Image by Getty Images via @daylife

This has been a banner year for Her Majesty. After two royal weddings and several successful tours, she now looks forward to her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Throughout the year, many events kept Her Majesty busy. We take a look back at 2011 in review:

January

• 10^th: Singer Charlotte Church apologizes for referring to the Queen as ‘an old woman [who] has no idea what’s going on’. The Queen, who at almost 85 is one of the most experienced leaders in the world, wasn’t bothered in the slightest. People begin asking, “Charlotte who? Casiraghi?”

February

• 24th: Official visit to Wales by Prince William to introduce his fiancée and future Queen consort, Catherine Middleton.

March

• 17^th -18th: Prince William undertakes an official visit to New Zealand, representing The Queen.
• 19^th -21^st: Prince William continues on an official visit to Australia.

April

• 21^st: The Queen turns 85.
• 23^rd: The christening of Savannah Phillips, Elizabeth’s first great-grandchild.

• 29th: Her grandson and eventual heir, Prince William, marries Catherine. They become the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

May

• 3^rd – 5th: The Prince of Wales represents Her Majesty on a visit to the United States.
• 17th – 20th: State Visit to Ireland by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
• 24th – 26th: State Visit from the President of the United States and Mrs. Obama. The President and First Lady also meet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
  

June

• 2^nd: The 58^th anniversary of Her Majesty’s coronation.
• 10^th: Prince Philip celebrates his 90^th birthday.
• 11^th: Her Majesty’s official birthday and Trooping the Color.
• 30^th: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge begin their extensive tour of Canada, representing the Queen.

July

• 1st – 8th: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continue their Canadian tour, with a brief stop in Los Angeles, California in the USA.
• 11th: The year was darkened by the loss of a lovely man. The Queen’s first cousin, Lord Harewood, dies at age 88.
• 30th: The Queen’s eldest granddaughter, Zara Phillips, marries rugby captain Mike Tindall in Scotland.
  

August

• 15^th: Iranian media was caught publishing fake stories about an anti-monarchy uprising in the UK. The Guardian reports that the press for the Islamic regime used photos of the miners’ strike of 1984, a bloodied man who was involved in a football skirmish in 2010, among others, to pretend that there were anti-monarchy riots across Britain.
  

September

• 12^th: The BBC presents The Queen’s Palaces, a three-part landmark television series hosted by Fiona Bruce.

October

• 19th – 29th: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh tour Australia. A protocol controversy brews upon being met at the airport by Prime Minister Julia Gellard, who bowed instead of curtseying. The rest of the tour is a smashing success.

November

• 2nd: Working visit to Copenhagen by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They meet with Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, Crown Princess Mary.
• 20th: The Queen and Prince Philip celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary.

• 22nd – 24th: The President of the Republic of Turkey and Mrs. Gül paid a State Visit to the UK as the guests of Queen Elizabeth II.

December

• The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh host one of the largest royal gatherings at Sandringham in years. A brief scare ensues when Prince Philip suffers chest pains and is taken to a nearby hospital. The Duke turns out to be fine, but requires a stent to open a blocked coronary artery.

I can only somehow imagine that I find myself being born into this position for a purpose. I don’t want my grandchildren or yours to come along and say to me, “Why the hell didn’t you come and do something about this? You knew what the problem was”. That is what motivates me.

These comments come from Charles’ work on the documentary entitled “Harmony”, after the Prince’s book of the same name, scheduled to debut in the U.S. in November. “Harmony” talks of Charles’ beliefs that commerce and development have destroyed the English countryside.

The way nature presents itself – we’ve turned it into merely a mechanical process.

The prince has always firmly believed that nature and the universe are a ‘living entity’ that must be cherished. He supports farmers and sells organic foods. Charles was even teased once for talking to his plants, but his views have never swayed in the 22 years since he took up the mantle as an eco-friendly royal. He maintains that he has a “sacred duty of stewardship of the natural order of things”.

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Prince William may jump the royal queue soon.

At least, that’s what the media thinks will happen. The Mail on Sunday has dubbed the prince “the shadow king”, poised to take over for Queen Elizabeth II and bypassing his father Charles in the line of succession.

The British broadsheet claims that they have obtained a secret treasury document, uncensored, revealing that William will be taking on more royal responsibilities in the coming year. Monies have been allotted for his travel expenses so that he can represent the Queen all over the world.

The Queen, at 83, is said to be looking for the younger members to pick up some of the royal workload. At age 27 and second-in-line to the throne, William is the forerunner to represent the House of Windsor. His blonde good looks and love life make good reading. The spirit of Diana also hangs over William, fueling the dreams of her admirers that the Princess lives on in her son.

The Queen, who has been head of the dynasty for over 50 years, is very savvy when it comes to the job of monarchy. She knows that William is very popular and his youth will be a boon to their image. When he marries, it will draw huge crowds to England and give the economy a boost. Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla could end up on the back burner.

But will the traditional Elizabeth break the rules of hereditary monarchy and officially skip a generation? Something tells me that this child of the abdication era will not do so.

Mr. Simpson offers up a summary of the excellent relations between Canada and the UK and even expresses respect and admiration for the Queen. When it’s Charles’ turn for the throne, however, Simpson says Canada will probably say farewell.

“[...]the issue is less about Charles himself, although personalities cannot be removed from public matters, as about the appropriateness and the fit of the British monarchy – and it is a British institution, no matter what its clangorous defenders say in Canada – for contemporary Canadian realities.

Our governments generally agree on world matters – climate change excepted these days. We are fighting together, as we have in the past. We share the more sensitive intelligence information, which we do with few others. The number of Canadians with family ties to Britain and vice versa is considerable and valuable. We trade with each other, talk sensibly to each other, work together. Few relations for Canada are as free and easy as with Britain. But they are British, and we are Canadians. That is not a statement of threat or disapproval or arrogance, but rather of fact.”

Will Canada truly say farewell, or will King Charles have a chance to see his face on the Loonie?

RoyaltyNow! presents Prince Harry in NYC, the Belgian Royals, Prince Charles’ 40th anniversary, and more! Majesty Magazine Review for July 2009 – http://royaltynow.podcastpeople.com/posts/33626.

I discuss the controversy and chaos swirling around the Royal Family right now. Does it ever end? Find out more at the RoyaltyNow! podcast.

Book Review: Charles Prince of Wales – A Birthday Souvenir Album

See the latest Podcast now! Just click the image above to go to the direct post. To go to the main page, see http://royaltynow.podcastpeople.com (still processing, may not be available just yet!)

UPDATE: podcast available! Enjoy.

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