Biggest royal moments of the decade
From babies to celebrity-studded weddings, the launch of major charity initiatives to international tours and rumors of royal feuds, the past decade has been an exciting one for the royal family. It's wild to think that in 2009, Prince William and Duchess Kate weren't even engaged yet, Prince Harry was still the world's most eligible bachelor and Queen Elizabeth was nearing her Diamond Jubilee.
And while the past year has been packed with more royal drama than the past 10 years alone, it's safe to say our infatuation with the crown is still as strong as ever.
Take a look back at the biggest royal highlights over the past decade, from history-breaking moments to the biggest scandals.
2010
May 24: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, issues an apology after she offered an undercover reporter access to her former husband, the Duke of York, for £500,000.
"I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused,” she said in an apology. “It is true that my financial situation is under stress, however, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment and I am very sorry that this has happened. I can confirm that the Duke of York was not aware or involved in any of the discussions that occurred.”
November 16: Prince William and Kate Middleton announce their engagement after nine years of dating. He proposed during a trip to Kenya.
2011
April 29: Kate Middleton and Prince William marry in a star-studded event at Westminster Abbey that was televised to 23 million viewers. It was deemed a national holiday by the British government.
June 10: Prince Philip turns 90.
July 30: Zara Phillips, Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter, marries Mike Tindall.
2012
February 6: Her Majesty marks 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne, The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
July 27: Queen Elizabeth appears in a James Bond spoof for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games, held in London.
August 2012: Photos of a naked Prince Harry partying in Vegas are snapped by TMZ.
December 3: Kate and William announce they're expecting their first child, knocking Prince Harry out of his place in line to the throne.
2013
July 22:Prince George Alexander Louis, third-in-line to the throne, is born. Days later, he was presented in a public photo-op on the steps of St. Mary's Hospital in London.
2014
Sept. 10: Prince Harry hosts first-ever Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for wounded or ill veterans around the world. Since its inception, the competitions have held everywhere from Orlando to Toronto to London, with the 2020 Games taking place in the Netherlands.
2015
April 9: Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall mark 10 years of marriage.
May 2: Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, daughter of Kate and William, is born.
September 9: Queen Elizabeth overtakes Queen Victoria as Britain's longest-reigning monarch.
2016
April 21: Queen Elizabeth turns 90.
May 16: Kate, William and Harry launch their charity Heads Together, a campaign to raise awareness and funds for mental health initiatives.
October 31: Meghan and Harry dating rumors begin swirling.
November 8: Harry confirms he's dating Meghan in an announcement released by Buckingham Palace, which calls for her privacy following a week of "fictional stories," "abuse and harassment."
December 24: Zara Tindall announces she suffered a miscarriage, just a few weeks after announcing that she and her husband were expecting their second child. They are already parents to Lena, then 2.
2017
May 4: Duke of Edinburgh announces retirement from royal duties at age 95 following decades in the public eye.
September 7: Prince George arrives for his first day of school while holding his father's hand. Kate and William broke tradition when they announced that their eldest would be attending Thomas's Battersea in South London, forgoing the elite and traditional "Eton-style feeder" many royals have attended in the past. Princess Charlotte joined him in 2019.
The $23,000-a-year private school is housed in an "aspirational area" of the city and introduces its students to a spectrum of classes, including art, dance and foreign languages. The school also emphasizes social responsibility, kindness, courtesy and confidence as its core values.
September 25: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry make first public appearance as a couple in Toronto at Harry's Invictus Games.
November 20: Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 70th wedding anniversary with the Duke of Edinburgh.
November 27: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announce their engagement, as Prince Charles confirmed the wedding would take place the following spring. The couple followed the announcement with a photocall.
December 21: Princess Michael of Kent is under fire for wearing a racist brooch, blackamoor jewelry that fetishizes images of slavery, to Queen Elizabeth's Christmas luncheon.
2018
April 19: It's announced that Prince Charles will succeed his mother as the next Head of the Commonwealth, a position decided by vote and not by his title.
April 23: Prince Louis Arthur Charles, the third child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, is born. Princess Charlotte made history following the birth of her baby brother as the first princess to keep her place in the line of succession, despite his birth.
May 14: Meghan Markle's father is "deeply embarrassed" after being caught allegedly staging paparazzi shots ahead of his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry.
May 19: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle break records with their wedding at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, an event that was televised to 29 million people. Many aspects of the nuptials broke royal history because Markle was a bi-racial, American-born, previously-divorced former actress. Though a protestant, she did get baptized and confirmed into the Church of England ahead of the event.
October 12:Princess Eugenie marries Jack Brooksbank at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
October 15: Palace announces that Meghan and Harry are expecting their first child in the spring.
2019
March 5: Palace marks the 50th anniversary of Prince of Wales' investiture.
March 7: Queen Elizabeth posts her first Instagram from the Science Museum on an iPad, a letter from the royal archives.
April 29: On Kate and William's eighth wedding anniversary, it was announced that the duchess was given the Royal Victorian Order by Her Majesty for her work on behalf of the crown.
May 6: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcome their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor at Portland Hospital and is the first royal baby of mixed-race in modern times. The couple elected to forgo a formal title for their son and christened him in a private ceremony a few months later.
June 20: In the latest separation between the two brothers, Meghan and Harry split from The Royal Foundation to set up their own organization.
August 18: The Duke of York reacts for the first time to the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal, saying he's "appalled by the recent reports" of his alleged crimes.
September 26: Princess Beatrice announces engagement to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
October 1: Prince Harry releases a forceful statement defending Meghan Markle amid "relentless propaganda" of British tabloids and announces the beginning of legal action against the tabloids.
October 21: Meghan and Harry announce an upcoming six-week break from royal duties.
October 23: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's personal documentary airs in the US, where Harry divulges tensions with his brother and Meghan talks about pressures of being a new mom in the spotlight and her treatment by the media. It was filmed during their 10-day royal tour of Africa.
November 20: Prince Andrew announces that he is taking a step back from royal duties, with the queen's permission. He no longer has access to public money for expenses and travel funds, while the Duchess of Cambridge and the Countess of Wessex took over his patronages.
