:00:19. > :00:27.My lords and members of the House of Commons... A milestone year for the
:00:28. > :00:29.Queen. Incepta, she became Britain's's longest-reigning
:00:30. > :00:35.monarch. The Windsor dynasty expanded with the birth of a new
:00:36. > :00:40.Princess. Prince Charles followed in his mother's footsteps, expanding --
:00:41. > :00:46.extending a royal hand of friendship in Ireland. And the two princes were
:00:47. > :00:54.keen to show off their DIY skills, all in a good cause.
:00:55. > :00:58.September the 9th, and on board the train travelling through the
:00:59. > :01:05.Scottish Borders, a record-breaking Queen. She hadn't wanted a farce,
:01:06. > :01:11.but this was a significant day. Now the Princess Elizabeth we knew and
:01:12. > :01:16.loved returns amongst us as a Queen... In 1952, aged just 25,
:01:17. > :01:21.Elizabeth returned to the United Kingdom, having been in Kenya when
:01:22. > :01:27.her father died. She was met by Winston Churchill, the first of 12
:01:28. > :01:30.prime ministers who served her. In the years since, the Queen has
:01:31. > :01:37.become the most travelled Moloch in history. And in Britain, she has
:01:38. > :01:43.welcomed countless world leaders over the years. Prime Minister 's
:01:44. > :01:50.have come and gone, celebrities have come and gone, life has changed, but
:01:51. > :01:54.she and the monarchy have been an absolute constant. The monarchy
:01:55. > :01:59.remains an institution supported by the majority of British people. It's
:02:00. > :02:04.continued popularity down in no small part to her. She is one of the
:02:05. > :02:11.world's most recognised faces, but has never given an interview. Her
:02:12. > :02:16.reign has been devoted to avoiding publicity, avoiding controversy, at
:02:17. > :02:24.least in public. She has made it an absolute rule to say nothing about
:02:25. > :02:30.anything. In the Scottish Borders, the Queen did, albeit briefly,
:02:31. > :02:35.reflect on her years on the throne. Inevitably, a long life and passed
:02:36. > :02:40.by many milestones. My own is no exception, but I thank you all and
:02:41. > :02:48.the many others at home and overseas fee or touching messages and great
:02:49. > :02:55.kindness. And then it was back to Balmoral, and business as usual.
:02:56. > :03:00.This assuming Street in West London became very familiar to royal fans
:03:01. > :03:04.and correspondence the world over, as the UK in early May braced itself
:03:05. > :03:10.for an early election, all eyes here were on that door, because in the
:03:11. > :03:17.private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, a princess would be born.
:03:18. > :03:21.The Duchess of Cambridge sheer's reckons he was closely watched
:03:22. > :03:25.around the globe. In March, she was invited to visit the set of one of
:03:26. > :03:30.her favourite shows, Downton Abbey. The final weeks of her pregnancy
:03:31. > :03:36.were spent privately. With little clue as to the actual due date, the
:03:37. > :03:40.hardiest had camped out for up to two weeks outside St Mary's
:03:41. > :03:48.Hospital. Finally, on the 2nd of May... I think we are hearing some
:03:49. > :03:54.news here. It's a girl! Oh my goodness! The Duchess of Cambridge
:03:55. > :04:00.has safely delivered a daughter at 840 M -- 8:40am this morning. That
:04:01. > :04:05.is from Kensington Palace. Among the first to meet his new sister, and
:04:06. > :04:11.unsurprisingly a little shy of the waiting crowds, was Prince George.
:04:12. > :04:16.In Peckham behaved in front of the cameras, and almost stealing the
:04:17. > :04:19.show. The age difference between the two Royals is just shy of two years.
:04:20. > :04:29.Less than 12 hours after the birth... The picture that everybody
:04:30. > :04:36.outside was waiting for. The public would not know her name for another
:04:37. > :04:40.two days. Her Royal Highness, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of
:04:41. > :04:44.Cambridge. Her name reflects both the Windsor and Middleton families.
:04:45. > :04:48.Charlotte is being the female version of her grandfather, Charles,
:04:49. > :04:54.but also her aunt Pippa's middle name. Elizabeth and Diana were a
:04:55. > :05:02.tribute to the Queen and William's late mother. Two months later, and
:05:03. > :05:06.by then, the family had moved to Norfolk. Princess Charlotte's
:05:07. > :05:11.christening was a second opportunity for the public to catch a glimpse of
:05:12. > :05:16.the new Princess. She was pushed by her mother in a pram that had once
:05:17. > :05:20.been used by the Queen. George, almost two years old by then, once
:05:21. > :05:26.again threatened to upstage his little sister, at one point making
:05:27. > :05:38.his escape, but not for long. It has been fantastic. She has been a
:05:39. > :05:40.little joy of heaven, but it is more responsibility looking after two
:05:41. > :05:43.little ones, especially when George is around. He is a little monkey.
:05:44. > :05:48.But it is fantastic having the family around. Catherine has been
:05:49. > :05:52.doing an excellent job as a mother. Prince William was speaking as his
:05:53. > :05:58.first day in a new job in the east Anglian Air Ambulance. This is now
:05:59. > :06:03.his primary job. His royal duties take second place at a moment. At
:06:04. > :06:07.some point there is going to be a lot of pressure and responsibility
:06:08. > :06:12.from the other side of my life. At the moment I am juggling the two,
:06:13. > :06:15.and a young family, and I am loving the challenge. Down the line,
:06:16. > :06:22.inevitably, it will become more difficult for me to do that.
:06:23. > :06:25.Interspersed with the glitz that goes along with being a member of
:06:26. > :06:29.the Royal Family, William, Kate and Harry have spent the year furthering
:06:30. > :06:38.the cause as they wish to champion. For Kate, top of the agenda this
:06:39. > :06:41.year has been children's mental health, and a charity supporting
:06:42. > :06:45.young people was where she chose to make her first engagement after the
:06:46. > :06:52.birth of Princess Charlotte. In November, she spoke publicly on the
:06:53. > :06:55.issue. I often get asked why I spend time highlighting the mental health
:06:56. > :07:01.of children. I imagine my answer might be very similar to many of
:07:02. > :07:05.yours. I know that I was lucky. My parents and teachers provided me
:07:06. > :07:11.with a one the full and secure childhood. I always knew I was
:07:12. > :07:21.loved, valued and listened to. But of course, many children are not so
:07:22. > :07:26.lucky. After ten years' service, Harry left the army, but continued
:07:27. > :07:30.his military connections. In October, he received some
:07:31. > :07:34.high-profile backing for the Invictus Games, a tournament for
:07:35. > :07:39.injured and six service men and women to be held in Orlando next
:07:40. > :07:45.year, following on from London's successful event in 2014. Returning
:07:46. > :07:49.to the UK, I shared the flight home with three critically injured
:07:50. > :07:54.British soldiers, all in an juiced comas, and the body of the Danish
:07:55. > :08:00.soldier killed in action. It hit me then that this flight was many --
:08:01. > :08:03.one of many, carrying home men and women whose lives had changed for
:08:04. > :08:14.ever, and some made the ultimate sacrifice. How are you? Very well.
:08:15. > :08:17.In October, a project to rebuild a street in Manchester for military
:08:18. > :08:28.veterans prompted both Harry and William to don their hard hats. You
:08:29. > :08:36.guys should actually be working! Get back to work! The BBC programme DIY
:08:37. > :08:44.SOS was inundated with volunteers to help complete their biggest ever
:08:45. > :08:49.built. Nice to meet you. How are you doing? What is your role? Putting
:08:50. > :08:55.these things in. Are you helping out for free? Yes, because it is
:08:56. > :09:00.about... These people literally put their lives on the line for us. It
:09:01. > :09:05.is a chance for the rest of us to say, this is the least we can do. A
:09:06. > :09:10.good incentive to everybody else is that if you work hard and honour
:09:11. > :09:15.your country, you will get looked after afterwards. If you are not
:09:16. > :09:19.going to get looked after, what kind of country are we? As you say, it is
:09:20. > :09:27.the right things to do. Good on you. Nice to meet you. Very pleased to
:09:28. > :09:33.meet you. Let's get this in. Come on, then. This is as big as you! I
:09:34. > :09:38.know you and your brother have been keen on this community idea, having
:09:39. > :09:43.that brotherhood and that family feel, it means a lot to the guys.
:09:44. > :09:47.Luckily, we do not understand what you have been through, and some of
:09:48. > :09:51.the guys have been through very chromatic times. They didn't want to
:09:52. > :09:56.share that nasty mess with people who don't really get it or haven't
:09:57. > :10:01.lived it, because it is not that easy to do. Our military personnel
:10:02. > :10:05.are very proud, and rightly so, and it is very hard when the services
:10:06. > :10:10.are there. They are not the kind of guys to complain about it. They suck
:10:11. > :10:15.it up and they deal with it, and they are the most modest people you
:10:16. > :10:20.could meet. Coupled with the heartfelt sentiment, lots of sibling
:10:21. > :10:30.rivalry. Is he talking about mine, or his brother's work? You always
:10:31. > :10:37.say, if a job is worth doing... Let that dry, and then come back for a
:10:38. > :10:43.second coating. All right? Still to come, Kate attends her first state
:10:44. > :10:47.banquet, as Britain rolls out the red carpet for the Chinese
:10:48. > :10:50.President. And Prince William takes on the paparazzi over his children's
:10:51. > :10:57.privacy. The Queen, the world's most
:10:58. > :11:01.travelled monarch, has cut down on long haul trips in recent years.
:11:02. > :11:05.Prince Charles continues to represent her around the world, with
:11:06. > :11:11.tours this year to Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. It was
:11:12. > :11:15.a trip much closer to home that had deeper significance, both
:11:16. > :11:19.and privately. Ireland, and a handshake over a cup
:11:20. > :11:24.of tea between a future king and a man who, for so many years, was
:11:25. > :11:32.committed to what Irish republicans called the armed struggle. Away from
:11:33. > :11:36.the cameras, a 15 minute meeting. We expressed our regret for what had
:11:37. > :11:41.happened. We have a common mind, and the fact that we have been to a
:11:42. > :11:48.place that obviously was a big thing for him to do. It was also a big
:11:49. > :11:52.thing for us to do. The next day in County Sligo, and the coastal town
:11:53. > :11:58.of Moloch more. This cannot have been an easy walk. It was here, in
:11:59. > :12:06.1979, that Charles' great uncle, Lord bout Batten, had been killed.
:12:07. > :12:11.The images from then a reminder of the troubles. The images of a boat
:12:12. > :12:16.blown apart by an ROA -- and IRA bomb. Three others, including Lord
:12:17. > :12:23.Mount Afton's grandson and a local boy, were also killed. At a time I
:12:24. > :12:32.couldn't understand how we could come to this terms with the anguish
:12:33. > :12:36.of such a deep loss, because for me, Lord Mountbatten represented the
:12:37. > :12:40.grandfather I had never had. Through this loss, I now understand the
:12:41. > :12:49.agonies borne by so many others in these islands, of what is
:12:50. > :12:53.denomination or political persuasion. As a public gesture of
:12:54. > :12:59.Anglo Irish reconciliation, the significance couldn't have been more
:13:00. > :13:04.clear. In Britain, Prince Charles' relationship with politicians was
:13:05. > :13:10.under intense security -- scrutiny. The Guardian newspaper work to
:13:11. > :13:16.publish letters he had written to successive governments. They were
:13:17. > :13:20.released in May. And what did the so-called black spider letters
:13:21. > :13:27.reveal? They showed his concerns for organic farming and other issues,
:13:28. > :13:32.and there was no obvious smoking gun. It led many to question what
:13:33. > :13:41.the fuss was all about. The government received letters from
:13:42. > :13:45.high-profile people. Why shouldn't Prince Charles write the odd letter,
:13:46. > :13:50.if there is something he wants to get off his chest? Those who accuse
:13:51. > :13:55.the heir to the throne of meddling in political matters insist that if
:13:56. > :13:59.the monarchy is to survive, it must be politically neutral. It is
:14:00. > :14:02.essential that that person is politically inured, and is not
:14:03. > :14:07.getting involved in partisan politics. It appears that Prince
:14:08. > :14:17.Charles did, and if he did, he has been doing it for 65 years of his
:14:18. > :14:20.life, and is likely to do that in the future. There is little sign the
:14:21. > :14:22.principal refrain from commenting on issues he believes are important. At
:14:23. > :14:28.the UN and change conference in Paris, attended by 150 world leader,
:14:29. > :14:34.as he said that the world faces no bigger threat than climate change. I
:14:35. > :14:38.can urge you to think of your grandchildren as I think of mine,
:14:39. > :14:44.and those brilliant -- billions of children without a voice, those for
:14:45. > :14:50.home hope is the rarest of sensations, those for whom a secure
:14:51. > :14:58.life is a distant prospect. Most of all, I urge you to consider the
:14:59. > :15:02.needs of the youngest generation. For the Queen, who is now 89, the
:15:03. > :15:08.younger generation includes most of the wreck sensitive at this years
:15:09. > :15:14.Commonwealth heads of government held in Malta. It is my honour to
:15:15. > :15:23.offer a toast to your Majesty. It didn't go unnoticed that Canada's
:15:24. > :15:32.newly elected Prime Minister is half her age. Thank you for making me
:15:33. > :15:39.feel so old! The royal couple in 1949. Malt remains the only country
:15:40. > :15:44.outside the UK in which they have ever lived. They spent two years
:15:45. > :15:50.here as newlyweds while the Duke was in the Royal Navy. It was here that
:15:51. > :15:56.the Princess managed to live and almost normal life. Visiting malt is
:15:57. > :16:02.always very special for me. I remember happy days here with Prince
:16:03. > :16:07.Philip when we were first married, and the wonderful official visits
:16:08. > :16:13.over the last 60 years. Since my first experience of Malta in 1949 as
:16:14. > :16:19.a young woman, I have seen this country evolve into a strong nation
:16:20. > :16:25.which plays an important role on world's stage. In October, the
:16:26. > :16:29.national anthem of the People's Republic of China was played by the
:16:30. > :16:33.band of the Grenadier Guards. President Xi Jinping and his wife
:16:34. > :16:39.were welcomed by the Queen and the juke macro at the start of their
:16:40. > :16:45.state visit. The president joined Prince Philip for an inspection of
:16:46. > :16:49.the guard of honour before eight procession down the Mall. The
:16:50. > :16:56.purpose of the visit was to forge ties of friendship and trade, and it
:16:57. > :17:02.was to show that few DuPont and ceremony better than the British.
:17:03. > :17:06.The four-day visit was not without controversy, with protest is
:17:07. > :17:10.highlighting concerns about China's human rights record, and its policy
:17:11. > :17:16.about the disputed territory of Tibet. The president and his wife
:17:17. > :17:21.stayed at Buckingham Palace for two nights. The official guests included
:17:22. > :17:28.a book of Shakespeare's sonnets for the president, known to be a fan,
:17:29. > :17:35.and for the Queen, two albums from the President's wife, a well-known
:17:36. > :17:41.singer in China. In the evening, and official state banquet. This was the
:17:42. > :17:49.first such occasion the Duchess of Cambridge had attended. Suitably
:17:50. > :17:53.clothed in red, she and the 170 guests ate Balmoral Bennison. Prince
:17:54. > :17:58.Charles was a notable absentees. No official reason was given, although
:17:59. > :18:02.his press team was keen to point out he had already spent time with the
:18:03. > :18:09.Chinese President during the day. He has had a complicated relationship
:18:10. > :18:14.with the Chinese. He is a personal friend of the exiled spiritual
:18:15. > :18:20.leader of Tibet, the Dalelv armour. Charles' Sun appears to have taken a
:18:21. > :18:23.different approach. In March, Prince William became the first senior
:18:24. > :18:37.Moloch for 30 years to travel to China. How is your Chinese? A bit
:18:38. > :18:43.slow. This visit was about promoting British business, but also on his
:18:44. > :18:46.agenda, one of his key personal crusades, the illegal poaching of
:18:47. > :18:52.endangered species, and an appeal to end the market of products such as
:18:53. > :18:56.ivory. It is appalling that elephants and many other animals may
:18:57. > :19:00.be extinct in the wild in our lifetimes, and we seem to be
:19:01. > :19:06.hurtling towards that tragic outcome. The extension of rhinos and
:19:07. > :19:14.pandas would be an immeasurable loss to the whole of humanity. The
:19:15. > :19:19.wildlife trade is our common enemy. This crusade is shared by Prince
:19:20. > :19:25.Harry. Photos taken during the summer showed his work with
:19:26. > :19:29.conservation projects, such as the warning small rhinos in Namibia.
:19:30. > :19:34.Here he is feeding a calf whose mother had been killed by poachers.
:19:35. > :19:40.During and official visit back to the continent in November, Harry
:19:41. > :19:46.travelled to Lesotho to open a new children's Centre, funded by the
:19:47. > :19:50.charity he sent up, Sentebale. He first visited in 2004 during his gap
:19:51. > :19:57.year, and had been moved by the plight of youngsters who had left
:19:58. > :20:05.one of both parents because of HIV or AIDS. He took a shine to one of
:20:06. > :20:10.these youngsters, and they have had a relationship over the years. The
:20:11. > :20:15.prince explained why he had such affinity with the children of
:20:16. > :20:20.Lesotho. We shared a common loss. Having a parent 's etched away so
:20:21. > :20:25.suddenly. I, like them, knew there would always be a gaping hole that
:20:26. > :20:29.could never be filled. This continues to be a personal project
:20:30. > :20:35.for Harry, with rooms in the new centre named after his former nanny
:20:36. > :20:39.and his late mother. In a year in which royal headlines were
:20:40. > :20:44.overwhelmingly positive, there were a few notable exceptions. Starting
:20:45. > :20:49.in January with the Queen's second son, Prince Andrew. Court documents
:20:50. > :20:53.had been submitted in the US against a former acquaintance of Prince
:20:54. > :20:58.Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein. He is a committed sex offender. This woman,
:20:59. > :21:04.Virginia Roberts, alleged the Prince had sex with her when she was a
:21:05. > :21:09.teenager. The allegations were emphatically denied by both the
:21:10. > :21:14.palace and the Prince. Firstly, I think I must, for the record,
:21:15. > :21:22.to refer to the events that have taken place in the last few weeks. I
:21:23. > :21:29.just wish to reiterate and to reaffirm the statements which have
:21:30. > :21:32.already been made on my behalf I Buckingham Palace. Months later, a
:21:33. > :21:37.judge ruled the allegations should be struck from court documents, but
:21:38. > :21:41.the matter did call into question the Prince's judgment, in terms of
:21:42. > :21:47.the company he chooses to keep. In November, Kensington Palace released
:21:48. > :21:52.pictures of sinks month old Prince Charlotte, saying they hoped people
:21:53. > :21:58.would enjoy them as much as they did. -- six-month-old. Earlier in
:21:59. > :22:01.the year, it was the targeting of George by paparazzi that prompted
:22:02. > :22:07.the Palace to write an open letter to the media around the world. A
:22:08. > :22:11.small number of photographers where, it was alleged, on a regular and
:22:12. > :22:17.increasingly dangerous basis. This was an attempt to appeal to the
:22:18. > :22:20.Court of public opinion, encouraging readers to boycott the publication
:22:21. > :22:25.is willing to pay for such pictures. It was a film obtained by the Sun
:22:26. > :22:31.newspaper from more than 80 years ago that caused anger from behind
:22:32. > :22:36.the palace walls. The Queen, then a young girl, is pictured with her
:22:37. > :22:40.mother and uncle, performing a Nazi salute. Completely out of step with
:22:41. > :22:45.the Queen's believes, for the Palace, this was an unwelcome image
:22:46. > :22:51.from history. A few weeks before the Sun published its story, the Queen
:22:52. > :22:55.had been on a state visit to Germany, and went to the former
:22:56. > :23:02.concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. A reminder of an unfortunate chapter
:23:03. > :23:07.in history, she met some of the survivors of the camp, and as she
:23:08. > :23:14.left, turned back briefly. It is difficult to imagine, she said. At a
:23:15. > :23:18.state banquet given in her honour and attended by the political
:23:19. > :23:22.leaders of both Germany and the United Kingdom, the Queen spoke of
:23:23. > :23:26.the need to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. We know that
:23:27. > :23:30.division in Europe is dangerous, and that we must guard against it in the
:23:31. > :23:39.West as well as in the east of our continent. That remains a common
:23:40. > :23:44.endeavour. Remembrance has once again played a significant part in
:23:45. > :23:49.Britain's and the Royal Family's year. In March, a service was held
:23:50. > :23:55.in St Paul's Cathedral to thank those who had taken part in the 13
:23:56. > :23:58.year long campaign in Afghanistan. Most of the congregation were
:23:59. > :24:03.relatives of the military personnel who have lost their lives in the
:24:04. > :24:10.conflict. The mother of Lance-Corporal James Ashworth read
:24:11. > :24:15.one of the prayers. Peacemakers and peacekeepers who seek to keep this
:24:16. > :24:22.world secure and free, may God give peace. 75 years since the Battle of
:24:23. > :24:27.Britain. Above the Thames, Spitfires and Hurricanes took part in the
:24:28. > :24:35.commemorations. On the ground, soldiers and pilots shared their
:24:36. > :24:40.stories of survival. In May, it was exactly 70 years since Germany's
:24:41. > :24:48.surrender. Thousands of veterans and service personnel marched through
:24:49. > :24:52.London. The Queen had been 19 at the time, and famously left the palace
:24:53. > :24:59.walls to join the celebrations in the Mall. Also there that night,
:25:00. > :25:06.Helen Taylor Thomas. Everybody was so thrilled that war had ended and
:25:07. > :25:13.we were free. In August, remembering victory in Japan. Many who returned
:25:14. > :25:17.70 years ago had felt forgotten. In 2015, that wasn't the case. Those
:25:18. > :25:29.who sacrificed so much were cheered and thanked as they paraded down
:25:30. > :25:35.Whitehall. Next year, commemorations will continue to be led by the Royal
:25:36. > :25:40.Family. In April, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will travel to
:25:41. > :25:42.India. And Trooping the Colour in 2016 will be in honour of the
:25:43. > :25:48.Queen90th birthday.