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The Best British Royal Family Appearances of 2024 So Far

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Sep 10, 2024 / 1152 Views

Evan Walker

While we have some ways to go before the end of 2024, its first nine months have been eventful, to say the least. With numerous key events happening over the course of the year so far — from Brat girl summer and beefing rappers to Joe Biden’s election exit and the Paris Olympics, 2024 has been filled with twists and turns. Most notably, royal watchers have been treated by some of the best and most emotional appearances by the British royal family — from Wimbledon to Trooping the Colour.

The chaos and drama have not escaped the British Royal Family. Having suffered two major blows in the cancer diagnoses of King Charles and Catherine, Duchess of Wales, the royal family have displayed incredible grit in the face of misfortune. Most notably, Catherine’s decision to withdraw from the public eye whilst undergoing cancer treatment was met with widespread public panic, with online conspiracy theorists emerging to make baseless conjectures on her whereabouts and state of being.

Thankfully, they have since been proven wrong, allowing the family to continue their affairs with that famed stiff upper lip.

A slimmed-down monarchy

In a time of growing dissent over the financial constraints of supporting a royal family, King Charles III’s vision of a slimmed-down monarchy appears to address public concerns and complaints. A smaller roster of working royals means less taxpayers’ money is spent supporting their function in society, essentially guaranteeing the British people their ‘money’s worth’. However, there exists a caveat for this slimmed-down monarchy: A smaller number of working royals inevitably cuts down on the number of engagements that the royal family can commit to.

While King Charles’ decision was notably made in good faith, even he could not have anticipated the royal shortage it would incur, particularly given his personal Health crisis earlier this year. Likewise, the cancer diagnosis of Princess Catherine, who like Princess Diana has become a beloved figurehead of an antiquated monarchy, was equally unexpected, casting a pallor upon the family which had just begun to find its footing following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

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King Charles III has since returned to his public-facing duties. Despite that, and with all the rumours of Princess Catherine’s disappearance put to rest, it bears noting that there is a distinct royal family shortage happening in real time. With the departure of Harry and Meghan for greener pastures in North America, the current lineup of working senior royals extends to a mere 11 individuals. Barring King Charles himself, the list includes Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie), the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (Prince Richard and his wife, Birgitte), Prince Edward the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.

Interestingly, King Charles appears cognisant of the royal shortage. Earlier this year, royal historian Gareth Russell suggested that the ‘royal status of’ Lady Louise, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, has the ‘potential to change’. Notably, the 20-year-old college student was not raised as a princess. However, her younger brother James inherited his father’s title of Earl of Wessex after he, in turn, inherited Prince Phillip’s title as Duke of Edinburgh. Russell believes that Lady Louise has ‘impressed people within the palace’, and that she could join the ranks of working royals were she herself to be promoted.

Princess Anne is among the most senior of the working royals in the British Royal Family. (Image: theroyalfamily/Instagram)

The addition of a few more working royals could be significant for the current roster. Notably, there were only 2,270 royal engagements in 2023, the lowest figure since 1983. And while one or two new royals won’t do much in the grand scheme of things, it’ll certainly add colour to the optics, particularly for those obsessed with royal watching.

Curious as to what the current working royals have been up to? Read on for the best British royal family appearances of 2024, to date.

The best British royal family appearances of 2024 to date

Trooping the Colour

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After spending months away from the public eye and plagued with conspiracy theories, Catherine, Duchess of Wales, made her first public appearance at Trooping the Colour on June 15 2024, the very picture of good Health and grace. While the princess is not scheduled to return to the public eye just yet, her Trooping the Colour appearance marked her dedication to the British people and highlighted her strength and grit.

A tradition of 260 years in the making, The Trooping of the Colour serves to mark the official birthday of the British Sovereign. During 2024’s event, the princess appeared in high spirits as she waved at crowds from her carriage, iMMAculately dressed in a Jenny Packham dress, paired with Jimmy Choo heels. She later emerged on the Buckingham Palace balcony, waving at crowds alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla, and her husband Prince William. They were joined by their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louie, with Prince George notably commenting on how happy the crowds had been to see his mother out and about — a sentiment we can all agree with.

The Eras tour

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The entire world is ablaze in Taylor Swift fever, and the British royal family is not exempt. On June 21 2024, Prince William became the ultimate Millennial dad by ‘shaking it off’ at Taylor Swift’s Eras tour stop in London. He was joined by two of his three children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as his cousin Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne. Zara’s husband Mike Tindall and their daughters Mia and Lena were also in attendance. While it was certainly unexpected for the Royal Family to make an Eras tour appearance, it has nonetheless endeared William to Swifties the world over, further shedding light on his unlikely friendship with the singer.

The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs)

best british royal family appearances — (Image: @Hopesloop/X)

Prince William has been the President of the BAFTAs since 2010, a place that has earned him an invite to all their related events. Widely considered Britain’s version of the Academy Awards, the BAFTAs have always been chaired by a member of the British Royal Family — except for a brief tenure spent under Sir David Attenborough.

Given his availability, it comes as little surprise that William does not attend the awards show every year. However, this year, amidst scaling back his royal duties to spend time with his wife, he nonetheless made time for a surprise visit with Britain’s top performers and stars. Bearing his trademark awkward charm, he took a moment to meet with the nominees of the EE Rising Star award at this year’s February 19 event: Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Sophie Wilde, and Mia McKenna Bruce.

St. Daniel’s Day, Wrexham

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Amid public scrutiny over Catherine’s health, Prince William took a day to celebrate St. Daniel’s Day in Wrexham on March 1 2024. He spent the morning at Wrexham AFC with Rob McElhenney, later pouring a pint behind the bar at The Turf Pub and sharing a drink. McElhenney, who is the co-owner of Wrexham AFC, shares that responsibility with Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds.

Following his visit with McElhenney, Prince William made his way to the All Saint’s School, where he received a bouquet on Catherine’s behalf. He concluded his visit at the Gresford Colliery Disaster Memorial, marking a vividly humanising notch in a day of royal engagements.

Orbis Visionaries Reception

On April 24 2024, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, attended the Orbis Visionaries Reception at London’s Abbey Road Studios. The Duchess, who is the global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, took to the Abbey Road crossing to recreate one of the most iconic pop culture imageries of our time. Vibrantly dressed and brimming with life, the beloved duchess took her cues from The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, as she crossed the street and posed for pictures.

Royal Windsor Horse Show

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It comes as no surprise that the British Royal Family holds great regard for all things equestrian. This is particularly pertinent considering Queen Elizabeth II’s renowned fondness for horses and horseback riding. The Royal Windsor Horse Show falls within the list of the late monarch’s favourite events, and she famously visited it yearly during her life, even in 2022 amidst mobility issues. As a child, King Charles and his sister Princess Anne often accompanied their mother to the show; however, it has been 45 years since the King’s last appearance at the event, having previously attended as a competitor who had performed showjumping on his horse Candlewick during a triathlon event.

This year’s iteration of the horse show was held from May 1 to May 5. Just a few days after being cleared to return to public-facing duties, the monarch made a surprise long-awaited return, appearing in good spirits amid his cancer treatment. In a touching display of familial fondness caught on camera, the king was also seen embracing his niece Zara Tindall. Other members of the British Royal family in attendance at the event include Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.

Annual Royal Ascot

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The five-day spectacle of the Annual Royal Ascot horse races is a fabulous occasion for members of the British aristocracy to mingle amongst themselves and other like-minded equestrian enthusiasts. First founded in 1711 by Queen Anne, who harboured a deep passion for riding, the Ascot Racecourse has hosted the Ascot summer race meeting since 1911. This year’s race took place from June 18-22 — and with two senior royals including the monarch King Charles III undergoing cancer treatment, royal watchers had wondered at which royals they would see on the ground.

While Princess Catherine did not end up attending the event, it remained a star-studded affair, pulling royals and those closely related to their inner circles. Among those in attendance were King Charles and Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and her children, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince William and his in-laws the Middletons, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and many other royal cousins and friends.

The State Visit of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan

On June 25, the British Royal Family hosted a state dinner to welcome Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan. The two monarchs were said to have bonded over their mutual love of opera while also embarking on fly fishing expeditions together.

During his address at dinner, the British monarch made the dad joke of the century by referring to the highly popular franchise of Japanese origin, Pokémon. Speaking of his fishing skills, King Charles said, “I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing — the Pokémon phrase ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me, it is, perhaps, aspirational.” While an unexpected quip by the king’s standards, the tongue-in-cheek addition was nonetheless met with amused chuckling and the general amusement of the internet.

Euro 2024 finals

Prince William & Prince George were the ultimate soccer fans cheering on England in the Euro 2024 final pic.twitter.com/fut5GnsYsp
— HELLO! Canada (@HelloCanada) July 15, 2024

Held in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on July 14 2024, the Euro 2024 finals match between Britain and Spain were a nail-biting affair from start to finish — but it was not the only thing that caught viewers’ attention. Accompanying his father Prince William, 11-year-old Prince George cut a smart figure as the mini-me of the future monarch. Both dressed in chic dark blue suits with blue-and-white striped ties, the father-and-son duo adopted similar aesthetics and facial expressions which have since gone viral on the internet for their sheer relatability.

Wimbledon

One of the greatest sporting events held in Great Britain, the Wimbledon Championships, often shortened to just Wimbledon, draws crowds composed of celebrities, key public figures, Tennis enthusiasts, and laypeople alike. As the oldest and most prestigious Tennis tournament in the world, it rightly attracts those from the upper echelons of society, all dressed to the nines in a bid to make a splash and a fashionable statement to remember.

Like the Wimbledon tournaments of years past, this year’s event, held on July 14 2024, once again saw celebrities out in the dozens, a fashionable flock to admire and emulate. Yet, it was Princess Catherine’s surprise appearance at the men’s singles finals that stole the show. In a touching show of solidarity and respect, the princess received a standing ovation as she made her way to her seat, accompanied by her daughter Princess Charlotte and her sister Pippa Middleton. In what is her second public appearance since Trooping the Colour, the princess looked radiant and Healthy in a purple dress by Safiyaa London, pairing it with an L.K. Bennett Milly handbag. She later presented the winner’s trophy to Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.