25 Major Royal Moments of 2018

In their first onstage appearance together, Harry, Meghan, Kate, and William spoke at the first Royal Foundation Forum. The royal group smiled and giggled as they spoke about their charitable work and answered questions about Meghan and Harry's upcoming nuptials.

In April, Queen Elizabeth II hosted 53 world leaders, including Justin Trudeau, at Buckingham Palace for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The biennial gathering gave the queen a chance to chat with the adorable Canadian prime minister and the world another look at her majesty's important royal duties.

On April 23, Prince Harry got pushed down one more notch in the line of succession with the birth of Prince Louis. Kate and William shared the joyful arrival of their third child with fans when they posed on the steps of St. Mary's Hospital in London just hours after Louis's birth. Of course, Prince George and Princess Charlotte also made a quick appearance to meet their new sibling, and Charlotte won over the world with her adorable wave.

Harry and William delighted fans when they stepped outside of Windsor Castle's walls to greet the waiting public ahead of Harry's wedding to Meghan. It was a sweet show of unity from the pair and a welcome break from the frenzy of wedding preparations and family drama from Meghan's father. The following day, the duo walked side by side again on their way into St. George's Chapel.

Prince Harry and Meghan were married at St. George's Chapel in Windsor on May 19. The stunning affair was attended by celebrities like Serena Williams and Elton John, as well as numerous members of the royal family including Kate, who had given birth to Prince Louis just weeks earlier, and Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who were included in the wedding party.

Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was also there to celebrate her daughter, and Prince Charles, who walked Meghan down the aisle, made sure to include her as part of the royal family. The whole day was sprinkled with fresh details that respectfully broke from tradition, proving Harry and Meghan would be doing things their own way as a royal couple.

Ahead of his actual birthday in November, Prince Charles celebrated turning 70 with a special event at Buckingham Palace in May. It was Meghan and Harry's first event since their wedding and important enough that they postponed their honeymoon to attend. Harry gave a speech (that was interrupted by a bee!), and Meghan appeared comfortable and relaxed as the newest member of the royal bunch.

The whole royal family made their annual appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour in June. The big event celebrates the queen's birthday, which is actually in April, and is always an exciting chance to see the extended family — kids included — in their royal regalia. It was also Meghan's first time attending and her and Harry's first appearance since returning from their top-secret honeymoon. Needless to say, all eyes were on the duo as they chatted with Prince Charles and navigated their position on the balcony. Meghan even got a little help from Harry on curtsy protocol!

In June, Queen Elizabeth II invited her new granddaughter-in-law to travel by train to Cheshire, where they made their first appearance together. Their friendly bond was obvious and not unexpected since the queen had already made multiple kind gestures to Meghan, including inviting her to spend Christmas with the royal family before she married Harry. Megan is clearly a welcome new addition to the crew.

Prince Philip retired from public duty in August 2017 but made a few special appearances in 2018. He, of course, attended Meghan and Harry's wedding (as well as Princess Eugenie's later in the year), but his visit to the Royal Windsor Cup was most notable. He had already missed the Royal Ascot, but as an avid polo fan, he made sure to attend the June tournament alongside the queen. In November, the pair celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary.

Prince William paid an important visit to Israel at the end of June. The trip made history as it was the first time a member of the royal family had traveled to Israel on official business. The heir also made appearances in Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories during his tour.

The Buckingham Palace balcony was once again packed with royalty when the family came out to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force. They attended a special commemorative service and then watched the flyby from their perch at the palace. It was just one of many important events they attended over the Summer, so important that Kate made an appearance despite still being on maternity leave.

William and Kate have made their annual Wimbledon appearance somewhat of a day date complete with adorable moments and smiley snaps. The pair checked out the men's singles finals from the royal box one day after Kate attended the women's finals with Meghan.

This was an important year for Prince Charles as he continued to ramp up his royal duties and take on more responsibilities from the queen. His visibility was heightened in September when he was honored with the Editor's Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Philanthropy at the GQ Awards in London.

Sure, she made multiple appearances in the months after Prince Louis's April birth, but Kate's first official engagement didn't occur until October, when she visited children at the Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden in London. Kate was casual for the outing but made multiple more dressed-up appearances as she quickly got back to her royal duties in the weeks that followed.

For their first royal tour, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traveled to Australia and New Zealand for two weeks. They packed in plenty of appearances during the trip, which included their usual PDA and a few glimpses of Meghan's tiny baby bump.

It was an important time for the couple as Harry helped Meghan navigate even more royal protocol in her first year as a member of the family. Plus, it was a chance for the chic duchess to show off even more of her enviable style.

Rumblings of trouble between Prince Harry and Prince William continued to get louder toward the end of the year. The brothers were already reportedly working to separate their Kensington Palace offices when it was confirmed that Harry and Meghan would move to Windsor instead of living near Kate and William at Kensington Palace like they had originally planned.

But just as the rumors were picking up steam, the foursome were conveniently photographed together at Westminster Abbey, where they attended a special Remembrance Day service with the queen. Kate further dispelled the drama when she gushed about Meghan and Harry's baby at the end of November.