It has been an eventful year since King Charles III was officially blessed and anointed as the monarch of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth territories.
Charles assumed the British throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96.
“My mother’s reign was unequaled in its duration, its dedication and its devotion,” Charles told the accession council at the time. “Even as we grieve, we give thanks for this most faithful life. I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty which have now passed to me.”
Charles’ coronation was held eight months later at Westminster Abbey and both of his sons with late ex-wife Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry, attended alongside the king’s other relatives. Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, was blessed and anointed as queen during the ceremony.
As we reach the first anniversary of Charles’ crowning ceremony, look back with Us below at the royals’ biggest moments of the year:
May 2023
Harry returned home to California, where he lives with wife Meghan Markle and their two children, one day after Charles’ coronation. Nearly one week later, Harry and Meghan traveled to New York City for Ms. Foundation’s 2023 Women of Vision Awards with her mother, Doria Ragland. Following the ceremony, the couple were involved in a near-catastrophic car chase for two hours.
A source told Us that Harry, Meghan and Ragland “were terrified throughout the whole ordeal.”
June 2023
Trooping the Colour is the annual celebration of the monarch’s birthday. The June outing marked the first time the military flypast honored Charles. He watched the festivities from the Buckingham Palace balcony with Camilla and William, as well as William’s wife, Princess Kate Middleton, and their three kids. Harry, Meghan and their kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilbet, did not attend.
Charles’ actual birthday fell in November and a source told Us that Harry and Meghan sent him a video message from their children. (Harry has been estranged from his father since 2020 when he stepped down as a senior working royal.)
December 2023
Harry scored a major legal victory in his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers with a judge ruling that the media organizations had engaged in “unlawful information gathering,” such as phone hacking between 1996 and 2011.
Weeks later, Harry’s relatives stepped out at their annual Christmas morning church service. William and Kate had brought all three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
January 2024
After the winter holidays, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles underwent a prostate procedure. Around the same time, Kate had a planned abdominal surgery and canceled all of her public-facing duties to recuperate.
February 2024
The palace revealed that Charles had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. Within days, Harry jetted overseas to visit his dad.
“I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that,” the Duke of Sussex said on Good Morning America later that month.
At the same time, public curiosity in Kate’s well-being grew rampant. Royal watchers speculated about her surgery recovery after noticing that Christmas 2023 was her last outing pre-surgery save for a few grainy paparazzi photos. William, meanwhile, continued to appear at his scheduled outings. He attended the BAFTAs solo, where he apologized for Kate’s absence.
March 2024
In an attempt to soothe royal fan concern, Kate shared a family photo with her and William’s three kids on the U.K.’s Mother’s Day. The portrait was immediately flagged for image manipulation and pulled by several news agencies. Within hours, the Princess of Wales apologized for the confusion and noted that she had played around with photo editing software as an “amateur photographer.”
As Kate returned to her private recovery, William carried on with his duties. He supported the Diana Legacy Awards later that month, named for his late mother, alongside estranged brother Harry. William presented trophies in person, while Harry sent in a prerecorded video message from California.
On March 22, Kensington Palace revealed that Kate had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer and would undergo a preventive round of chemotherapy.
“I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirit,” she said in a video message. “Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too, as is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you.”
Amid her treatment, she and William opted against attending the royals’ annual Easter service. Charles, meanwhile, went to the Windsor religious service with Camilla and his three siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
April 2024
As Charles and Kate continued their treatment in April, they had plenty of milestones to celebrate. Both of their respective wedding anniversaries took place, as well as Louis’ 6th birthday. Each occasion warranted the release of a new or previously unseen portrait.
Charles then made his first public appearance since his health scare on April 30, joining Camilla for a walkabout at a local London cancer treatment facility.
Across the pond, Harry and Meghan have been bolstering their business slate. Under their Netflix deal, news broke in April that they were producing a cooking series starring Meghan and a docuseries about the world of professional polo. Meghan also launched her American Riviera Orchard product line, dropping off samples of its strawberry jam to her California-based celebrity friends.
May 2024
With Charles and Kate taking a step back from their duties amid cancer treatments, the regent enlisted Camilla, William, Anne, Edward and his wife, Duchess Sophie, to step out on his behalf. Sophie, for her part, became the first working royal to visit Ukraine since the unrest.
“She really gets on with the job, she connects very well with people on these engagements that she does, and she does a lot of them behind the scenes,” royal commentator Afua Hagan told Us. “Now, we’re seeing Prince Edward stepping out in his own way as well.”
Days later on May 2, William and Kate’s daughter turned 9 years old. To mark the occasion, a new photo of Charlotte that Kate had taken was released via social media.
