The year 2023 has been an eventful one for the royal families of the world. There was the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the release of Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, and the birth of Princess Eugenie’s second son, Ernest. A handful of royal weddings took place–including those of Princess Theodora of Greece, Crown Prince al Hussein of Jordan and Princess Iman bint Abdullah II. Meanwhile there were grand celebrations in Denmark, as Prince Christian turned 18, bringing together the next generation of European royals at his lavish birthday gala. So what royal moments can royal-watchers look forward to in 2024? Here’s your cheat sheet.
A royal wedding in Brunei
The year in royal moments gets off to a flying start with a 10-day extravaganza in January to celebrate the nuptials of Prince Mateen of Brunei and his bride-to-be, Anisha Isa Kalebic. The prince, who is the tenth child and fourth son of the Sultan, and Anisha, the daughter of one of his father’s advisers, have been dating for several years. A large international royal turnout is expected, with kings, queens, princes and princesses from both Europe and Asia likely to attend, including members of our own British royal family, most likely the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Archie Mountbatten-Windsor heads to school
They grow up so fast: the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, turns five on 6 May, which means that as per the Californian education system, he’ll be starting elementary school. The notoriously private couple are unlikely to release details of where he will be enrolled, but there are plenty of great options near their Montecito mansion, with local experts putting money on The Cate School, whose website says it combines, “East Coast tradition and West Coast energy”.
Prince Edward celebrates a milestone birthday
The King’s youngest brother, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, will turn 60 on 10 March. He’ll mark the occasion privately with his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and their two children, 20-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and 15-year-old James Viscount Severn, at home at Bagshot Park in Windsor. As one of a handful of working royals, he has often spent his birthday undertaking public engagements, and next year is likely to be no different.
Denmark’s heirs to the throne toast 20 years of matrimony
Congratulations are in order for Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark, who will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on 14 May. The couple first met in Mary’s native Australia during the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, when she was completely unaware of the royal identity of the dashing European stranger chatting her up in a bar. Fast-forward three years, and they were walking down the aisle, with Mary resplendent in a gown by local designer Uffe Frank. Don’t be surprised if the occasion isn’t marked properly in Denmark: it’s traditional there to celebrate wedding anniversaries at 12.5, 25 and 50 years instead.
As do the King and Queen of Spain
A week later the Spanish royals, King Felipe and Queen Letizia, will also be raising a glass to their “china” wedding anniversary, which falls on 22 May. The nuptials were a momentous occasion in Spain, as Felipe was then the heir to the throne, with his beautiful bride Letizia a national sweetheart following a career as a news anchor. The grand nuptials took place at the Cathedral Santa María la Real de la Almudena in Madrid, with representatives from Europe’s monarchies in attendance. Despite the historic occasion, it’s likely that the couple will celebrate the milestone in private, as they did in 2014 for their tenth anniversary, when they continued with their daily schedule of public appearances and engagements.
A royal wedding with a difference
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway will get her happy ending on 31 August, when she marries Durek Verrett, an American healer and self-professed shaman who has helped stars including Gwyneth Paltrow. In fact, the Goop founder reportedly gave her personal seal of approval to the shaman’s choice of engagement ring before he got down on one knee. The wedding, which will likely see a mix of actual and Hollywood royalty, will take place at the historic Hotel Union in Geiranger, which according to Märtha-Louise, is known for its “spectacular fjord and dramatic mountains”.
King Charles III heads Down Under
He has visited Australia 16 times as the Prince of Wales, but now King Charles III is reported to be making his first state visit Down Under as monarch in late 2024. The trip is thought to have been planned to coincide with his attendance at the Heads of the Commonwealth meeting in Samoa in October. The country, which voted against abolishing the monarchy in 2022, has not had a royal visit since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s tour in 2018. Earlier this year, the Prince of Wales faced criticism for failing to attend the Women’s World Cup Final in Sydney, despite Queen Letizia of Spain and her youngest daughter Infanta Sofia making the journey.
Prince Harry is 40
The Duke of Sussex will be celebrating a major milestone birthday on 15 September as he turns 40. A lot has happened in the last decade: not only is he now happily married, with two children, Archie and Lilibet, but he also lives in California and is no longer a working member of the royal family. As the couple do not currently have a social media presence, it’s unlikely we’ll see any public acknowledgement of the landmark, but we imagine the Duchess of Sussex will be throwing a star-studded party for her husband–their wedding in 2018 was attended by guests including Oprah Winfrey, Amal and George Clooney, Idris and Sabrina Elba and Meghan’s former Suits co-stars.
This article first appeared on Vogue.co.uk
Also read:
Meet the next generation of European Queens
Inside the wardrobes of some of the most fashionable Indian princesses and maharanis in history
