Year in Review 2020: The top 10 most popular royals of the year

Princess Charlotte was the only Cambridge tot to make the top 10 list of most popular royals of 2020. Despite being homeschooled for a majority of 2020 due to COVID-19, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge included the five-year-old princess in giving back to those in need. In May, the Cambridges released photos of Charlotte delivering homemade care packages to senior members of their community in quarantine. (Image via Kensington Royal/Photo by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge).

The hit Netflix series, “The Crown” has led to a resurgence of the world’s fascination with Princess Margaret. As the former “wild child” of the royal family, the Countess of Snowden’s lavish lifestyle, romantic life and outspoken personality has made her a longtime favourite of the House of Windsor.

Despite being the longest reigning monarch in history, 2020 presented new and unique challenges for the Queen. COVID-19 forced many of Her Majesty’s engagements and in-person audiences to be cancelled, however the Queen quickly adapted to pandemic-life, conducting virtual audiences from her home-base of Windsor Castle. The New Year is looking brighter for the royal with reports suggesting the 94-year-old will receive the COVID-19 vaccine “within weeks.” (Image via Buckingham Palace).

Although Prince Philip officially retired from public duty, interest in the Duke of Edinburgh has increased thanks to - you guessed it - “The Crown.” The Netflix has been criticized by royal experts who have called the show’s portrayal of Prince Philip inaccurate and “disgraceful” for painting him as the villain. In 2020, Prince Philip celebrated his 99th birthday as well as his 73rd wedding anniversary with the Queen. (Image via Buckingham Palace).

The Duke of York made headlines in 2020 for all of the wrong reasons. Following his fumbling interview with the BBC regarding his relationship with convicted pedophile and sex-trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace announced in May that Prince Andrew would be permanently retiring from public duties.

Prince Charles made headlines in 2020 after announcing he was among the millions of people worldwide who tested positive for COVID-19. The Prince of Wales revealed he lost his sense of smell and taste due to the virus but ultimately “got away lightly” with a mild form of the virus. The Prince’s former marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales became a topic of public conversation following the November release of Season For of “The Crown”, particularly his relationship with his now wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. “Charles and Camilla have come a long way with all their hard work, especially during the coronavirus pandemic...” Historian Sally Bedell Smith told Vanity Fair. “Because viewers believe incorrectly that The Crown is true, this season in particular could undo all the good feelings about Charles and Camilla and resurrect the hostility from two decades ago. It will also reinforce the false mythology that Diana was the sainted victim.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton found ways to meet the challenges of COVID-19 by performing endless royal duties remotely and at a safe distance. Throughout lockdown, Prince William spoke passionately about the mental health and impact of COVID-19 on frontline workers while hiding his own private battle with the virus. In December, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge carried out a three day tour on the Royal Train through Great Britain to pay tribute to essential workers for the holidays. (Image via Kensington Royal/Photo by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge)

The Duchess of Cambridge has been hard at work during 2020 as one of the most visible members of the Royal Family during the COVID-19 crisis. Middleton spearheaded “Hold Still,” a photography initiative which encouraged people across the United Kingdom to submit photos of life during the pandemic. In addition to holding virtual meetings with frontline healthcare workers and teachers, the Duchess has been privately calling isolated pensioners as part of a program that helps support senior citizens in quarantine. "I will treasure our conversations for the rest of my life,” Len Gardner who spoke with the Duchess told The Sun. “Those calls helped me because they gave me something to look forward to." (Image via Kensington Royal)

It was a big year for Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. In January, the Duke and Duchess announced they were “stepping back” as senior members of the royal family. The Sussexes and their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor temporarily moved to Victoria, B.C. before making their permanent home base in Montecito, Calif. The decision to move to the United States divided public opinion, but ultimately proved fruitful for the couple. Aside from continuing their work with several of their royal patronages, the couple signed multi-year production deals with both Netflix and Spotify and launched their own charity organization, Archewell. Despite their new endeavours, the couple have been privately volunteering to assist those in need during COVID-19. The Sussexes have been helping prepare and deliver meals to those in need as well as hand-out care packages to families through the Los Angeles-based organization, Baby2Baby.

Yahoo Canada readers couldn’t get enough of the Duchess of Sussex in 2020. After making the permanent move to her home-state of California, Markle and Prince Harry quickly began laying the groundwork for the next chapter of their lives outside of the confines of the royal family. In June, the Duchess spoke passionately about the impact of systemic racism in the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor during a convocation speech at her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School. Markle would go on to become a fervent advocate for voters rights and even produced a sit-down interview with Gloria Steinem for Makers Women on the importance of women exercising their right to vote. Although controversy and ongoing lawsuits still plagued the royal couple, Markle managed to persevere by showing tremendous vulnerability, honesty and compassion. In late November, the Duchess penned a moving essay for The New York Times revealing that she suffered a miscarriage in July while at home in Montecito, Ca. Markle urged readers to look for opportunities to practice empathy whenever possible during the COVID-19 crisis by checking-in and bridging the gap between their private struggle and need for meaningful connection. “We are adjusting to a new normal where faces are concealed by masks, but it’s forcing us to look into one another’s eyes — sometimes filled with warmth, other times with tears,” Markle wrote. “For the first time, in a long time, as human beings, we are really seeing one another. Are we OK? We will be.”