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In Pictures: A decade of the royal family

The Queen became the longest reigning monarch in history and welcomed eight great-grandchildren.

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The Queen, the birth of Princess Charlotte and Meghan's wedding to Harry

The royal family’s decade has been one of celebration, from weddings, milestones and a jubilee to an abundance of royal babies.

The Queen became the longest reigning monarch in history, the Duke of Edinburgh retired after decades of royal service, and the couple welcomed eight great-grandchildren.

State visit to France
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attend a garden party in Paris in 2014 (Owen Humphreys/PA)

The Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 – marking 60 years since she ascended the throne.

Diamond Jubilee celebrations
The Queen and Philip on board the Spirit of Chartwell during the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in June 2012 (John Stillwell/PA)
Royal reign milestone
The Queen on the day she became the nation’s longest reigning monarch – September 9 2015 (Danny Lawson/PA)
Duke of Edinburgh’s final public engagement
The Duke of Edinburgh attends the Captain General’s Parade on August 2 2017 – his final solo public engagement (Yui Mok/PA)
Remembrance Sunday 2017
The Queen on the Foreign Office balcony with the Duke of Edinburgh as he rests against a pillar during the annual Remembrance Sunday service in November 2017 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

While William and Harry both started the decade as single men, by the end of 2020 they were both married and had become fathers.

Harry and William
Harry and William pose with a rock python during a visit to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve in Gaborone, Botswana, in 2010 (Anthony Devlin/PA)
Harry in Afghanistan
Harry races out to scramble his Apache in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, in 2012 (John Stillwell/PA)
Royal engagement
Prince William and Kate Middleton during their engagement photocall in November 2010 (John Stillwell/PA)
The Royal Wedding
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony after their wedding on April 29 2011, watched by bridesmaids Grace Van Cutsem, left, and Margarita Armstrong-Jones (Chris Ison/PA)
Prince Harry's engagement
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their engagement photocall in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in November 2017 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Royal wedding
Meghan Markle walks down the aisle in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on May 19 2018 (Danny Lawson/PA)
Diana anniversary
Kate, William and Harry visit the White Garden in Kensington Palace in August 2017, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)

Their cousins were also in the news, with Zara Phillips winning a team equestrian silver medal at the 2012 Olympics and Princess Eugenie’s own royal wedding in 2018.

Princess Eugenie's wedding
Princess Eugenie arrives for her wedding to Jack Brooksbank on October 12 2018 (Yui Mok/PA)
London Olympic Games
Zara Phillips with her 2012 Olympic silver medal (Steve Parsons/PA)

The Queen welcomed eight great-grandchildren, including William and Harry’s children.

Birth of Prince George
William and Kate leave the Lindo Wing with their newborn son Prince George of Cambridge in July 2013 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Princess Charlotte
The Cambridges with newborn Princess Charlotte in May 2015 (John Stillwell/PA)
Royal Baby
William and Kate with Prince Louis in April 2018 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Archie
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son Archie in May 2019 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
The Cambridges
The Cambridge family watch the flypast after Trooping the Colour in 2018 (Victoria Jones/PA)
Princess Eugenie's wedding
Savannah Phillips and George during Eugenie’s wedding in October 2018 (Yui Mok/PA)

There were plenty of memorable public duties for the royals over the past 10 years, including overseas engagements.

Royal visit to Scotland
The Prince of Wales reads the weather while on a tour of BBC Scotland headquarters in May 2012 (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Prince Harry in Jamaica
Prince Harry is first out of the blocks against Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt in March 2012 (John Stillwell/PA)
Royal Tour of Australia
Camilla reacts as she and Charles hold koalas at Government House in Adelaide, Australia, in November 2012 (Chris Radburn/PA)
Prince Harry's visit to Jamaica
Harry dances with Chantol Dorner during a visit to the Rise Life charity project in Jamaica in March 2012 (John Stillwell/PA)
Royal visit to India
The Cambridges at the Taj Mahal in India in April 2016 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Royal tour of Australia
Harry and Meghan during a visit to South Bondi Beach in Sydney in October 2018 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Royal visit to Africa
Baby Archie is kissed on the forehead by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town in September 2019 (Toby Melville/PA)
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