Twelve moments did the most to change the British royal family. They include the 1953 coronation, the 1981 wedding, Diana’s death in 1997, the Sussexes’ step back in 2020, the Queen’s death in 2022 and the crowning of Charles III in 2023.
Updated October 26, 2026.
Anyone who has followed the royals for decades learns that the family moves slowest in public and fastest right after a shock. Nearly every item here is a shock: a death, a wedding, a crown handed on. Most families have a moment that splits their story into before and after, and a royal family is no different, only with cameras. The pattern matters more than any single day.
1. The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury, crowned Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. It was the first British coronation filmed in full. Her parents’ 1937 ceremony had been covered only from outside. About 27 million people watched live in the UK, and an estimated 277 million watched worldwide. The number of TV license holders roughly doubled, from about 1.5 million to 3 million. Elizabeth overruled Winston Churchill, who did not want the cameras there.
Britain was still getting back on its feet after World War II, and her reign came to stand for staying strong and pulling together. It became the template for steadiness. She held the throne for 70 years and 214 days, the longest of any British monarch. She came to stand for the famous stiff upper lip, which means staying calm and keeping your feelings in check, and she kept the monarchy in view on the world stage while its role in politics shrank.
2. The Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana
Charles and Lady Diana Spencer married at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981. An estimated 750 million people watched worldwide, including 28.4 million on the BBC and ITV in the UK. Almost everyone has watched a big wedding on TV and talked about the dress for days afterward. For many people watching, this one stood for the power of love. The marriage produced Prince William, now the heir to the throne. The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, so the romance did not last.
The wedding mattered less for the romance than for what Diana did next. She gave a family that looked like a relic a celebrity of its own, and the monarchy never again got to be only formal.
3. The Death of Princess Diana
Diana died in the early hours of August 31, 1997, after her car crashed in the Pont de l’Alma underpass in Paris. Photographers had been chasing the car. A 1999 French investigation found that driver Henri Paul’s blood alcohol was 3.6 times the French legal limit. The Fayed family’s pathologist disputed the testing methods. A 2008 inquest ruled it unlawful killing, because of the grossly negligent driving of Paul and the vehicles following. It was a sad end for a woman full of life, who had done a lot to modernize the monarchy.
Her sudden death shook the world and changed the royal family. Her funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6 drew an estimated 3 million mourners to London. About 31.5 million watched in Britain and roughly 2.5 billion worldwide. The Palace took heavy criticism when no flag flew at half-mast over Buckingham Palace. The Royal Standard flies only when the monarch is in residence, and the Queen was in Scotland. A Union Flag at half-mast became the compromise, and it set a precedent. The death also left lasting questions about how the press covers the family.
4. The Modernization of the Monarchy
During Elizabeth’s reign the family began to modernize. They used new technology, met more of the public and changed with the times. Still, the monarchy is ceremonial by design, so modernizing mostly means changing tone. In November 1992, at her Ruby Jubilee, the Queen called the year her “annus horribilis.” She said criticism of institutions might be met with “a touch of humour, gentleness and understanding.” It was an unusual admission from a monarch.
The change kept going through newer projects. Prince Harry launched the Invictus Games on March 6, 2014, and the first Games were held September 10 to 14 of that year. The monarch’s role stayed apolitical. The Queen did not rush to change things. She accepted that the monarchy’s role had shrunk, and she found a different kind of power in bringing a changing country together. What shifted was how openly the family took part in public causes.
5. The Prince and Princess of Wales and Homewards
William and Catherine became Prince and Princess of Wales on September 9, 2022, after the Queen’s death. They have put their names behind causes like conservation and mental health. Their biggest project is Homewards, a five-year program launched in June 2023 by William and the Royal Foundation. It works in six flagship locations across the UK, among them Aberdeen, Lambeth and Sheffield. The stated aim is to show that homelessness can be “rare, brief and unrepeated,” with those places on a path toward ending it by 2028. It is a big goal.
Catherine announced a cancer diagnosis on March 22, 2024, after planned abdominal surgery in January. In January 2025 she confirmed she was in remission. Neither fact changed the projects, but it did change how the public thinks about the people running them.
6. The Marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Harry and Meghan Markle married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on May 19, 2018. The British public greeted the match with excitement. On January 18, 2020, Buckingham Palace announced that Harry would step back from royal duties. The Sussexes’ office closed, and they stopped working as royals on March 31, 2020. In March 2021 they gave a widely watched interview to Oprah Winfrey.
The business side followed. Their ambitions were in Hollywood, and they turned their royal ties into deals. Netflix signed a five-year deal in September 2020 and released the docuseries Harry & Meghan on December 8, 2022. Spotify signed them in December 2020 and canceled the deal in June 2023. Harry’s memoir Spare came out on January 10, 2023. My read is that Harry’s relationship with his family has probably changed for good. It has been an unsettling pairing from the start.
7. The Queen’s Address During the COVID-19 Pandemic
On April 5, 2020, the Queen gave a televised address to a country in lockdown. An estimated 24 million people watched in the UK. Lockdown rules had turned daily British life upside down, and people were anxious. She told them “we will meet again.” It gave many people comfort and hope. Most of us remember how strange and quiet those first weeks of lockdown felt. It is the clearest example of what a monarch is for. She had no policy to announce and no power to change the rules, only the ability to speak to everyone at once.
8. Charles and the Environment
Charles has promoted care for the environment since the 1970s. After moving into Highgrove House he took up organic farming, which led to the launch of Duchy Originals in 1990. He also criticized genetically modified crops. In 2021 he told the opening ceremony of the COP26 climate summit that a “vast military-style campaign” was needed to tackle climate change. The wider family has cared about nature for a long time, and Charles is its best-known voice. It nudges the rest of us to think about our own footprint. Few heirs have been so publicly tied to one cause for so long.
9. The Royal Family and Mental Health
William, Catherine and Harry launched the Heads Together campaign in April 2016 to encourage open conversation about mental health. Catherine then launched the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in June 2021, followed by the Shaping Us campaign in January 2023. The family used to avoid the subject in public. That changed in a single generation. Talking about it openly is a good reminder for the rest of us to check in on each other.
10. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Young People
Prince Philip founded the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in 1956. It encourages young people to grow, stay strong and serve their communities. John Hunt, who led the 1953 Everest expedition, first ran it and largely designed it. It has Bronze, Silver and Gold levels and is aimed at ages 14 to 25. The award now runs in 144 nations, and about 8 million people worldwide have taken part. Its legacy is the proof that a royal project can outlast the royal who started it.
11. The Death of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, aged 96. Her reign had begun on February 6, 1952, when her father George VI died, and it lasted 70 years and 214 days. Her Platinum Jubilee celebrations had started that February. She was buried on September 19 in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The country went into a long period of mourning for a polite, courteous and beloved queen.
She was never chatty or pushy. She came to the throne when Britain still had a big say in world affairs, and she saw that influence slowly shrink. She was a rare public figure almost everyone could trust, and the next monarch would never inherit that. For seven decades she carried the country’s heritage with grace. The next day, Charles made William Prince of Wales.
12. The Coronation of King Charles III
Charles was 73 when he became king, the oldest person to accede to the British throne. Anyone who has had to follow a much-loved parent or boss knows how hard that can be. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023, before about 2,200 guests from 203 countries. The service was shorter than Elizabeth’s and reflected the UK’s many faiths. No temporary stands were built, and most vestments were reused. Camilla was anointed in public view, and the public was invited to swear allegiance, both firsts. UK viewing peaked at 20.4 million, the most-watched broadcast of 2023. Police made 64 arrests that day.
Charles waited a very long time for the throne, and he has long wanted to modernize the monarchy. Now he can. His reign has not been quiet. Buckingham Palace announced in February 2024 that he had cancer. On October 30, 2025, the Palace said he had started a formal process to remove his brother Andrew’s titles and honors. Does the monarchy still have a place in Britain? Change means the steady, familiar things fade, so a new order has to take their place. Whether he can shape a monarchy that suits the times, with William next in line, is the open question of this list.
Royal Family Turning Points: Common Questions
How long did Queen Elizabeth II reign?
Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years and 214 days, from her father’s death on February 6, 1952, to her own on September 8, 2022. She died at Balmoral Castle aged 96. That is the longest reign of any British monarch.
When was King Charles III crowned?
Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. About 2,200 guests from 203 countries were invited. The service was shorter than the 1953 coronation, and UK television viewing peaked at 20.4 million, the most-watched broadcast of 2023.
What did Harry and Meghan give up in 2020?
Buckingham Palace announced on January 18, 2020, that Harry would step back from royal duties, including official military appointments. The Sussexes’ office closed and they officially stopped working as royals on March 31, 2020, before building their own media and charity work.
How many people watched the 1981 royal wedding?
An estimated 750 million people watched the wedding of Charles and Diana worldwide on July 29, 1981. In the UK, 28.4 million watched on the BBC and ITV. About 600,000 people lined the London streets to see the ceremony.
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