After a 2024 that rocked the royals to the core, following the cancer diagnoses of the King and the Princess of Wales, a far more settled 2025 was on the family’s wish list. Happily, there were no more serious illnesses, but this year brought its fair share of drama, largely thanks to the former Prince Andrew.
Here’s a look back at the royal family in 2025…
The King and Queen
As far as we’re aware, he’s still having treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer, but that didn’t stop the King from taking on a busy schedule of official duties, including trips overseas and hosting international leaders at home.
Accompanied by Queen Camilla, he made two visits to the Vatican to meet with two popes – the late Pope Francis in April, just 11 days before the pontiff’s death ‒ and Pope Leo XIV in October. Charles and Leo made history by becoming the first British monarch and pope to pray together in more than 500 years. Other international trips included visits to Canada and Poland.
Hosting the world’s power players
His Majesty was in fine form when he hosted lavish state visits for some of the world’s most powerful politicians, including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the presidents of France and the US, Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Charles three times this year, including at his private home, Sandringham, in March.
Behind closed doors, the King, 77, had a stressful year dealing with the “Andrew problem”. His younger brother’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the sexual assault claims made against him by Virginia Giuffre have continued to cause massive issues. Finally, after Andrew gave up his Duke of York title, Charles stripped him of his Prince title and evicted him from his home of more than 20 years, Royal Lodge.
Royal historian Kate Williams says the King’s decision was “a huge move” and in the end, His Majesty really had no choice because of public pressure.
Camilla’s quiet influence
Camilla, 78, supported her husband’s decision and reportedly pushed to ensure the statement on Andrew’s demotion highlighted the royal couple’s support for victims and survivors of abuse.
Camilla has continued her work this year to highlight organisations that support abuse survivors, and to promote animal welfare campaigns and literacy initiatives. We saw a rare glimpse of emotion at the VJ Day commemorations when she wept, remembering those who had lost their lives in war.
Camilla and Charles celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in April, during a state visit to Italy. Shortly after their return, they unveiled the official portraits painted to mark their coronation two years earlier.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
It was heralded as the lifestyle show that would cement Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as this generation’s Martha Stewart. But her Netflix TV series With Love fell well short of making her a domestic goddess.
The show premiered in March, with another season in August. Although ratings for the first series weren’t bad, they were much lower for the second, and many critics panned the show as contrived and out of touch.
A lifestyle brand under fire
The Christmas special fared even worse, with one telly writer suggesting it should come with anti-nausea pills. Meanwhile, Meghan’s product range, As Ever, has also copped a lot of flak, with items such as bee pollen-flavoured chocolate not going down well.
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield says, “It’s been a humiliating year in many ways for Meghan. Her show is not the success she was expecting.”
Harry, 41, has also faced plenty of challenges this year. He resigned from Sentebale, the charity he founded in Africa, after a public falling-out with its chair and was said to be devastated to be leaving. His surprise appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was described as “cringeworthy”, while his rift with his father appeared no closer to being healed after he went to see the King on a visit to London, during which they spent just 50 minutes together.
A return to purpose
However, he did shine when it came to the type of engagements that harked back to work he used to do before he and Meghan, 44, moved to the US in 2020.
Harry was praised for continuing the campaign started by his mother Princess Diana to raise awareness of the danger posed by landmines in Angola. He also made a hush-hush visit to Ukraine to see the work of a charity that helps people injured in the war. And back in January, he and Meghan offered support – and hugs – to people who lost their homes in the devastating Los Angeles fires.
Princess Anne
The King’s only sister turned 75 this year, but she’s showing no signs of slowing down. In 2025 alone, she’s been to South Africa, France, Greece, Türkiye, Barbados, Ireland, Australia, Singapore and Ukraine, representing her brother.
In Türkiye, she attended the Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli and in Ukraine, she met children who have suffered trauma in the Russian invasion.
Quiet moments of compassion
At a memorial to youngsters who’ve been killed, she left a treasured teddy bear that belonged to her daughter Zara Tindall. In February, Anne visited Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where she had been treated the year before after receiving a serious head injury – possibly from a horse-related incident she can’t remember. The princess said an emotional thank you to the staff who looked after her during her five days in the ICU.
The family formerly known as the Yorks
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will likely remember 2025 as his annus horribilis, the year his past behaviour finally caught up with him.
The fallout from his association with Jeffrey Epstein ramped up, with emails between the two, published by UK media, proving the pair were still in touch months after Andrew claimed he’d severed contact with his pal. In one, he said, “Keep in close touch and we’ll play again soon.”
Titles stripped, doors closed
Public pressure mounted on the King to censure his brother. Andrew, 65, attempted to do damage control in October, just days before Virginia Giuffre’s memoir Nobody’s Girl was published, by giving up his Duke of York title. But that wasn’t enough and within weeks, he’d also lost the title of Prince ‒ which he’d had since birth ‒ and his home, Royal Lodge.
The huge demotion was a shock to Andrew, and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are said to be deeply concerned about his mental health. According to some reports, Andrew is “broken and withdrawn”, and feels he’s lost everything.
The Yorks’ uncertain future
Also left reeling from her change of fortune is Andrew’s ex Sarah Ferguson, 66, who lost her title of Duchess of York. Because she lived at Royal Lodge with Andrew, she will be homeless and is said to be considering moving into either Beatrice’s home in the Cotswolds or Eugenie’s house in Portugal.
Fergie’s emails spark fallout
Emails Fergie had sent also came back to bite her, including one to Epstein in which she called him her “supreme friend” and apologised for criticising him in an interview. The email revelations led to seven charities immediately dropping her as their patron or ambassador.
Meanwhile, their daughters face a very difficult position. Devastated by what’s happened to their parents, they’ve kept their titles but may find themselves excluded from many family events or forced to stay away to avoid public criticism. Beatrice, 37, who welcomed her second daughter, Athena, prematurely in January, and Eugenie, 35, skipped the Princess of Wales’ Together At Christmas service earlier this month, despite receiving invitations.
Royal experts weigh in
Veteran royal reporter Phil Dampier says, “The time has possibly come for them to distance themselves for a while, at least in public, until all of this dies down. They are happily married mums in their thirties with careers and families of their own to consider.”
He adds that the family will only achieve “some sort of redemption when Andrew and Sarah have lost all their privileges and shown some contrition for their actions.”
Prince Edward & Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
Edward and Sophie have also done a fair bit of globetrotting on the King’s behalf this year. Sophie, 60, is one of the best-travelled royals, whose work includes highlighting the plight of women suffering sexual violence in war-torn countries.
This year, her passport has stamps from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peru, Panama, Guatemala, Belize, Japan, Nepal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium and the United States.
Edward steps out solo
Edward, 61, accompanied her to Japan and Nepal, but also made solo trips to Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Canada, Belgium, Estonia and Italy.
With the number of working royals shrinking rapidly, the pair has taken on extra patronages this year as well.
A royal per under scrutiny
The couple pays just $2300 a year in rent for their 120-room Crown-owned mansion, Bagshot Park, after investing $12 million in a 150-year lease in 2007.
While there was some public backlash about the size of their home, many people said they didn’t begrudge them the perk of subsidised accommodation, given how much work they do.
