2019 Was a Car Crash of a Year for the British Royal Family
It was the year that started with one car crash and ended with another. When Prince Philip’s Land Rover hit a vehicle carrying two women and a baby in January 2019, disaster was narrowly avoided. But, just 10 months later, Prince Andrew’s interview with a BBC journalist drove the royal family straight into a crisis.
This year has already been dubbed by some as the Queen’s “annus horribilis II,” a reference to the latin phrase Elizabeth used in a speech she made towards the end of 1992. That was the year that three out of her four children divorced or separated; Princess Diana lifted the lid on her unhappiness in the royal family in a tell-all book; and things, quite literally, went up in smoke in November when a disastrous fire tore through Windsor Castle.
“Nineteen ninety two is not a year I shall look back on with undiluted pleasure,” the Queen said in a speech at Guildhall as December came to a close. What her thoughts are on 2019 are not (yet) a matter of record, but, while it’s a brave person who speculates on what the Queen is thinking, it’s probably safe to say that she will be hoping for a less bumpy ride in 2020.
Indeed, it seems at least, the royals have put some of the challenges of the last 12 months behind them. Prince Philip’s car crash was horrifying at the time. But with no one seriously injured, the duke's apology and swift surrender of his driving license, followed by an announcement that he will not face prosecution, a line was drawn under the incident.
In September, the Queen was briefly dragged into what was described as a constitutional crisis over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s request—later ruled unlawful—that she suspend parliament. However, with Johnson winning an increased majority in the latest general election and a new session of parliament now beginning, she is unlikely to be put in that same position again.
At the start of 2019 there was much up in the air about the split of the Cambridge and Sussex households. Announcements they would go their separate ways, with Harry and Meghan starting a new foundation and William and Kate keeping the existing one, created much upheaval and raised many questions. But the two couples are now confidently established with their own bodies of work and their own distinct teams.
Yet much that made 2019 challenging still remains unresolved. The Sussexes’ non-stop year has ended quietly and out of the spotlight as they take much-needed time to reflect, but questions linger about what's in store for them when they return. Harry and Meghan’s significant unhappiness at the pressures of the spotlight, and their battles with sections of the media, show no signs of disappearing as the new year approaches.
Their split from William and Kate was dogged by stories about disagreements between the couples. Harry’s comments on the subject in an ITV documentary did little to shut down the notion. “Stuff happens. But, look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers,” he said, carefully, adding: “The majority of the stuff is created out of nothing but as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.”
But, despite the ups and downs, it wasn’t until November that anyone started to compare 2019 with the disaster of 1992. Prince Andrew’s unprecedented exit from public life following a universally slammed television interview in which he spoke about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saw the royals plunged into one of the most damaging episodes in the institution’s history.
Britain’s constitutional monarchy may be starting 2020 one working royal lighter, but the allegations against Andrew and criticisms of his judgement weigh more heavily than ever on the reputation of the royal family.
In a few days time the Queen will deliver her annual Christmas message, which she has alread recorded. In 2018. following a year of heated negotiations over Britain leaving the EU, she urged greater understanding between people with “deeply held differences.” With the spotlight so often on her own family this year, much will be read into how the Queen summarizes 2019. Members of her family have had much to say, but she will have the last word.
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