30 December 2020

The Royals in 2020 – face masks, video calls and the departure of Harry and Meghan

30 December 2020

The royal family has had a busy calendar of engagements this year, despite the pandemic disrupting many of their official duties.

For the Duke and Duchess of Sussex it was the year they stepped away from royal life, while the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge both recovered from Covid-19.

Royal duties took on a new tone after lockdown in March, with even the Queen donning a facemask for a visit to Westminster Abbey in November.

And the usual big family gathering in Norfolk for Christmas was cancelled, with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh enjoying the festive period “quietly” at Windsor Castle.

The Prince of Wales wearing ear defenders during a visit to the Whittle Laboratory, a power research lab at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge

Queen Elizabeth II opens Wolferton Pumping Station

The Prince of Wales greets members of the public as he leaves the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon during a tour of Warwickshire and the West Midlands

The Duchess of Cambridge, during a SportsAid event at the London Stadium in Stratford, London

Royal visit to Royal Air Force Marham
Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Mountbatten Festival of Music (PA Archive)

The Duke of Cambridge playing wheelchair basket ball during a visit to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Stanford Hall, Stanford on Soar, Loughborough

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Ireland – Day 1

Kensington Palace handout photo showing Princes George (right), Louis (centre) and Princess Charlotte joining in a national applause for the NHS as people across the country showed their appreciation for all NHS workers who are helping to fight the coronavirus

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London on Commonwealth Day. The service is the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s final official engagement before they quit royal life

National Prince’s Trust Awards 2020
Captain Sir Thomas Moore receives his knighthood
Harry speaks to BLM supporter Patrick Hutchinson via video call from California (PA Media)
Princess Beatrice wedding dress (PA Wire)
Queen Elizabeth II portrait (PA Media)

The Duchess of Cornwall participates in a Zoom call with members of the Pepper Pot Centre in Ladbroke Grove, London in October 

(PA Wire)

In November the Queen wore a face mask during a ceremony to mark the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey

(PA Wire)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toast marshmallows during a visit to meet students at the ‘Christmas at the Castle’ event held at Cardiff Castle to hear how they have been supported with their mental health during lockdown, on the final day of a three-day tour across the country

Princess Charlotte and Prince George attend a special pantomime performance at London’s Palladium Theatre in December to thank key workers and their families for their efforts throughout the pandemic 

(PA Wire)

The Queen gives her Christmas day message

(PA Wire)

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