The royal family one year after Queen Elizabeth’s death: Where are they now?

This week marks the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

On September 8, 2022, the world witnessed the end of an era when the Queen died at her beloved Balmoral estate in Scotland at the age of 96, after a 70-year reign. Ten days of mourning followed as plans for her state funeral were unveiled and her children and grandchildren gathered to farewell their beloved mother and “Gan Gan”.

Though the monarchy she represented has at times been a cause of controversy and conflict, there was no doubt how much the Queen herself was loved by her family, by her people and the world.

But in the months since her death, we’ve seen royal family scandals laid bare in books, podcasts and Netflix shows, a shake-up of royal titles and roles as the new King pares back the monarchy, and a year of firsts without the Queen, from birthdays to events in the royal calendar.

So, here’s a look back at the first year without the Queen as King Charles stepped into the role of monarch - and at where the rest of the royals are now.

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The Queen’s funeral

Thousands queued to get a glimpse of the Queen’s coffin during her lying in state, including David Beckham, who lined up for 12 hours. As crowds of people took to the streets of London to witness her state funeral on September 19 last year, it’s estimated around four billion people could have tuned in to watch the proceedings unfold.

Members of the royal family were photographed looking sombre as they arrived at Westminster Abbey, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Princess Charlotte was heard telling her older brother Prince George “you need to bow” as the Queen’s coffin passed them by and the new King Charles held back tears.

Heads of state, religious leaders and members of the royal family took part in the funeral service, followed by a smaller committal inside St George’s Chapel at Windsor during which the Queen was laid to rest alongside her parents, her sister Margaret and her husband Prince Philip.

King’s coronation date confirmed, titles reshuffled

In October last year, it was confirmed that the new King Charles would officially be crowned on May 6, 2023 in a ceremony designed to both honour the past and look forward to a new era.

The shorter ceremony was in line with Charles’ plans to “slim down” the monarchy as several royal titles and responsibilities were reassigned. As Charles became king, Camilla, formerly Duchess of Cornwall became Queen Consort. Prince William became the Prince of Wales and his wife Kate Middleton became the Princess of Wales, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children Archie and Lilibet gained the titles of Prince and Princess as they moved up the line of succession.

Harry and Meghan release Netflix show

The Sussexes had been teasing the release of their doco Harry & Meghan throughout 2022 and were initially set to release it last November - but postponed it following the Queen’s death.

It landed on Netflix in early December last year and quickly made headlines, breaking the streaming platform’s record for its biggest documentary debut less than a week after the first three episodes aired.

In the six-episode series, Harry and Meghan gave viewers an inside look at their love story and their exodus from the royal family in 2020 to start a new life in the US.

Charles’ first Christmas address as king

The Queen was known for her heartfelt Christmas messages each year - and last December, King Charles had the tough job of following that act. In his address, he honoured his late mother and wished everyone “peace, happiness and everlasting light”.

“I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family,” he said.

“Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition.”

Prince Harry releases Spare, gives explosive interviews

Prince Harry’s long-awaited memoir Spare landed on shelves ahead of its release date in January this year when it accidentally went on sale early in Spain - and countless media outlets quickly picked up leaked extracts from the book.

Soon everyone had their hands on a copy and readers were left shocked over the revelations inside, from details of Harry’s life growing up and losing his mother Diana, to physical fights with Prince William, frosty texts between Meghan Markle and Princess Kate, and casting Queen Consort Camilla as the “evil stepmother”.

Harry went on to give several media interviews to promote the book on ITV and CBS.

Harry and Meghan were evicted, Andrew refused to leave home

In March, the news broke that the Sussexes were being evicted from their UK home of Frogmore Cottage. Charles suggested Prince Andrew move in, wanting his disgraced brother to leave Royal Lodge, but Andrew resisted.

Andrew’s annual allowance of £249,000 ($500,000) was cut earlier this year, leaving him unable to pay for the upkeep of Royal Lodge. By June, he was ignoring palace requests to leave home due to renovations, fearing he might not be let back in.

Birthday tributes for the late Queen

In April this year, the royals paid tribute to the Queen on what would have been her 97th birthday.

Prince William and Princess Kate released a previously unseen photo of the Queen with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, writing, “Today would have been Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday. This photograph - showing her with some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren - was taken at Balmoral last summer.”

Queen Elizabeth died just weeks after the sweet family photo was taken.

King Charles’ coronation

Charles was officially crowned King on May 6 this year, in a ceremony that reflected both ancient royal traditions and the new King’s plans for a refreshed monarchy.

Thousands watched on from the streets outside Westminster Abbey, with one Kiwi royal fan among hundreds camping out on The Mall for days ahead of the historic event.

The royals gathered - including Prince Harry, who travelled to the coronation on his own - to take part in the service that saw Charles anointed and crowned alongside Queen Camilla. The day wasn’t without its moments of drama - anti-monarchist protestors were arrested ahead of the coronation, Prince Andrew was booed when he arrived at the Abbey, and Harry rushed off to Heathrow Airport immediately after the ceremony.

The next day the Coronation Concert took place, featuring performances by Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Take That and Andrea Bocelli. The third day of coronation celebrations featured the nationwide Big Help Out and Big Lunch, encouraging people throughout the country to volunteer and share a meal together.

First Trooping the Colour without the Queen

The annual Trooping the Colour celebration took place for the first time without the Queen in June this year. The event traditionally marks the sovereign’s birthday, and this year marked the first time Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were left off the guest list.

On the day, the royals appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to witness a parade of more than 1400 soldiers in honour of King Charles’ official birthday.

Harry’s return to the UK

Prince Harry made a few trips back to the UK this year as his lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror got underway at the High Court in London.

He answered questions in court as he alleged that Mirror publications had hacked phones, bugged vehicles and used other illegal methods to gather information about him.

This week, Harry will land in the UK again for the WellChild Awards, as he has been a patron of the charity for 15 years. His visit coincides with the first anniversary of his grandmother the Queen’s death - but his father Charles reportedly has “no time in the diary” to see him.

Royals’ plans to honour the Queen on September 8

Last week, it was revealed that plans are underway for a permanent memorial to the Queen, set to be revealed in 2026 in honour of what would have been her 100th birthday. Earlier this week, royal fans brought their corgis - beloved by the Queen - to the gates of Buckingham Palace in her memory.

And in just a couple of days, the royals will gather to mourn a year after her passing. A spokesperson for the royal family confirmed there won’t be a public appearance to mark the bittersweet occasion. Buckingham Palace insider Richard Fitzwilliams added: “The whole nation will pause, reflect and remember a truly amazing reign, but it won’t be done in a formal way. There are no public events planned.”

Instead, King Charles and Queen Camilla will spend the day at Balmoral - the Queen’s beloved estate, where she spent summers and where she died - in private as they remember her life and legacy.

This article was first published by Bethany Reitsma in the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.