The Royal Family survived a year full of chaos, as new details emerge about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s looming move and the strain it placed on the monarchy.
And amidst all this, King Charles immersed himself in official duties, travelling extensively across the UK and overseas.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said, according to Express: “He’s certainly not let the grass grow under his feet.” Per the outlet, aides later confirmed the King would resume a largely normal programme of engagements in 2025, a message reinforced when Kate Middleton announced she was in remission just days into the new year.
For a time, the Royal Family appeared to be regaining its footing after what insiders described as the King’s “annus horribilis”: cancer diagnoses for two senior royals, Princess Anne’s hospitalisation following a head injury, and the sudden death of Thomas Kingston.
Even a brief hospital admission for the King in March was dismissed by aides as a “bump in the road”, and within days he was back on duty, marking his 20th wedding anniversary during a state visit to Italy before embarking on a whirlwind 20-hour trip to Canada.
The outlet cited sources close to the Palace saying: “His dedication to duty means he just gets on with it. He won’t let us lighten his schedule.”
Yet while the King was described as managing his health, handling the escalating controversy surrounding his younger brother proved far more difficult. Prince Andrew continued to dominate headlines as fresh allegations and revelations linked to his association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein resurfaced, overshadowing the work of senior royals.
“Unfortunately, the whole year’s been dominated by Andrew,” said royal commentator Phil Dampier. “Both the King and William are desperate to try and draw a line under it.”
The steady stream of damaging reports, including renewed claims by Virginia Giuffre, which Andrew has always denied, increasingly threatened to derail efforts to project unity, even as the Firm led national commemorations such as the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
According to sources, the tipping point came when continued media scrutiny risked overwhelming the monarchy’s wider agenda. After Andrew announced he would stop using the Duke of York title, the King moved decisively, formally stripping him of his remaining status as a prince.