Royals 2012 timeline
- What the Royal family was up to in 2012.
- March 2 - 11: Prince Harry goes on his first official tour, visiting Belize (seen here), Jamaica, the Bahamas and Brazil. During the tour he makes speeches, dedicates a street to his granny, takes part in a military exercise, and "races" Usain Bolt. He also doesn't party too hard and stays out of the tabloids. REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy
- May 10: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, give BBC viewers a chuckle as the two present the weather while on a tour in Scotland. Reading a bleak forecast for Balmoral Castle, Charles jokes: "Who the hell wrote this script?" (BBC/HO)
- May 20-24: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visit Canada as part of a Diamond Jubilee tour. They make stops in Toronto, Saint John, N.B., and Regina, Sask. A highlight: Charles shows off his DJ skills in Toronto. (MICHAEL PEAKE/QMI AGENCY)
- June 2-4: The Queen officially kicks off Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London. She attends the Epsom Derby on Saturday, and a massive concert is held in her honour. But the celebrations are tempered when Prince Philip is admitted to the hospital with a bladder infection on June 4. REUTERS/Toby Melville
- July 29: The Queen is the talk of the Olympics after she appears as part of the opening ceremonies in a video with actor Daniel Craig, playing James Bond. In it, Craig arrives at the palace and, while followed by two of the Queen's corgis, makes his way to where the Queen is sitting. She makes him wait, before leading the way to the helicopter waiting outside. When she arrives at the Olympic venue, she (a stuntman as the Queen) skydives out of the helicopter to make her appearance at the ceremonies. (WENN.com)
- July 31: Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of the Queen, wins silver at the Olympics as a member of Team GB during the equestrian eventing team jumping event. Her mother, Princess Anne, presents her and her teammates with their medals. It marks the first time a member of the royal family won a medal at the Olympics, although Princess Anne did compete in equestrian events in the 1976 Montreal Games. (WENN.com)
- Aug. 15: Prince Philip is rushed to hospital as a "precautionary measure" for another bladder infection. REUTERS/David Moir
- Aug. 21: Photos are published on gossip website TMZ after Prince Harry gets naked and plays some pool with some girls he and his friends met at the MGM hotel in Las Vegas while on vacation. Support for Harry during the scandal goes viral as people start posting naked photos of themselves to Facebook and the website Salute 4 Harry. (TMZ screengrab)
- Sept. 7: Prince Harry returns to Afghanistan for a four-month tour of duty. Harry's squadron provides surveillance, deterrence and, when required, close combat attack capabilities as well as escort duties for other aircraft. "Captain Wales is a serving soldier and a qualified Apache Pilot having completed the Apache Conversion to Role (CTR) course earlier this year. As such, and after further flying experience, he has deployed along with the rest of the squadron as part of a long-planned and scheduled deployment to provide support to ISAF and Afghan forces operating in Helmand," Lt. Col. Tom de la Rue said in a release. REUTER/John Stillwell/POOL
- Sept. 11: The Earl and Countess of Wessex tour Canada. Their seven-day tour includes stops in Ottawa, the Ontario communities of Trenton, Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines and Midland, and Iqaluit, Nunavut. (BOB TYMCZYSZYN/QMI Agency)
- Sept. 14: Photos showing a topless Kate are published in the French magazine Closer. The photos were taken while the duchess and Prince William were on a private vacation. Later in the month, a Danish magazine publishes bottomless photos of Kate. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a statement: "Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner. The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to The Duke and Duchess for being so. Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them." The royals take legal action against the photographer. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
- Dec. 3: Kate and Wills announce they're expecting a baby. News leaks after Kate is admitted to the hospital for hyperemesis gravidarum - a serious form of morning sickness. Speculation begins almost immediately about possible names, whether Prince William will leave his job with the RAF, and whether Kate is carrying twins. REUTERS/Andrew Winning
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