The British Royal Family's best moments of 2018

When they gather for <strong><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02016121531657/queen-christmas-traditions-royal-family">Christmas at Sandringham</a></strong>, the Royal Family will have plenty to reminisce about after such an exciting 2018! From <strong><a href="/royal-wedding/">Prince Harry and Meghan's historic royal wedding</a></strong> and the announcement of Baby Sussex to <strong><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018101247755/princess-eugenie-jack-brooksbank-royal-wedding-photos">Princess Eugenie and jack's nuptials</a></strong>, Prince Charles's 70th birthday and the <strong><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018042344629/prince-william-kate-middleton-royal-baby-debut-photos/">arrival of Prince Louis</a></strong>, it's been a year filled with new beginnings. There was also plenty of travel, including <a href="/tags/0/prince-william-and-kate/"><strong>Prince William and Kate</strong></a>'s stylish tour of Noway and Sweden and the <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018103148391/prince-harry-meghan-markle-royal-tour-best-moments"><strong>Sussexes</strong></a>' two weeks Down Under. <p>We laughed over Prince George and Savannah Philips' raucous bond, wiped away tears as Sarah Ferguson watched her youngest daughter say "I do" and eagerly watched every move the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex made. So, here's to the next 365 days of royalty! <p><strong>Click through to see all the best royal moments of 2018...</strong> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>A Cambridge tour!</h2> The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge embarked on a whirlwind tour of Sweden and Norway at the beginning of the year, where they popped by for a visit with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden! We loved seeing how Victoria and Kate fashioned their winter wear – and clearly, they nailed it with colour and style! <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>The Fab Four's first appearance</h2> Duchess Meghan made her official debut in London alongside her family – then-fiancé Prince Harry and in-laws the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – on Feb. 28. It was their first time stepping out as a foursome for a public engagement, and the outing couldn't have gone better. Laying out their vision for the future of their Royal Foundation, the American actress and the royals spoke passionately about the causes close to their hearts under the umbrella of the theme "Making a Difference Together" – from the Invictus Games, during which Meghan and Harry stepped out as a couple for the first time ever last year in Toronto, to the Head's Together campaign for mental health. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>The princess of personality!</h2> At three years old, Princess Charlotte has certainly learned how to charm the public. Showing off her winning personality while heading into the Lindo Wing to meet her baby brother, Prince Louis, Charlotte made sure to wave at reporters multiple times with a sweet grin on her face. <p><strong><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018101147757/prince-george-princess-charlotte-cutest-pageboy-bridesmaid-moments/">RELATED: Prince George and Princess Charlotte's cutest bridesmaid and page boy moments</a></strong> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>Happy birthday, Prince Louis!</h2> The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge happily <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018042344629/prince-william-kate-middleton-royal-baby-debut-photos/"><strong>welcomed their third child, Prince Louis, on April 23</strong></a> – and it couldn't have been a more wonderful day! Making an appearance on the Lindo Wing steps, as they also did with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the Cambridge couple introduced their beautiful bundle of joy to the world. Duchess Kate dazzled in a bright-red Jenny Packham dress with a sweet lace Peter Pan collar, while her husband looked dapper as ever in a blue jacket. Just hours prior, William arrived hand in hand with his two kids, who were super excited to be meeting their new little brother. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>A royal wedding to remember</h2> May 19, 2018 went down in royal history books! The <a href="/royal-wedding/"><strong>union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle</strong></a> not only marked a beautiful moment in their own lives, but also symbolized the modernization of the British Royal Family – and this wasn't lost on royal fans! It's the first time the family ever welcomed into its fold a biracial divorcée, and the love between the couple was palpable that day. <p>The Duchess of Sussex dazzled in a Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy gown, topped off with a stunning embroidered veil and the Queen Mary Filigree tiara. And sitting just in the background, watching this all occur, was her sweet mom, Doria Ragland. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>Shhh!</h2> Savannah Philips and Prince George's relationship really blossomed in 2018, and they were the stars in easily one of the funniest royal moments of the year. At Duchess Meghan's first Trooping the Colourl, Peter and Autumn Philips's eldest daughter decided to get a little goofy with her cousin, silencing the future king by putting her hand over his mouth. They were back at it as bridesmaid and page boy at Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's royal wedding, where they had each other giggling before walking the aisle. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>Family fun at the polo</h2> While royal watchers love seeing Duchess Kate dressed to the nines, it's even sweeter seeing her in her most cherished role: mom! Taking a day out of their busy schedules to enjoy some casual family bonding, Kate brought Prince George and Princess Charlotte along to one of their dad's polo matches, where they enjoyed some fun in the sun! Newborn Prince Louis stayed home this time, but we bet we'll be seeing him out and about next year, cheering Prince William on from the sidelines. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>An outing with the Queen</h2> Royal watchers will look back fondly on Duchess Meghan's first solo outing with the Queen! Dazzling in an elegant caped Givenchy dress, Meghan made her debut with her husband's grandmother in Cheshire in June, where they showed off their quickly growing bond and shared more than a few laughs. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>The family of five has arrived</h2> For the first time ever, the Cambridge clan stepped out with all five members in tow for Prince Louis' christening at St. James' Palace on July 9. Also in attendance were Prince Harry and Meghan, who later posed alongside the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles in <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018071346220/prince-louis-christening-portraits"><strong>the gorgeous christening portraits</strong></a>. <p>Photo: &copy; Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images
<h2>A Wimble-date!</h2> Much to the delight of royal fans, the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex left their husbands at home to step out for their first joint appearance in July. Dazzling in their individual styles – Meghan in a Ralph Lauren button-up and trousers and Kate in a Jenny Packham dress – the two clearly had a wonderful time together at Wimbledon, clapping and cheering for Meghan's close friend, tennis champ Serena Williams. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>A milestone birthday</h2> Prince George turned five this year, and what a year it was for him, from welcoming a baby brother to wrapping up his first year of big-boy school. Posing after Prince Louis' christening, George showed off his million-dollar smile for his official birthday portrait. <p>Photo: © Matt Porteous
<h2>A fairy-tale romance</h2> Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank first met on the ski slopes of Verbier, Switzerland and from that moment, they said in their engagement interview, they were hooked! October saw their gorgeous wedding day take place at St. George's Chapel, and it could not have been more perfect. <p>The longtime couple was emotional during their ceremony, looking more in love than ever as Andrea Bocelli performed songs like "Ave Maria" and maid of honour Princess Beatrice read from <em>The Great Gatsby</em>. After it all, fans delighted in the couple's first kiss before they rode through Windsor in the stunning Scottish State Carriage. They then held three celebrations for their A-list friends and family, including a carnival-themed luncheon the following day. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images 
<h2>A royal baby is on the way!</h2> In retrospect, Prince Harry and Meghan's grinning faces make all the sense in the world – it was less than 24 hours later that the two, who had just arrived in Australia here, announced their highly anticipated pregnancy! Kicking off a major milestone with a bang, the couple's royal tour Down Under was made even sweeter by the news of Baby Sussex. <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>A duchess's honour</h2> An honour bestowed on the hardest-working royals, the Royal Family Order was officially spotted for the first time attached to the Duchess of Cambridge's gorgeous blue Alexander McQueen gown at a state dinner in October. She was certainly dressed to impress, tiara and all, for the glitzy Buckingham Palace affair, but the yellow badge bestowed by the Queen to signify her dedication to her role was the pièce de résistance! <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>Royal tour Down Under</h2> Prince Harry and Meghan were all smiles during their first-ever official overseas royal tour, and it was a fun-filled one to boot! The two touched down in Australia before heading to Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand for a whirlwind 16 days of walkabouts, state dinners, the <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/fashion/02018101547899/meghan-markle-royal-tour-style"><strong>impeccable tour style</strong></a>, charitable meetings, <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018110148420/meghan-markle-royal-tour-speech-quotes"><strong>uplifting speeches</strong></a> and more. <p><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018101547898/prince-harry-meghan-markle-royal-tour-photos/2"><strong>MORE: All the photos from Prince Harry and Meghan's royal tour</strong></a> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images
<h2>Family first</h2> Prince Charles rang in his 70th birthday this year surrounded by close family members, his wife the Duchess of Cornwall and, of course, his adorable grandchildren. To commemorate the milestone, Clarence House released a handful of <strong><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018111348583/prince-charles-70-birthday-portraits">sweet family portraits</a></strong> taken on his home's grounds, showing off the bond between Camilla and Charlotte, plus Charles, Prince George and the <strong><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018111948659/prince-louis-plays-with-prince-charles-new-portraits">family's adorable new member, Prince Louis</a></strong>. <p>Photo: &copy; Chris Jackson/Getty Images via Clarence House
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