By Marisa Laudadio
1:18am PST, Dec 31, 2021
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Say goodbye to 2021 by joining Wonderwall.com as we look back at some of the best photos of the world's royals this year, starting with this beautiful snapshot from a bittersweet day… In her stark black mourning attire, Duchess Kate was a striking sight as she arrived for the funeral of grandfather-in-law Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on April 17.
Keep reading for more great photos of global royals in 2021…
RELATED: Duchess Kate's fashion hits and misses of 2021
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Queen Elizabeth II — a lifetime lover of horses — beamed during the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Windsor Cup polo match and a carriage driving display put on by the British Driving Society at Guards Polo Club, Smith's Lawn, in Egham, England, on July 11.
RELATED: British royal funerals through the decades
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Siblings Princess Caroline of Hanover, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Stephanie of Monaco — the three children of the late Princess Grace, aka American movie star Grace Kelly, and Prince Rainier — waved from the balcony of Prince's Palace during celebrations marking the principality's National Day on Nov. 19.
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Jordan's royal family — Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania and their children, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein, Prince Hashem, Princess Iman and Princess Salma — released their 2021 end-of-year greeting photo on Dec. 15. "May the threads of happiness, hope and good health weave together your New Year," Rania captioned the beautiful photo on Instagram.
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Duchess Kate and Prince William released this picture of Princess Charlotte — which Kate snapped in Norfolk, England — to mark her 6th birthday on May 2.
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Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden attended a State Banquet at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Nov. 24 in honor of the Spanish royals' two-day state visit to Sweden.
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Bhutan's royal family — His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck and their young sons, His Royal Highness Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel and His Royal Highness Gyalsey Ugyen Wangchuck — sent best wishes to their people for the New Year on Jan. 1.
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On Dec. 10, Prince William and Duchess Kate released this family photo featuring their three kids — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — during a visit to Jordan earlier in the year. "Delighted to share a new image of the family, which features on this year's Christmas card," the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge explained on social media.
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Prince George — the future king — grinned in a photo taken by his mother, Duchess Kate, in Norfolk in July to mark his eighth birthday on July 22.
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Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan looked glamorous as they arrived at the Salute to Freedom Gala at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City on Nov. 10.
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Sisters — and new moms — Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York attended an intimate dinner hosted by Sofia Blunt — the wife of music star James Blunt — to launch Loci vegan sneakers in aid of the Blue Marine Foundation in London on Nov. 17.
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Months before the ups and downs of her ongoing health issues made headlines along with speculation about her marriage to Prince Albert II, Princess Charlene of Monaco donned a black lace veil to attend the memorial service of King Goodwill Zwelithini at the KwaKhethomthandayo royal palace in Nongoma, South Africa — she grew up in the country — on March 18.
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Princess Leonor and her father, King Felipe of Spain, visited the country's Santa Maria del Puerto de Somiedo, which had been honored as the 2021 Best Asturian Village, the day after her namesake Princesa de Asturias Awards were held on Oct. 23 — just a few days before she turned 16 on Halloween.
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In August, Britain's Prince Andrew was sued in American civil court by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who claims the royal sexually abused her at Epstein's properties when she was 17, which he's denied. On Nov. 6, the embattled Duke of York was photographed on an early morning horse ride with a groom in Windsor, England, near his home, Royal Lodge.
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On April 22, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited Ahoy in Rotterdam, The Netherlands — the location of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest — to talk about the challenges of organizing such a big event.
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A grieving Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles and Princess Anne stood, solemn, behind the coffin of their father, Prince Philip, in the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, ahead of the Duke of Edinburgh's ceremonial funeral procession to St. George's Chapel on April 17.
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Duchess Kate flashed a smile at husband Prince William as they hosted a drive-in cinema screening of Disney's "Cruella" for Scottish NHS workers at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 26.
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Queen Elizabeth II had a laugh on day 2 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in England on July 2.
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That's a lot of royalty! Sweden's Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip, Spain's Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI, Sweden's King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and Sweden's Prince Daniel and Crown Princess Victoria posed before attending a State Banquet at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, on Nov. 24 to honor the visiting Spanish royals.
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Duchess Kate and a twinning Prince George and Prince William appeared in the stands during the UEFA EURO 2020 final between Italy and England in London on July 11.
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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands posed with their daughters — Princess Alexia, Princess Amalia and Princess Ariane — during their family summer photo session at Huis ten Bosch Palace, The Hague, The Netherlands, on July 16.
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Denmark's royal twins — Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine — posed for a portrait to mark their 10th birthday on Jan. 8.
The coffin of military veteran Prince Philip was driven atop a Land Rover — which he helped design just for this purpose years earlier — across the grounds of Windsor Castle to St. George's Chapel, where his funeral was held, on April 17.
The Crown Princess family of Sweden — Crown Princess Victoria, husband Prince Daniel and their kids, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar (plus their dog, Rio!) — posed for a family photo on the grounds of their home, Haga Castle, in Sweden in May.
Queen Rania of Jordan met with America's first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, at the White House on July 19 while accompanying husband King Abdullah II and son Crown Prince Al Hussein on a working visit to Washington, D.C.
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Royal wives Duchess Camilla, Duchess Kate and Sophie, Countess of Wessex sang from the program during the National Service of Remembrance in London on Nov. 14.
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed herself at an event in celebration of the "The Big Lunch" initiative at The Eden Project near St. Austell in southwest England on June 11.
Prince Philippos of Greece married Nina Flohr at Cathedral Mariae Annunciation in Athens, Greece, on Oct. 23.
Queen Elizabeth II is pictured in the grand House of Lords Chamber in Westminster with Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during the State Opening of Parliament in London on May 11.
On Oct. 23 — five weeks after giving birth to her first child, daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi — Princess Beatrice attended the wedding of Prince Philippos of Greece and airline heiress Nina Flohr in Athens.
Prince Edward and wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex were all smiles as they arrived to watch the second day of competition during Royal Ascot at the Ascot Racecourse in England's Berkshire region on June 16.
Lady Louise Windsor — the daughter of Britain's Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex — took part in the "Champagne Laurent-Perrier Meet of The British Driving Society" on day 4 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Windsor Castle on July 4. It was a big year for Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter: She turned 18 in November.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attended day 1 of Royal Ascot 2021 at the Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, England, on June 15.
Sweden's Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia posed with sons Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel and Prince Julian at Julian's christening at Drottningholm Palace in Ekero, Sweden, on Aug. 14.
Prince Albert II of Monaco stood on the balcony at his home, Prince's Palace, with his twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, who held signs saying "We miss you Mommy" and "Love you Mommy," during the Army Parade that's part of the official celebrations marking the principality's National Day on Nov. 19. The same day, he confirmed that his wife, Princess Charlene, had sought treatment for "exhaustion, both emotional and physical," after returning from South Africa where she battled health issues for months.
All eyes were on brothers Prince William and Prince Harry as they walked to the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in London for the unveiling of a statue they'd commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, to celebrate her legacy on what would have been her 60th birthday: July 1.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan spoke on stage at the 2021 Global Citizen Live Festival at the Great Lawn in Central Park in New York City on Sept. 25. The NYC trip marked their first public appearances as a couple since welcoming their second child, daughter Lilibet "Lili" Diana, in June.
He's getting so big! Prince Louis posed on his bike the week of his 3rd birthday in a photo taken by his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, at Kensington Palace shortly before he left for his first day at Willcocks Nursery School. Kensington Palace released the new photo one day before his birthday, April 23.
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria, husband Prince Daniel and their kids, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, got all dressed up at their home, Haga Castle, to celebrate Sweden's National Day on June 6.
Prince Christian of Denmark posed with his family — grandmother Queen Margrethe II, parents Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, and siblings Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine — after being confirmed into the Church of Denmark in a ceremony at Fredensborg Palace Church in Fredensborg, Denmark, on May 15.
Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and their wives — Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, and Prince William and Duchess Kate — arrived at a reception for the G7 leaders at the Eden Project in Cornwall, England, during the G7 summit on June 11.
Queen Elizabeth II was all smiles as she departed after opening the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders' Museum during a visit to Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland, on June 29.
Olympic medal-winning equestrian Zara Tindall — who's Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter — competed for the first time since having her third child, Lucas, at the Barbury International Horse Trials in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, on July 8. Her son arrived in March.
Britain's Prince Charles — who's known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland — enjoyed a dram of whisky during a visit to the Grampian Highland Games Gathering at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park in Braemar, Grampian, Scotland, on Aug. 14.
Princess Anne, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William, Peter Phillips, Prince Harry, Earl of Snowdon David Armstrong-Jones and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence followed the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin in a ceremonial procession during Prince Philip's funeral at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on April 17.
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria, husband Prince Daniel and kids Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar posed with their royal neighbors — Norway's Crown Prince Haakon, wife Princess Mette-Marit and daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra — on the Swedish island of Gotland in September.
