Royal Year in Photos—2023: Coronation to Court Cases

This year has been one of the monarchy’s busiest in recent decades, as King Charles III settled into his first full year as sovereign, seeing a return of overseas state visits and an increased workload following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

From a historic weekend of coronation celebrations to bombshell memoirs, awards ceremonies, court hearings and state ceremonies, here, Newsweek looks at the monarchy’s year in photos.

‘Spare’

The year began with a shower of royal bombshells initiated by the publication of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, on January 10. The book broke records to become the fastest selling non-fiction book of all time.

United Front

Three days after Spare was published, Prince William and Kate made their first public appearance, presenting a united front after both were criticized by Harry in the book. The couple undertook a series of joint engagements in the English city of Liverpool on January 13.

Shaping Us

The Princess of Wales began 2023 by launching her most ambitious initiative yet, announcing her “Shaping Us” early years awareness campaign, run through her Royal Foundation For Early Childhood in January. To launch this, the princess undertook a series of engagements in Leeds, England, on January 31.

‘Not My King’

Throughout the year, Britain’s anti-monarchy group, Republic, protested at royal events. On February 16, they demonstrated during King Charles’ visit to the city of Milton Keynes.

Red Carpet Royals

William and Kate made their red carpet return to the BAFTAs for the first time in three years on February 19, with the princess making an avant-garde fashion statement in an Alexander McQueen gown and black opera gloves.

Supportive Spouse

On February 23, Queen Camilla marked the second anniversary of her charity The Queen’s Reading Room, celebrating literature and the community benefits of reading. For the event held at Clarence House, King Charles made a surprise appearance to support his wife.

New Duke and Duchess

In March, King Charles bestowed new titles on his youngest brother Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, elevating them from Earl and Countess of Wessex to Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the title formerly held by his father. On March 10, the couple made their first visit to the Scottish city since the news of their titles was broken.

Commonwealth Day

The Prince and Princess of Wales joined King Charles, Queen Camilla and the senior members of the royal family for the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 13.

Colonel Kate

After his accession, King Charles made a number of new military appointments from within the royal family, making daughter-in-law Kate the new colonel of the Irish Guards. The princess formally marked her new role at the regiment’s St Patrick’s Day parade on March 17, at which outgoing colonel, Prince William, was also present.

Royal Courts of Justice

Prince Harry made a surprise visit to London in March to attend a hearing connected with his unlawful information gathering lawsuit with several other high profile figures against Associated Newspapers Limited. The prince attended the hearings on two separate days.

First State Visit

King Charles and Queen Camilla made their first overseas state visit of their reign in March, traveling to Germany where they took part in a series of engagements which included a glittering state banquet at The Bellevue Palace in Berlin.

Easter Sunday

The Prince and Princess of Wales made their first public appearance of the year with their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis—at the annual Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle on April 9 wearing coordinating blue outfits.

Game Night

Prince Harry and Meghan made one of their first joint public appearances since the publication of Spare on April 23 where they were photographed at an LA Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies basketball game at the crypto.com arena in Los Angeles.

Pre-Coronation Reception

Ahead of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation service, world leaders who had gathered in London for the event were hosted at a Buckingham Palace reception where members of the royal family were also in attendance. At the palace event on May 5, the first ladies of the United States and Ukraine were photographed with the Princess of Wales.

Crowning Glory

King Charles was officially crowned monarch at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The coronation was the most photographed in British history, with the service not only being broadcast around the globe but also captured by a number of press photographers from within the abbey itself.

The Royal Family

After the coronation ceremony, the royal family returned to Buckingham Palace where they posed for official portraits in the crimson and gold throne room. A portrait of working members of the royal family was released publicly, notably without Prince Harry who though did attend the service, reportedly did not take part in the photography session.

Dancing Queen

On May 7, the first coronation concert was held on the east lawns of Windsor Castle with performances from pop singers such as Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. A number of senior and extended royal family members attended the event, being photographed dancing at intervals in the royal box.

Eurovision Performance

During the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest finals which were held in Liverpool, the Princess of Wales made a surprise cameo in a pre-recorded opening segment, playing the piano from a drawing room at Windsor Castle. The princess performed a short extract from Ukraine’s 2022 winning song, “Stefania.” A portrait of the royal taken from the recording by photographer Alex Bramall was released to mark the occasion on May 13.

New York City Ceremony

On May 16, Prince Harry and Meghan attended the Women of Vision Awards in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The couple were photographed leaving the Ziegfeld Theatre venue and in the following day, details that the paparazzi had pursued them dangerously through the city after the event were made public.

Historic Court Testimony

In June, Prince Harry made history as the first senior royal to give evidence in a legal trial in over a century. Over two days, he presented testimony in his unlawful information gathering lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers.

Trooping the Colour

On June 17, the senior members of the royal family gathered to take part in King Charles’ first Trooping the Colour ceremonies, the military events marking the monarch’s official birthday. After the parade, the family gathered on Buckingham Palace’s balcony to watch a traditional aerial flypast.

Royal Ascot

On June 22, King Charles and Queen Camilla were closely watched as their horse (formerly owned by Queen Elizabeth II) won the King George V Stakes at the Royal Ascot horseraces.

Scottish Coronation

A special once-in-a-reign ceremony which sees the monarch ceremonially presented with the Scottish crown jewels took place in Edinburgh on July 5, with King Charles being joined by Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Wimbledon

William and Kate marked their annual joint visit to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships by bringing along with them their two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, on July 16. The family group watched as Carlos Alcaraz won the men’s singles final in a lengthy match against returning champion Novak Djokovic.

Sentebale in Singapore

On August 12, Prince Harry took part in his annual Sentebale charity polo cup which was held at the Singapore Polo Club. The game ended in a 7-7 goal tie, with Harry sharing the trophy with polo pal Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras.

Royal Rugby Podcast

In September, the Prince and Princess of Wales as patrons of the Welsh and English rugby teams respectively, joined Princess Anne (patron of Scottish rugby) for a guest appearance on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast, hosted by Anne’s son-in-law, former England rugby player Mike Tindall. The episode was filmed in the semi-state apartments of Windsor Castle.

Invictus Games

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a number of events over several days connected with Harry’s self-founded Invictus Games tournament in September. The couple were photographed cheering on veterans as they competed in adapted sports and also attending the gala closing ceremony.

Palace of Versailles

King Charles and Queen Camilla paid a state visit to France in September which had been postponed due to rioting in Paris during the originally scheduled March timeframe. The royal couple were hosted to a state banquet at the Palace of Versailles by French President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron on September 20.

Rugby Princess

During a visit to Hull on October 8, Kate showed her sports skills during a series of wheelchair rugby drills to mark Rugby League Inclusivity Day.

World Mental Health Day

On World Mental Health Day (October 10), Prince Harry and Meghan hosted a forum as part of a Project Health Minds event in New York City, focused on parenting. The couple chaired a panel discussion which was connected with their Archewell Foundation.

Kenya

For their third overseas state visit of the year, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Kenya at the end of October. During a state banquet in Nairobi, the king made a highly anticipated speech referencing the historic relationship between Britain and Kenya.

State Opening of Parliament

On November 7, Charles delivered his first “King’s Speech” at the State Opening of Parliament in London alongside Queen Camilla. It marked the first full ceremonial state opening since 2019.

Earthshot

Also on November 7, Prince William attended the third annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, this year hosted in Singapore. The royal was unaccompanied by wife, Kate, for the overseas trip, with the princess remaining at home in Britain to help son, Prince George, with school exams.

Remembrance Sunday

On November, 12, senior members of the royal family gathered by tradition at the Cenotaph war memorial in London to pay tribute to fallen soldiers who died in wartime. While the king and Prince of Wales laid wreaths at the memorial, the queen and princess watched the service from the balcony of a nearby government building.

Glittering State Banquet

King Charles hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on November 21, with the full pomp and pageantry of the British monarchy on full display. For the occasion, the Princess of Wales wore an heirloom royal tiara known as the “Strathmore Rose Tiara” for the first time, believed to have been loaned by King Charles.

Diplomatic Reception

Another glittering Buckingham Palace event took place on December 5 where ambassadors and diplomats stationed in Britain gathered with members of the royal family at the annual diplomatic reception. For the occasion, the king and queen posed for a formal portrait with the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Together at Christmas

On December 8, Kate hosted her third annual “Together at Christmas” carol service at Westminster Abbey, gathering members of the extended royal family and communities around Britain connected with her work in early years childhood development.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

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