What a year it's been for royalty! It was chock full of royal tours, with Prince William and Kate Middleton embarking on two major overseas trips: first to Australia and New Zealand in the spring (with Prince George in tow) and, most recently, to New York in December.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, too, was among the jet-setting pack, paying an official visit to Japan and South Korea in October and charming fans all over the world in a number of regal yet fashion-forward looks.
Prince George was delighted to see a bilby named after him at an Australian zoo
In terms of royal couplings, love was in the air for Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, who announced his engagement to model Sofia Hellqvist, and for Belgium's Prince Amedeo, who wed Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein in Rome in July.
Meanwhile, history was made in Spain when King Juan Carlos abdicated the throne and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia became the new monarchs this past summer — but even that wasn't the biggest royal news of the year.
William and Kate once again made headlines around the world when the Duchess announced she was pregnant with her second child in September.
Prince Harry charms on a charity visit
Hollywood, too, crossed paths with royalty this year, as Angelina Jolie met the Queen and Harry Styles mingled with pregnant Kate at the Royal Variety performance in November. Speaking afterwards, Harry told reporters: "I said congratulations on the bump ... she didn't look bumpy."