since she joined the Royal Family either.

The former American actress only married Harry in 2018, but has had a tough time, this including her relationship with her dad Thomas turning sour, ‘racist’ bullying from critics and private jet environment scandals.

The Duke of Edinburgh walked away unhurt from a car crash in January, but gave up his driving license after a woman was injured.

No doubt the biggest low of the decade for the Windsors though, was allegations that Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘sex slave’ Virginia Giuffre was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew.

The Duke of York has denied all claims.

Changes

The last 10 years have seen some big changes for the royals.

One of the most major transitions saw Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip call time on their overseas travel.

This was followed by the duke retiring from public duties at the age of 96 in 2017.

Their step back from public life paved the way for Charles for take up some of his mother’s duties, with the king in waiting opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka in 2013.

His role as future head of the Commonwealth was secured in April 2018 when the Queen publicly lobbied in favour of her son at the CHOGM in London, with world leaders backing the decision.

The 2010s also saw big role changes for William who worked as a helicopter pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance and carried out investitures on behalf of the Queen, before focusing on royal duties more.

Harry took a military desk job and launched his Invictus Games competition in 2014, before saying goodbye to army life.

Having been a member of the clan for almost 15 years now, Camilla has taken on a more prominent position, attending her first State Opening of Parliament in 2013 and being made a Privy Counsellor on the Queen’s 90th birthday.

A dramatic shake-up of royal succession rules in 2015 removed male bias and discrimination against Roman Catholics.

However, perhaps one of the most important things to note is that Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch on 9 September 2015 when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Victoria.

Royal tours

The Royal Family are quite the globe-trotters, travelling all over the world.

In 2011, the Queen made a historic journey to Ireland, becoming the first British monarch to visit in 100 years and the first since independence.

Over the course of the decade, Harry ventured to the Arctic on a charity trek, nipped over to Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica, and has gone on a royal tours of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga with wife Meghan.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have headed around Canada, the US and the Far East – but perhaps their most attention-grabbing tour was when they took George and Charlotte to Germany and Poland in 2017, with the princess having a memorable tantrum in Hamburg.

Charles and Camilla also made a historic trip to Cuba in 2019, becoming the first royals to visit the Communist state in an official capacity.