Royal events to look forward to in 2017

1. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s 70th wedding anniversary

Of all the events to happen in 2017, this is probably the most anticipated. On November 20th 2017, The 91-year-old Queen and 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh will celebrate a milestone 70 years of marriage.

There will likely be big celebrations in the Royal Family, with thousands of well-wishers sending the couple cards and presents for the occasion.

As for The Queen and Prince Philip’s Diamond anniversary, their Platinum anniversary is likely to include a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, which family members and dignitaries from across the world are expected to attend.

In 2007, The Queen was the first British monarch to reach her Diamond wedding anniversary. Now, very soon she will go even further celebrating a milestone 70 years of marriage.

2. A Royal Engagement?

As things stand, it is an almost a certainty that Princess Eugenie will become engaged to long-term boyfriend, Jack Brooksbank before the end of 2017.

If the couple do get married in the near future, it would be unlikely (but not completely impossible) that Mr Brooksbank would be granted a title by Her Majesty, meaning he would remain a commoner.

It is highly unlikely that the wedding would be a public event like that of Princess Eugenie’s cousin, Prince William and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge, but likely to be a private family affair like that of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall.

Because Princess Eugenie is eighth-in-line to the throne, The Queen does not need to give her consent for her marriage to take place. This is reserved for members of the Royal Family who are sixth-in-line to the throne or higher.

3. Donald Trump’s impending State Visit to the UK

The Queen is set to invite US President-Elect, Donald Trump, on an official State Visit to the UK in mid-2017.

According to The Daily Telegraph, senior government officials are already writing up plans for the State Visit which promises to be a historic occasion.

Mr Trump will not receive an invitation to visit the UK in an official capacity until he is sworn in as President in January.

If Mr Trump does visit the UK, he is likely to stay at Windsor Castle, partly due to major refurbishment works that will be taking place at Buckingham Palace.

Out of the 12 presidents in Her Majesty’s reign, only five were ever invited for a State Visit. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. It is looking likely that Mr Trump will become number six at some point in 2017.

4. Milestone royal birthdays

2017 will be a year of milestone royal birthdays, not just in the UK, but around the globe.

In the UK, The Duchess of Cornwall will be celebrating her 70th birthday in July. The future Queen consort will be celebrating the occasion privately, however, there will be large public celebrations elsewhere in Europe for their royal birthdays.

One such example is Norway where both King Harald and Queen Sonja will be celebrating their 80th birthdays in May.

Despite their birthdays being in February and June, they will celebrate together on May 10th publically and privately.

Their Majesties will also take part in a number of high-profile events, both in Norway and internationally.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands will be celebrating his 50th birthday in April. It is not yet clear whether there will be public celebrations.

In July, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will be celebrating her 40th birthday. This is expected to be a big event also.

Royal Central will bring you coverage of all of these events throughout the next year.

5. Canada’s 150th anniversary

On 1st July 2017, Canada will be celebrating their 150th birthday and a Royal tour is rumoured to be in the works.

It is very unlikely that The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will travel to the country as they no longer undertake long-haul travel. However, it is expected some senior members of The Royal Family will attend the celebrations.

The most likely choices are The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. The Earl and Countess of Wessex often visit Canada, so they too could join in the celebrations.

Following on from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s successful tour a few months ago, whichever royal arrive in Canada will be guaranteed a warm welcome.

The eyes of the world will also be on Canada in 2017 as Toronto hosts the Invictus Games. Prince Harry will be in attendance, which is something else to look forward to at this side of the world.