16 Best Royal Family Moments of 2016

In January, proud parents William and Kate released photos of Prince George's first day of nursery school at Westacre Montessori School in Norfolk. Wearing a little navy jacket and baby blue rucksack, the young royal looked ready to start the new chapter in his life.

Two months later, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released photographs of them enjoying the snowy French Alps to mark their first family holiday together. As to be expected, it was the perfect group snapshot. Prince George and Princess Charlotte looked especially cute in their cosy bobble hats. 

Prince George was allowed to stay up past his bedtime for a special occasion in April, when Barack and Michelle Obama stopped by for dinner at Kensington Palace. George happily played on his rocking horse and thanked the President for giving it to him, while dressed in his bathrobe. How could he not steal the show?

The royal couple's visit to India and Bhutan in April was packed with memorable moments, but this had to be the most special by far. On their final day of the trip, the Duke and Duchess sat together on the bench at the Taj Mahal where Diana, Princess of Wales, was pictured 24 years ago. According to royal representatives, they hoped to create new memories with this meaningful picture.

Just when we thought Prince George couldn't charm us any more, this image was released as a stamp to mark the Queen's 90th birthday. The historic photo captured four generations of the royal family: George's father Prince William, grandfather Prince Charles and great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth. The addition of a pile of foam blocks, so that the young prince could reach the height of his seated family, made this group photo even more heart-warming.

2016 was one non-stop party for Her Majesty. It was also the year when her customized open-top Range Rover came into its own, thanks to a number of public appearances to mark her 90th. She reached the milestone age on April 21, but the celebrations stretched throughout the year, starting with a royal walkabout on her actual birthday. The festivities continued with a four-day spectacular held at Windsor Castle in May, followed by a Patron's Lunch — a picnic for 10,000 people — along The Mall in June. Of course this meant a whole lot of smiling and waving for the Queen and Prince Philip, but thankfully, she saw the funny side. "How I will feel if people are still singing Happy Birthday in December remains to be seen," she told the crowds in London.

Princess Charlotte rounded off the annual Trooping the Color celebrations in June by making her debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Her great-grandmother took centre stage in a lime green jacket and hat, but it was the young princess and her older brother who made everyone's hearts melt.

Is there anything better than Prince George's face squashed up against the plane window? No, no there is not.

Following her special birthday, the Queen reached another milestone later in 2016. In October, she added the "World's Longest-Reigning Monarch" to her list of titles following the passing of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It also means that Elizabeth II, who has been the monarch for 64 years, has surpassed the 63 year reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

When the Duchess of Cambridge departed the Netherlands after her first solo trip abroad, she did what any non-royal would do. Kate traveled back to the U.K. on a commercial British Airways flight and proved that royals are just like us. 

In November, Kensington Palace confirmed the happy news we had all been waiting for and the most-talked about relationship of the year became official. The royal love story caused quite a stir, which led to Prince Harry asking the media and public to respect Meghan Markle's privacy out of fear for her safety. The Suits star has since become the most Googled actress of 2016.

During his two-week royal tour of the Caribbean, Prince Harry met Rihanna at a party in Barbados. But that was just the beginning of their get together. Afterwards, they went to a concert together in Bridgetown before they met up again the next day to do an HIV drug test to raise awareness on World AIDS Day. Best of friends? We like to think so.

Have you ever wondered what the royals would wear to a Christmas jumper party? The people at London's Madame Tussauds gave us the answer in December, when they shared this photo of the (wax) Queen and co in their festive sweaters. Even the Corgis got dressed up, although it was the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who took the limelight. Their his-and-hers design was everything.