First birthday for a former king

For the first time since 1975, King Juan Carlos of Spain will celebrate his birthday with no country to reign. The man who was head of state for 38 years until his sudden abdication in June 2014 is marking his big day as a former monarch for the first time. It's a big change- personally and publicly.

King Juan Carlos celebrates his first birthday since his abdication on January 5th 2015

The king is always visible at this time of year. He made appearances on his birthday for decades and January 6th always saw him take a starring role in the military parade that kicks off the new year.  In 2015, he will be absent from that and absent from the stage on his birthday. It's not known where he will celebrate turning 77 but it will be away from the spotlight. In recent days it's been reported that Juan Carlos was in America to see in the New Year and the time he has spent with Queen Sofia in the months since abdicating in favour of Felipe is said to be scarce. But we probably won't know where the birthday celebrations will take place or whether any of his family will be there to help him mark the occasion.

Juan Carlos I was King of Spain from 1975 until 2014

The Spanish Royal Family needs a few smiles - after the bounce that came from a new king, there were hard times to face again as Christmas approached with news that the Infanta Cristina has been charged with tax fraud. But the man who was head of the Royal House for decades will be far from the public resolution of the latest issues to confront Spain's monarchy. This is a very different birthday for King Juan Carlos, and for his monarchy - as will all his others be now.

Do royals need Christmas portraits?

It's become something of an expectation but the release of three sets of photos this Christmas remind us that official pictures of royals at the festive season are the exception rather than the norm. OK, we might get new portraits on official Christmas cards or reworkings of images from important events on the holiday season missives (see Felipe and Letizia in Spain this year for the latest example of that) but brand new, sparkling and for this holiday season only specials are rare. Which makes 2014 a bit of a bonanza.

An official Christmas portrait of the extended Danish and Greek royal families taken to mark Christmas 2014 which they spent together at Fredensborg, Denmark

First of all, the extended family gathering at Fredensborg in Denmark that brought together Queen Margrethe II's family with that of her sister, Anne-Marie of Greece, resulted in a special snapshot of all the royals together in front of a Christmas tree. The insight into a royal festive holiday was a special moment and captured the generations together in one moment in time. Not long afterwards, a special New Year photo of the Swedish Royal Family was released - it was taken earlier in the year and for the first time features Sofia Hellqvist, the royal bride of 2015.

Happy family, Happy New Year - the Swedish royals come over all festive with a special snap to mark the beginning of 2015

Of course, Sweden's royals have a lot to celebrate as the new year begins. That wedding is just one reason after Princess Madeleine announced her second pregnancy just before Christmas and just afterwards confirmed that she and her husband and daughter will be moving back to Europe.  And another family with lots to look forward to in 2015 also treated us to unexpected Christmas goodies. The decision of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to release three photos of Prince George ahead of the festive season as a thank you for the press leaving their son to grow up without constant following or photographing was a surprise. But has it set a precedent? 

Prince George of Cambridge in one of the three Christmas photos he starred in as 2014 came to an end

Royals used to dictate how they did things but now the ever growing interest in their lives and the constant demand for news means that things like Christmas portraits are becoming more of an expectation. Whether the trend will continue next year is an unknown but the more that things like festive snaps are released, the more they become accepted as a normal part of the royal calendar. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's pretty good all round. The photos provide a staging post, a chance to compare what's changed and what hasn't and also gives the royal houses of Europe a chance to be seen without necessarily being followed for that to happen. Christmas is a time for smiles, joy and friendliness. A little festive portrait or two can only help that.

Royals on social media

It's been a quiet week on royal social media as the old year turns into the new one and everyone gets ready for what promises to be a bumper 2015. But there have been a few postings to keep us entertained on the official channels of Europe's royal houses. Here are some of the highlights.

Black tie and sparkles for 2015

The Danish Royal Family spent Christmas together at Fredensborg and after a week of celebrations they headed to the Amalienborg Palace for the traditional New Year's gala for politicians and government officials. And that meant the first dose of diamonds for 2015 with Queen Margrethe II, Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie all dazzling in a video shared on the official You Tube channel.

King Harald of Norway always pulls the stops out for his traditional New Year's Eve speech and 2014 was no different as the monarch saw out the old year in black tie. His address was shared on the official You Tube Channel of the Norwegian Royal Family.

Review of the year
The British Monarchy Twitter account shared a Storify blog of the highlights of 2014 on New Year's Eve.

It's been yet another busy year packed full of Royal events - take a look at our top moments from 2014 @Storify: http://t.co/j0R8yoDctH
— BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) December 31, 2014

The Clarence House Twitter account also shared some favourite moments as the old year came to an end.

 

And in case you missed it, here is our @Storify blog featuring some of the top moments of 2014: http://t.co/DmceDgg6Yl
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) December 31, 2014

Memories of another time 

There was a sad anniversary marked in the week as the Swedish Royal Family attended a service in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004. Ten years on, King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel joined thousands of others in remembering and the image was part of an online memorial at the royal website.

The Royal House of Norway also shared an image of the act of remembrance for the victims of the tsunami undertaken by Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and Crown Princess Mette-Marit on the tenth anniversary of the disaster.

Both images were a reminder that amidst the joy of a new year there is always time to remember what went before.

Royal reigns of 2015

On September 10th 2015, the Queen becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history. At that point she will have been on the throne longer than her great, great grandmother Queen Victoria. She is easily the longest reigning monarch in Europe at the moment with her continental counterparts enjoying rules of varying lengths. Elizabeth II is heading into her 63rd year as Queen with Europe's other monarchs in her wake.

The Queen will become the longest reigning monarch in British history on September 10th 2014

Queen Margrethe of Denmark will celebrate the 43rd anniversary of her reign on January 14th 2015. Europe's other queen regnant took her country's throne in 1972 on the death of her father, Frederik IX. Her Scandinavian counterpart, Harald V, will celebrate the anniversary of his own accession three days later. He took his country's throne on the death of his father, Olav, on January 17th 1991 and this year his reign reaches the 24 year mark.

King Harald with his family - he will mark 24 years of his rule on January 17th 2015

Albert II of Monaco will have ruled his country for a decade this year. He became sovereign prince on April 6th 2005 on the death of his father, Rainier III and will celebrate his tenth anniversary this spring. Three weeks later, Willem-Alexander will mark two years as king of the Netherlands - he became monarch on the abdication of his mother, Beatrix, on April 30th 2013.

An official portrait of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima taken on the day of his accession - April 30th 2013

As the summer takes hold, the newest monarch on the continent will celebrate the first anniversary of his accession. Felipe VI will mark a year as king on June 19th 2015 having taken the throne on the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos I. The King of the Belgians, Philippe, will have been on his country's throne for two years on July 21st 2015 having become monarch when his own father, Albert II, gave up his crown in  2013.

King Philippe of the Belgians became monarch on July 21st 2013

On September 15th 2015, Carl XVI Gustaf will have been Sweden's monarch for 42 years having taken the throne in 1973 on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, making him the longest reigning king on the continent. 

The best royal year yet?

With a new year come new royal stories, photos and moments for the history books and while 2015 isn't quite yet a day old there are already plenty of clues as to what will be making the regal headlines in twelve months' time.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be making royal headlines in 2015

There may well be surprises - although the chances of an abdication for the third year in a row look slim - but there are also plenty of certs for the royal history books already. Here's a run down of what will be making royal news in 2015.

Babies and bumps

There are already three big royal baby moments lined up for 2015. In just a few days time, the newest royals on the continent will make their debut when Prince Jacques and big sister, Princess Gabriella, are officially presented in Monaco. This big royal moment will take place on January 7th 2015 although the twins have already been photographed for Paris Match magazine.

Mum and dad will take second place in the headlines on January 8th when papers will show off images of their twins, Jacques and Gabriella

It probably won't be that long afterwards that photographers and journalists start camping outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington where the Duchess of Cambridge is expected to give birth to her second child in April 2015. Royal baby mania, part two, will no doubt take over as Kate delivers a new prince or princess of Cambridge who will be fourth in line to the throne from the moment of their birth.

Remember this? William, Kate and George will be back at the Lindo Wing in April 2015

(photo Ashley Mott)

And in summer 2015 there will be a new royal in Sweden when Princess Madeleine has her second baby. The youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will become a mother again just sixteen months after the birth of her first child, Princess Leonore, who arrived on February 20th 2014.

Three will become four in the summer of 2015 when Madeleine, Chris and Leonore welcome a new member to their family

As far as possible speculation goes, expect lots more expectation questions for Stephanie of Luxembourg who is top of everyone's list of princesses most likely to announce a pregnancy. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is also being constantly watched for signs of baby number two while Zara Tindall will also be on the possible royal mamas to be list.

Brides and grooms

They do like a June wedding in the Royal Palace in Stockholm and on the 13th of that month in 2015, Prince Carl Philip will become the fifth member of the family to say 'I do' on a June day. The prince is set to marry Sofia Hellqvist in a glittering ceremony almost a year after the surprise announcement of their engagement.

The royal bride of 2015 with her husband to be on the day of their engagement - Carl Philip of Sweden marries Sofia Hellqvist in June

Speculation wise, expect lot more rumours about when Prince Harry might marry and his cousin, Princess Beatrice, will also be under a lot of scrutiny to see if she says 'I do' to her long time boyfriend, Dave Clark.

Anniversaries

The day that Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history will no doubt be one of the big royal stories of the year, if not of all time. As of September 10th 2015, the Queen takes the record that currently belongs to her great, great grandmother Victoria and seals her place in the history books.

Walking towards a unique moment in history - Elizabeth II will become the longest reigning monarch in British history on September 10th 2015

On April 9th 2015, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. A decade into his first marriage, Charles was plagued by rumours of marital disharmony. The prince will be hoping for happier headlines as the first ten years of his second marriage are celebrated and analysed in April.

Charles and Camilla will celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary on April 9th 2015

That's the known so far for the royal 2015 but the unknown will fill in many gaps. There will no doubt be unexpected events and negative as well as positive stories. But on this basis, 2015 is lining up to be a classic royal year.