2022 in review: A historic year for the royal family

It’s been a historic year for the royal family, with the Windsors seeing two monarchs, two Netflix series, tragedy, triumph and a royal racism scandal.

Here are some of the biggest moments 2022 has brought the world's most famous family.

In June there was a celebration of royalty as Queen Elizabeth II marked 70 years on the throne with her Platinum Jubilee.

Union Jacks flew across the UK as Britons turned out in droves to celebrate the Queen's milestone as she became the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

London went into party mode as concerts outside the palace rocked the city.

The Queen's meeting with Paddington Bear stole hearts across the world, with the images of the two together becoming synonymous with the UK as a whole.

The event also gave the world a picture of the young Prince Louis covering his ears as crowds screamed from the mall and planes roared overhead.

However, as the year went on, it appeared that the Queen's health was slowly deteriorating.

On September 8, the UK, the Commonwealth and the rest of the world went into mourning after Queen Elizabeth II died at 96.

Families across the planet gathered around their televisions and watched as tradition took hold and a spectacle years in the making played out.

We watched as her coffin made its way from Balmoral to Edinburgh and then London.

It was here when the true scale of grief for her majesty was on display. Travelling from far and wide, people lined up to attend the lying-in-state - some waiting 12 hours in line.

After a constant 24/7 stream of people viewing the Queen came to an end, it was time for the monarch to finally be laid to rest.

It's estimated that 28 million people in the UK tuned in to watch the Queen's funeral on September 19.

Londoners packed The Mall as the Queen’s coffin made its way from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle in a slow precession aboard a gun carriage carried by sailors.

She was buried in her final resting place, a tomb alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, as well as her mother, Queen Elizabeth and father, King George VI.

As the world mourned, the royal cycle continued like clockwork; as one monarch went out, a new one stepped in.

The minute Queen Elizabeth let out her last breath, her son, the Prince of Wales, became King Charles III.

He is the first King Britain has had since his grandfather, King George, died in 1952.

He was proclaimed King on September 10 and immediately stepped into his mother's shoes, taking on the responsibilities as monarch.

“Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived, a promise with destiny kept, and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.” the King said in his first address as king.

Charles' coronation will be held in May 2023.

While the year has seen coverage of the royals stay relatively positive, they have still faced their fair share of criticism from scandalous activity.

Early in the year, the Queen's rumoured favourite son, Prince Andrew, settled a lawsuit with Virginia Duffrey, who claimed she had relations with the prince when she was 17.

The allegations came after the conviction and subsequent death of New York financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was imprisoned for the sex trafficking of minors.

The Prince and Epstein were close friends, and Andrew had visited the sex offender before he went to prison.

The Duke of York’s legal fees were funded by his mother which put a dark stain on what many view as a perfect record for the Queen.

Much later in the year, after the Queen's death, Buckingham Palace was once again rocked by scandal following a number of racial comments made by lady-in-waiting Susan Hussey.

The comments were made at a royal event where the Lady constantly asked a British-born black woman where she came from.

The scandal led to Hussey’s resignation from the royal household.

Netflix, of all things, has been brought up a number of times when topics relating to the royal family are discussed.

Netflix released two series about the royal family this year, which seem to have shaken those in and around the establishment.

The first is the fifth series of The Crown - a fictional drama which attempts to act as a fly on the wall of the many palaces in which the royals preside.

The new series was released shortly after the death of the Queen, with a number of high-profile individuals criticising it before it even came out.

The series documented the messy divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana - events which are still in the memories of many.

Dame Judy Dench, a personal friend of the King, called it “cruelly unjust” - encouraging Netflix to put a disclaimer before each episode so viewers knew that it was a piece of fiction.

When the show was released, it didn’t have quite the expected impact; it remained fairly balanced in its commentary of the royal family and relegated the Queen to a secondary character.

However, the show that created the most waves among establishment figures and royal watchers wasn’t devised by a group of writers at a television studio but by members of the family.

Harry & Mehgan came out on December 8 was the result of a lucrative deal between the Duke and Dutchess of Sussex and the streaming giant.

The show provided an insight into the dramatic exit of the Sussex's as they left the staunch tradition of Buckingham Palace for America.

It fired shots at the media and the royal family, detailing the privilege of senior members of the firm over their juniors.

While the show critically bombed, it proved to be incredibly popular - skyrocketing to the top of the Netflix charts.

Moving into 2023, a new era awaits the royal family; with a coronation for the new king planned, it looks to set new highs - and possibly more drama - for the world's most famous family.