0:00:00 > 0:00:09The Royal Year.
0:00:19 > 0:00:26Congratulations from all of us! How are you feeling?This was the year
0:00:26 > 0:00:29in which Prince Harry introduced his new leading lady. The American
0:00:29 > 0:00:37actress, Meghan Markle.I fell in love with Meghan Markle so
0:00:37 > 0:00:41incredibly quickly, that was confirmation Timmy that all the
0:00:41 > 0:00:47stars were aligned and everything was perfect.After 70 years of
0:00:47 > 0:00:51public service, the Duke of Edinburgh, Britain's longest serving
0:00:51 > 0:00:58Royal Concert Hall hung up his hat and retired from Royal duties.
0:00:58 > 0:01:06Prince George had his own milestone moment. His first day of school...
0:01:06 > 0:01:10And flexing their loyal muscles in an effort to put the issue of mental
0:01:10 > 0:01:22health firmly on the national agenda. After weeks of fevered
0:01:22 > 0:01:25speculation came confirmation that Prince Harry, the fifth in line to
0:01:25 > 0:01:30the throne, was engaged to the American actress, Meghan Markle. The
0:01:30 > 0:01:34happy couple appeared in the grounds of Kensington Palace, which will be
0:01:34 > 0:01:36her new home. This was only the second time they had appeared
0:01:36 > 0:01:46together for the cameras.When did you know she was the one?Their very
0:01:46 > 0:01:48first time we met! Later, in a candid interview with the BBC's
0:01:48 > 0:01:54Mishal Husain, they admitted they met on a blind date set up by a
0:01:54 > 0:01:59mutual friend. In November, while preparing a roast chicken dinner,
0:01:59 > 0:02:04Harry popped the question.It was such a surprise, so sweet and very
0:02:04 > 0:02:12romantic.He got one knee.Was that an instant yes from a? Yes, I could
0:02:12 > 0:02:17barely let him finish proposing!Can I say yes? I had the ring on my
0:02:17 > 0:02:23finger. Can I give you the ring? Yes, the ring! It was a really nice
0:02:23 > 0:02:27moment, just the two of us and I managed to catch by surprise as
0:02:27 > 0:02:31well. The fact that I fell in love with Meghan Markle so incredibly
0:02:31 > 0:02:36quickly was confirmation Timmy that all of the stars were aligned and
0:02:36 > 0:02:41everything was perfect. This beautiful woman had just tripped and
0:02:41 > 0:02:47fell into my life, I had fell into her life, and I know that she will
0:02:47 > 0:02:53be unbelievably good at the job, or part of it as well, is obviously a
0:02:53 > 0:02:57huge relief to me because she will be able to do with everything else
0:02:57 > 0:03:01that comes with it.Unlike most people, there is this layer of what
0:03:01 > 0:03:04it means to get involved with someone from the Royal Family, how
0:03:04 > 0:03:09much of a sense did you have the enormity of what you're getting
0:03:09 > 0:03:14into?What it might mean for your life? I can safely say, as naive as
0:03:14 > 0:03:17it sounds, having gone through this learning curve in the past year and
0:03:17 > 0:03:21a half, I didn't have any understanding of just what it would
0:03:21 > 0:03:24be like. I don't think either of us did, we both said that, even
0:03:24 > 0:03:32though...I try to one you as much as possible but I think both of us
0:03:32 > 0:03:36were totally surprised by the reaction after the first five or six
0:03:36 > 0:03:40months but we had to ourselves, of what happened from them. I think you
0:03:40 > 0:03:44can have as many conversations as you want and try to prepare as much
0:03:44 > 0:03:48as possible but we were totally unprepared for what happened after.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54The scrutiny? And some of that scrutiny and you ended up making a
0:03:54 > 0:03:58very public statement about that, some of that was centred around your
0:03:58 > 0:04:02ethnicity, Meghan, what did you think?Of course it is
0:04:02 > 0:04:08disheartening, it is a shame that that is the climate in this world,
0:04:08 > 0:04:14to focus that much on that ought to be discriminatory in that sense but
0:04:14 > 0:04:18at the end of the day, I am just proud of who I am and where I come
0:04:18 > 0:04:24from and we have never put any focus on that, we have just focused on who
0:04:24 > 0:04:28we are as a couple.It is an immense change, you are getting a new
0:04:28 > 0:04:34country out of it, and a husband, obviously, but giving up your
0:04:34 > 0:04:42career.Yes. But I don't see it as giving anything up, I see this as a
0:04:42 > 0:04:47change. It is a new challenge. It is a new chapter. And have been working
0:04:47 > 0:04:53on my show seven years. So we were very fortunate to be able to have
0:04:53 > 0:04:59that sort of longevity on a series and once we had the 100th episode
0:04:59 > 0:05:02mark, I thought I had detected this box and I feel very proud of the
0:05:02 > 0:05:09work I have done and now it is time... To work as a team with you?
0:05:09 > 0:05:16And their parents, very happy for you, obviously, do you think they
0:05:16 > 0:05:21are worried about the scale of what you're getting into?I think the
0:05:21 > 0:05:25onset, with my parents and my close friends, they were concerned because
0:05:25 > 0:05:31we were quickly swept up in a media storm that was not part of my life
0:05:31 > 0:05:36before that but they also had never seen me so happy. And once my
0:05:36 > 0:05:44friends were able to really meet Harry and my mum, it was so much
0:05:44 > 0:05:53fun. Your mum is amazing. It was just obvious. No matter what we were
0:05:53 > 0:05:57being put through, that it was just temporary and that we were going to
0:05:57 > 0:06:01be able to get through that so everybody was really happy. You have
0:06:01 > 0:06:05talked to my dad a few times, he has not been able to meet him yet, but
0:06:05 > 0:06:12it has been worth every effort. Have you met the Queen? Yes, a couple of
0:06:12 > 0:06:21times. It is incredible. To be able to meet through his lens, not just
0:06:21 > 0:06:25with his honour and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he
0:06:25 > 0:06:30has for her as his grandmother. All of those layers have been so
0:06:30 > 0:06:35important for me, when I met her I had such a deep understanding and of
0:06:35 > 0:06:40course, incredible respect for being able to have the time with her.She
0:06:40 > 0:06:46is an incredible woman. And the corgis took to you straightaway!433
0:06:46 > 0:06:52years I have parked at! They'd just lay at my feet during TE!Tell us
0:06:52 > 0:07:00about your ring.The ring is yellow gold because that is her favourite.
0:07:00 > 0:07:07And the main stone was sourced from Botswana and the little diamonds on
0:07:07 > 0:07:12the side are from my mother's jewellery collection to make sure
0:07:12 > 0:07:17she is with us on this crazy journey together.It is beautiful, and he
0:07:17 > 0:07:25designed it. It is incredible.Yes. Make sure it stays on that finger!
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Of course! What does it mean to you to have those stones on your finger,
0:07:29 > 0:07:34that once belonged to Princess Diana?I think everything about
0:07:34 > 0:07:40Harry's thoughtfulness and the inclusion of that and obviously not
0:07:40 > 0:07:45being able to meet his mother, it is so important for me to know that she
0:07:45 > 0:07:49is part of this with us.What do you think your mother would have thought
0:07:49 > 0:07:55of Meghan?They would have been as thick as thieves, without question.
0:07:55 > 0:08:03She would be over the moon, jumping up and down, so excited for me. We
0:08:03 > 0:08:10would have been best friends with Meghan. It is days like today that I
0:08:10 > 0:08:14really miss having her around and being able to share this happy news
0:08:14 > 0:08:18but with the ring and everything else going on... I am sure she is
0:08:18 > 0:08:24with us, jumping up and down somewhere else.Meghan's seem to be
0:08:24 > 0:08:27in-laws could not have been happier. What do you think about the
0:08:27 > 0:08:32engagement?We are thrilled, thank you very much. I hope they are very
0:08:32 > 0:08:37happy indeed.That is all I can say. Absolutely thrilled, it is
0:08:37 > 0:08:46brilliant.America's loss is our gain. Personally, he will stay out
0:08:46 > 0:08:53of my French! He has been eating my food for the last couple of years!
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Despite freezing temperatures, the people of Nottingham gave them a
0:08:57 > 0:09:01very warm welcome. This was Meghan's first Royal walkabout and she
0:09:01 > 0:09:05handled it with aplomb.She seems really full of life and down to
0:09:05 > 0:09:11earth as well.My gosh, I think she is wonderful, I watched interviews
0:09:11 > 0:09:18and she is great.Meghan has committed to the UK. She will apply
0:09:18 > 0:09:25for British citizenship and has left the TV show that made her famous.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31Thank you so much.Congratulations! Royal fans have until May to get
0:09:31 > 0:09:36their flags and hats ready for the couple's wedding at Windsor Castle.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40A very cold day here in Nottingham does seem a world away from Los
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Angeles and the acting world but this is what Meghan Markle is signed
0:09:45 > 0:09:49up to. She will make the public across the UK and the Commonwealth,
0:09:49 > 0:09:55she has become a key member of team wins, in the same year as another
0:09:55 > 0:10:02key member has finally announced his retirement. For seven decades, this
0:10:02 > 0:10:07is an image to which the public has become accustomed. The Queen
0:10:07 > 0:10:11accompanied by Britain's longest serving consort, Prince Philip,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15together with him a couple of steps behind. This was a significant day
0:10:15 > 0:10:19as the announcement had just been made that he was to retire from
0:10:19 > 0:10:23public duties. He was customary good humour, chatting to the members of
0:10:23 > 0:10:28the Order of Merit, swapping stories about hearing aids...We have all
0:10:28 > 0:10:39got them!And joking about retirement. Standing down, I can't
0:10:39 > 0:10:45stand up much longer, he replied! His decision was not health-related
0:10:45 > 0:10:49but, at 96, he felt he had done his bit. As he had remarked the previous
0:10:49 > 0:10:59day...You are seeing the world's most unveiled a plaque!It was a
0:10:59 > 0:11:04surprise but not really a surprise. This is a job from which you cannot
0:11:04 > 0:11:08retire. He has just proved that it might be possible to retire, which
0:11:08 > 0:11:12is quite good for the rest of us. Whenever he is in the world, people
0:11:12 > 0:11:15will continue to remember him and you cannot get a better accolade
0:11:15 > 0:11:22than that.Over the years, the Duke has completed more than 22,000 solo
0:11:22 > 0:11:28engagements. Encouraged millions of young people in more than 60
0:11:28 > 0:11:30countries to challenge themselves through the Duke of Edinburgh's
0:11:30 > 0:11:43awards.And he had time to discuss with Indian officials the problems
0:11:43 > 0:11:47of conserving...And he was an early advocate of environmental issues
0:11:47 > 0:11:52through his Presidency of the world wildlife fund. But it'll be his
0:11:52 > 0:11:57unwavering support for the Queen in this, the other platinum wedding
0:11:57 > 0:12:01anniversary, which will be seen as his greatest achievement. They were
0:12:01 > 0:12:06married in 1947. In the gloom of post-war Britain, the wedding was
0:12:06 > 0:12:10described by Sir Winston Churchill as a flash of colour. She, the
0:12:10 > 0:12:15future Queen, and he was a dashing neighbour -- Naval officer. In the
0:12:15 > 0:12:18years since he has travelled the world with her and been her
0:12:18 > 0:12:26companion both in public and in private. In June it was illness
0:12:26 > 0:12:29rather than retirement which prevented the Duke from being at the
0:12:29 > 0:12:34Queen's side at the State Opening of Parliament. Prince Charles took his
0:12:34 > 0:12:37place but going forward, this will become the norm and all of the
0:12:37 > 0:12:42palace has been keen to emphasise that for the Queen it is still
0:12:42 > 0:12:45business as usual, the gradual transition of roles and
0:12:45 > 0:12:48responsibilities from one generation to the next as noticeably
0:12:48 > 0:12:50accelerated this year.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Most significantly in November. For the first time in her 65 year reign,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04the Queen was present at the service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in
0:13:04 > 0:13:10London but she did not lay a wreath. Instead, she was from the Foreign
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Office balcony alongside her husband as her son and heir laid a wreath on
0:13:13 > 0:13:20her behalf. The Duke will continue to support the Queen at events of
0:13:20 > 0:13:30his choosing. But this was his final official public engagement.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Fittingly for a former Royal Navy officer, it was a parade for the
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Royal Marines in front of the palace which has been his London home for
0:13:36 > 0:13:38so many decades.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49The band's rousing sendoff could not have been more appropriate.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00# For he's a jolly good fellow.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09The UK's exit from the EU edges ever closer and new relationships need to
0:14:09 > 0:14:14be formed in Europe and beyond and as this year has shown, the Royal
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Family is uniquely placed to carry out soft diplomacy, spreading a
0:14:18 > 0:14:23little Stardust while reinforcing those old bonds of friendship.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33APPLAUSE.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53In the United Kingdom, Irish people make such an extraordinary and
0:14:53 > 0:14:56essential contribution to so many parts of our society and our
0:14:56 > 0:14:59economy.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Polish is a second most spoken language in the UK, with the
0:15:21 > 0:15:26generation of young people growing up who feel both British and Polish.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35APPLAUSE.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45September and some high-profile bilateral meetings for Prince Harry
0:15:45 > 0:15:51in Canada. But this trip was not at the behest of the Foreign Office. He
0:15:51 > 0:15:54was there to help make his brainchild, the Invictus Games, the
0:15:54 > 0:16:01biggest and best yet. For eight days, more than 500 athletes from 17
0:16:01 > 0:16:05countries took part. All of them had been damaged either physically or
0:16:05 > 0:16:10mentally in the course of serving their countries. The Invictus Games
0:16:10 > 0:16:14where Harry's idea to help them on their road to recovery.Right now,
0:16:14 > 0:16:20you are on a high, at the summit of a mountain many of you thought was
0:16:20 > 0:16:27too high to climb. You have done it, this is the moment, right here,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31right now, shoulder to shoulder, you are Invictus!
0:16:31 > 0:16:38APPLAUSE. The Sydney games will take place in
0:16:38 > 0:16:45October in what is shaping up to be a busy 2018 for Prince Harry.
0:16:45 > 0:16:53Tonight on Panorama... The offshore secrets of the rich and powerful alt
0:16:53 > 0:16:56in the open.In the year in which Royal headlines were overwhelmingly
0:16:56 > 0:17:00positive, early November was an early exception. The Queen and
0:17:00 > 0:17:06Prince Charles were drawn into a global media story looking into
0:17:06 > 0:17:08offshore investment funds. A league of millions of documents revealed
0:17:08 > 0:17:14that the Duchy of Lancaster, the Queen 's private estate, had
0:17:14 > 0:17:18invested £10 million in funds based in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Not a legal but questions were asked as to whether this should be held
0:17:22 > 0:17:27the Monica's cash should be invested. As Prince Charles toured
0:17:27 > 0:17:30the Far East, the same questions will be asked of his private estate,
0:17:30 > 0:17:35the Duchy of Cornwall, as well as investing offshore, the Prince was
0:17:35 > 0:17:38also accused of a conflict of interest in relation to a particular
0:17:38 > 0:17:42investment. Clarence House was robust in their denial of any
0:17:42 > 0:17:47wrongdoing. The fact that both the Queen and the Prince of Wales
0:17:47 > 0:17:51voluntarily pay tax on income from the private estates did not stop
0:17:51 > 0:17:54calls for greater transparency in the Royal finances in the wake of
0:17:54 > 0:18:00these revelations. In times of tragedy, it is the role of the
0:18:00 > 0:18:04monarch to help console and unite the nation and sadly, this year, the
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Queen and other members of the Royal Family have been called upon to
0:18:08 > 0:18:12perform this duty all too often. Starting here in Westminster in
0:18:12 > 0:18:21March, when five people were killed. Two days after the terror attack,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Prince Charles met some of the staff at Kings College Hospital, one of
0:18:24 > 0:18:32several places the injured were treated. Westminster Abbey and the
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry joined members of the
0:18:36 > 0:18:41emergency services and relatives of those who were killed.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49The message from the service was one of hope, but that proved to be short
0:18:49 > 0:18:57lived. In Manchester, just a few weeks later, 22 people, including
0:18:57 > 0:19:01children, were killed and many more injured as they left a concert by
0:19:01 > 0:19:06the pop singer Ariana Grande.You had enjoyed the concert? It was
0:19:06 > 0:19:14really good. They got to meet before the concert. E.g.? She won a
0:19:14 > 0:19:19competition with her friend to meet backstage.The Queen met some of
0:19:19 > 0:19:25those recovering in the city's Children's Hospital.It is very
0:19:25 > 0:19:29interesting how everybody has united here?It has been amazing. Really
0:19:29 > 0:19:40amazing.Good.No one should have to suffer the losses you have enjoyed
0:19:40 > 0:19:45yet know one could have ensured them with greater fortitude. Even amid
0:19:45 > 0:19:52the unimaginable horror of that attack, with the killing of innocent
0:19:52 > 0:19:59children, we saw outstanding examples of the incredible courage.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Early June and Nell and all-too-familiar scene. Prince
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Charles accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall visited the Royal London
0:20:06 > 0:20:11Hospital in the aftermath of the London Bridge attack. They do that
0:20:11 > 0:20:18month, a community devastated this time by fire. -- later that month.
0:20:18 > 0:20:30We were evacuated. The flames were just unbelievable.You have done a
0:20:30 > 0:20:36brilliant job...Two days after the Grenfell Tower burned, the Queen and
0:20:36 > 0:20:45Prince William listen to some of those who tried to help. Six months
0:20:45 > 0:20:50later, watched by members of the Royal Family, school children who
0:20:50 > 0:20:54lived near the tower scattered green hearts in memory of those who died.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58This was a National Service of Remembrance, community and hope that
0:20:58 > 0:21:03a tragedy such as this would never be repeated.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Princes William and Harry were just 15 and 12 when their mother, Diana,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Princess of Wells, died. By their own admission, in the years since
0:21:17 > 0:21:21they had spoken very little about the impact on them off death but
0:21:21 > 0:21:25this year, 20 years on, they decided to open up about their own trauma
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and their hope was they could start a national conversation around the
0:21:28 > 0:21:37issue of mental health. This was the William, Catherine and Harry showed
0:21:37 > 0:21:42how persuasive are for secondary. The initiative was picked as a
0:21:42 > 0:21:47London Marathon's the charity. That high-profile event enabled them to
0:21:47 > 0:21:53highlight mental health and the stigma which can surround it.It was
0:21:53 > 0:22:04the common thread, mental health, it seemed to run between military with
0:22:04 > 0:22:07your self and addiction with me and bereavement, there was the
0:22:07 > 0:22:12underlying threat of mental health. The pressures on children these days
0:22:12 > 0:22:17are more than ask, you have so many things to worry about, whether it is
0:22:17 > 0:22:20struggling with exams or home life or friends and then the social media
0:22:20 > 0:22:25angle. You can understand why that coupled with staring at the screen
0:22:25 > 0:22:31the whole time, that a lot of issues will build from that.It is always
0:22:31 > 0:22:35sold as if everybody else's life is perfect and you think, there must be
0:22:35 > 0:22:39something wrong with me.If you can have a family environment where you
0:22:39 > 0:22:45can talk about your issues, that means working better at your job,
0:22:45 > 0:22:50doing better at school, it goes on and on.It was a very personal
0:22:50 > 0:22:53campaign for the Princes, they took part in a BBC documentary following
0:22:53 > 0:22:57a group of people with mental health issues as they trained for the
0:22:57 > 0:23:02marathon.The shock is the biggest thing and 20 years later, I still
0:23:02 > 0:23:06have shock within me about my mother, shock cannot last that long,
0:23:06 > 0:23:11people think, but it does. You never get over that, such a nonbeliever be
0:23:11 > 0:23:14big moment in your life and it never leaves you, you just learn to deal
0:23:14 > 0:23:19with it.It can have been no coincidence that William and Harry
0:23:19 > 0:23:24chose this year to open up about their mother. In August, just as had
0:23:24 > 0:23:28been the case in 1997, the gates guarding Kensington Palace were
0:23:28 > 0:23:32strewn with flowers and other tributes to Diana, Princess of
0:23:32 > 0:23:37Wells. A reminder that memory lives on in the public consciousness.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Looking at them, it was impossible not to think back to the young
0:23:41 > 0:23:47princes in the days following her death in a car accident in Paris. 20
0:23:47 > 0:23:53years on, Harry spoke of the shock they both thought. As part of their
0:23:53 > 0:23:56mental health campaign, William and Catherine appeared on radio one.It
0:23:56 > 0:24:04is Friday the 21st of April, it is 4pm and this is very Official Chart.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Between now and 5:45pm we will bring you the big stories, new entries and
0:24:08 > 0:24:15high climbers and the top ten in full!In a very informal interview
0:24:15 > 0:24:19with DJ Scott Mills, they painted a picture of life behind the palace
0:24:19 > 0:24:24walls.Are you a Lloyd -- allowed to order a takeaway if you want to?
0:24:24 > 0:24:32Absolutely! Definitely.Pizza, Chinese? Curry!We are finding it so
0:24:32 > 0:24:36much! What do you watch on television? The Crown? Do you think,
0:24:36 > 0:24:41it's not like that at all!People have asked me about that, we are
0:24:41 > 0:24:48both on -- big on box sets, once we get time in the evening.Once the
0:24:48 > 0:24:52children are in bed. You have to watch all those children's
0:24:52 > 0:24:56programmes as well?Yes, lots of children's programmes! Some of them
0:24:56 > 0:24:59are really good but you have to pretend you're interested because
0:24:59 > 0:25:04George gets very upset if you're not showing due diligence to the
0:25:04 > 0:25:08characters.Starting in September, Prince George would have had less
0:25:08 > 0:25:11time to watch television as he started school. He had to undertake
0:25:11 > 0:25:16this rite of passage with only daddy for company as his mother was
0:25:16 > 0:25:21suffering from severe morning sickness. He is now a reception
0:25:21 > 0:25:25pupil at Thomas' Battersea, unmixed fee-paying school in South London.
0:25:25 > 0:25:35His classmates know him simply as George Cambridge. Looking ahead to
0:25:35 > 0:25:392018, the Royal Family is set to look a little different. There will
0:25:39 > 0:25:44be a new sibling for Prince George and Princess Charlotte and also
0:25:44 > 0:25:47joining their ranks, a Californian born actress and soon-to-be wife