The Best And Worst Royals Moments Of 2021

We all have ups and downs each year, but for the royal family, 2021 was a time of extreme highs and gut-wrenching lows. Of course, Queen Elizabeth losing Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years, was a huge blow to the royals, and the queen celebrated what would have been her 74th wedding anniversary alone. While his April death might have set the stage for a sad rest of the year for Her Majesty and the rest of the family, we saw some wonderful moments, too.

After being in isolation for most of 2020 and part of 2021, it was wonderful for royal fans to see the queen and her family return to in-person events again. Many of the royals stepped up their charity work in 2021, especially in the fight against climate change, and there was even a royal baby boom. Here, we're taking a look at some of the best and worst royal moments from 2021.

June 2021 was supposed to mark a fantastic milestone for Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, as the royal family made preparations for his 100th birthday. However, fears about Philip's health were raised when the duke was hospitalized from February 16 through March 16, according to The Guardian. The duke had undergone a heart procedure and had also been treated for an infection. Royal watchers hoped that Philip had recovered and would make it to his 100th, but sadly, those celebrations would not take place.

The queen released a somber announcement on April 9, telling the world that her husband had died at the age of 99 (via BBC News). Tributes to the duke poured in, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying he "earned the affection of generations here in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth, and around the world." Due to COVID restrictions, only a small number of guests attended — including Prince Harry, who flew from California for the funeral (via the royal family website). Members of the royal family walked behind the custom-built Land Rover hearse designed by Philip himself into St. George's Chapel — a fitting sendoff for the Land Rover aficionado (via USA Today). Later in 2021, a BBC documentary aired with various members of the royal family sharing their fond memories of the duke, praising his life of humor, heart, and innovation.

Like the rest of us, the royal family still felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic long into 2021. With Britain under tight lockdown restrictions, royal events were mainly online for the early part of the year, like the February chat Prince William and Kate Middleton had about the COVID-19 vaccine (via Hola!). Zoom meetings were a change for the royals, but the queen managed to adapt to the new technology, even when there were technical difficulties (via the Daily Express). 

While online events in themselves aren't a bad thing, not being able to shake hands or interact on a more personal level with the British people had to have been difficult for the royal family. After all, the queen once said she had "to be seen to be believed" (via The New York Times).

When the royals finally were able to get out and meet with charities and the British public face-to-face, it came with new challenges like face masks, distancing, and criticism on social media about COVID rules. ro's son Peter Phillips made headlines for allegedly breaking COVID restrictions by traveling to Scotland (via Newsweek), for example. 

When Oprah Winfrey sat down to speak to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in March 2021, no one really knew what to expect from the interview. Although previews from CBS showed there would be some revelations from the couple, it turned out much more shocking news would be revealed. One of the most troubling moments came when Meghan revealed she'd had suicidal thoughts during her time living in the U.K. (via CNN).

In the interview, Meghan said that she "just didn't want to be alive anymore" at one point due to the stress of royal life, per CNN, and that she did not receive mental health support from anyone in the family. The media outlet also noted that she and Harry raised serious questions about racism in the royal family, sharing that comments were allegedly made by a family member regarding their child's skin color. The interview made headlines around the globe and caused many members of the public to question what was going on in the royal family, with the Daily Mirror running the front page headline: "Worst Royal Crisis in 85 Years." In fact, a YouGov poll found that only 27% of Americans questioned expressed any sympathy for the royal family after watching the interview. 

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

The ongoing legal issues surrounding Prince Andrew's involvement with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been a constant source of negative headlines for the royal family, especially since his poorly received 2019 BBC interview. While Andrew said in the interview he had not behaved as a member of the royal family should, he maintained his stance that there was never any sexual misconduct with Virginia Giuffre, who had claimed Epstein forced her to have sex with the prince on multiple occasions. Due to the negative attention surrounding the case, Andrew stepped down from public royal duties and was removed from his role with almost 50 patronages, according to the Daily Mail, marking one of the worst royal moments of 2021.

But in August 2021, a new development in the case emerged when Giuffre sued Andrew, filing a civil complaint against him in a New York court (via The New York Times). In October, Andrew's lawyers spoke out about the lawsuit, saying that "he unequivocally denies Giuffre's false allegations against him" and no sexual abuse or assault took place (via Reuters). While the case is ongoing, public opinion of the royal is so low that Express reported Andrew made the hashtag #abolishthemonarchy trend on Twitter in the U.K.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Staffers are an integral part of helping members of the royal family run their busy lives, so to lose a trusted employee is a huge blow for any royal. Unfortunately, Prince Charles went through a scandal in 2021 when his longtime aide was accused of assuring a wealthy Saudi businessman he'd get a knighthood in exchange for a large donation (via ABC News). Michael Fawcett, who served the Prince of Wales since 1981, per the Sunday Times, worked as his valet for years before transitioning to chief executive of the Prince's Foundation. The royal staffer was so indispensable, according to the newspaper, that Charles once said, "I can manage without just about anyone except Michael." 

The Sunday Times initially broke the story about the allegations Fawcett had helped Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz gain an honorary knighthood and would assist with his bid for U.K. citizenship in return for monetary support of the Prince's Foundation. Fawcett stepped back from his role while an investigation happened in September 2021, according to ABC News, and he permanently resigned from his post in November. But later that month, The Guardian reported that an investigation had been launched into the Prince's Foundation by The Charity Commission. Allegations had been made that donations which were intended for the Prince's Foundation went instead to the Mahfouz Foundation, raising further questions about Fawcett's involvement with the businessman, per the publication. 

Aside from the pandemic, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had an especially momentous 2020 when they departed royal life. The duke and duchess might have settled into a more low-key existence in 2021, but their troubles from the U.K. didn't go away. Meghan started off the year on a high note in February, with a British court ruling in her favor after she sued the Mail on Sunday for publishing a private letter she sent to her father in 2018 (via CBS News). However, the newspaper filed an appeal, and in November, some surprising evidence was released from Jason Knauf, the Sussexes' former communications chief (via Reuters). 

Knauf released texts and emails from Harry and Meghan which discussed their alleged involvement in the biography "Finding Freedom," per the media outlet. Meghan's lawyers denied that the couple had participated in the book during their original trial, but Knauf's messages showed conversations between him and the couple discussing information they wanted Knauf to brief the authors about. Meghan issued an apology to the court, saying she "had not remembered these exchanges at the time" (via Royal Central). Reuters also reported that Meghan allegedly told Knauf she realized the letter to her father might be leaked and had chosen her words carefully for that reason. The outcome of the appeal is still to be decided as of the time of this article, but Meghan could eventually testify if the case goes to trial, per Reuters.

Even in her 90s, Queen Elizabeth II has been active, but concerns about her health arose in 2021 when she was hospitalized and later forced to back out of several major events (via CNN). The questions started when the queen used a walking stick for an event on October 12, as noted by The Guardian. Later, fears were raised when the palace announced Her Majesty wouldn't make a planned visit to Northern Ireland and was resting at home, per CNN, but it turned out she had actually been briefly hospitalized. She next had to pull out of the COP26 summit she was due to attend with Prince Charles and other members of her family, instead speaking via a pre-recorded video (via BBC News).

Her Majesty gave the public further cause for worry when she didn't attend November's annual Remembrance Day event due to a sprained back, according to the Daily Mail. The queen expressed her disappointment at missing the ceremony, which the Daily Mail noted had only happened on six other occasions in her entire reign. Of course, it's not unusual for a woman in her mid-90s to experience some health issues, but it was still worrisome and certainly one of the worst royal moments of 2021.