lowdown 26 dec

The Daily Lowdown: listen to our 2022 Royal Roundup

Some of the biggest royal stories to occur here...

Senior Features Writer
December 26, 2022

Welcome to your Daily Lowdown 2022 royal roundup podcast where we're taking a look back at some of the biggest royal stories that have happened this year.

MORE: King Charles pays touching tribute to the late Queen in first ever Christmas speech

Check out our 2022 royal roundup podcast here...

The Prince and Princess of Wales kicked off their year enjoying sunny climates as they embarked on their official tour of the Caribbean. William and Kate headed to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas for their trip where they met with government officials as well as locals. The couple even vowed to return to the Bahamas with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in the future. 

MORE: 19 brilliant photos of the royals looking festive at Christmas

MORE: Prince George and Princess Charlotte sing their hearts out at Princess Kate's carol service - watch

Jubilee, Charles, Queen and Kate stand on balcony© Photo: Getty Images

As the summer arrived, the royal family and the whole nation were in celebration mode as the Queen marked her 70 years on the throne. The monarch put on a number of different occasions to celebrate her platinum jubilee bringing together the whole royal family, including the Trooping the Colour, a Service of Thanksgiving and a fantastic concert at Buckingham Palace featuring Queen, Rod Stewart and more. But one of the highlights was the Queen's heartwarming sketch with Paddington Bear.

On September 8, Buckingham Palace announced the news that Her Majesty the Queen died peacefully at Balmoral aged 96. Before the news was declared, members of the royal family gathered at the Scotland residence to say their goodbyes.  During the ten days of national mourning, King Charles ascended the throne and conducted a tour of the home nations, while millions queued to witness the late monarch's body lying in state at Westminster hall. Her Majesty's funeral then took place at Westminster Abbey before moving to St George's Chapel in Windsor, where she was finally laid to rest. 

© Photo: Getty Images

Towards the end of the year, the Prince and Princess of Wales flew Stateside to visit Boston, Massachusetts for the 2022 Earthshot Prize Awards. Prince William and Kate dazzled the world with their passion for environmentalism and their keenness to tackle climate change. The Awards took place on the first weekend of December with the royals announcing a number of winners for organisations doing their bit to change the future of the planet for the better. The ceremony featured a number of A List stars too, with appearances from Rami Malek, Cate Blanchett and Billie Eilish, who performed at the event.  

And to mark Christmas Day, King Charles gave his first festive speech to the nation as monarch. Speaking from the Quire at St George's Chapel, the King paid tribute to his late mother, Her Majesty the Queen, and thanked the nation for their sympathy following her death in September. The monarch also wanted to pay tribute to those who give back to society, and provide donations to those in need. 

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