Royal Central's Top 20 Royal Moments of 2013: 20-11

<![CDATA[It has been another busy and exciting year for the British Royal Family.
From the birth of Prince George in July to the 60th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation in June, 2013 proved to be another action-packed year for the Royals.
Royal Central counts down its Top 20 Royal moments of the year! Here’s part one with 20-11:
20. Prince Andrew joins Twitter
In July, The Duke of York joined Twitter becoming the first member of the Royal Family to have their own account. The account is regularly updated and posts by Prince Andrew are signed off with AY. Since July, the Duke has amassed over 39,000 followers and counts ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, as one of them. The other members of the Royal Family are represented on Twitter with the @BritishMonarchy and @ClarenceHouse accounts.

19. Camilla goes solo in Paris
In May, the Duchess of Cornwall undertook her first solo tour abroad on an official visit to Paris. Camilla, who  travelled by the Eurostar to the French capital, was visiting on behalf of homeless charity Emmaus. During the visit, the wife of Prince Charles delivered her first French speech and visited the headquarters of fashion house Dior. The Duchess was also given a private tour of the world-famous Louvre where she posed for a picture with the Mona Lisa.

18. Prince Harry makes it to the South Pole
After a four-week trek Prince Harry and the Walking with the Wounded teams finally made it the South Pole on December 13. The Prince, who is patron of the organisation, praised his fellow teammates, including Sgt Duncan Slater, who in 2009 lost both his legs in Afghanistan after his vehicle was blown up. “I think everyone back home will appreciate the fact just being able to walk 100km (62 miles) in these conditions with no legs is a pretty amazing feat in itself,” the Prince said.

17. Royal Family gather for the annual Trooping the Colour
In mid-June, the Royal Family gathered for the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony in London. The event, which brings together the entire family, is to celebrate the Queen’s birthday. While Prince Philip missed the celebrations as he recovered from surgery, it was the last engagement for the Duchess of Cambridge before she undertook maternity leave in preparation for the arrival of Prince George.

16. Sophie’s tears for the fallen soldiers
During the Festival of Remembrance in November The Countess of Wessex was moved to tears. Sophie, the wife of Prince Edward, showed her sensitive side as she became emotional when families of Afghanistan war heroes were introduced on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. Twitter users quickly took to the site to comment on the royal’s tears, with one commenting “Seeing Sophie with tears was a very emotional moment”.

15. Prince Charles turns 65
This year saw Prince Charles celebrate his 65th birthday. The Prince of Wales marked the occasion, on November 14, during his official visit to India and Sri Lanka with wife the Duchess of Cornwall. The milestone made Charles the oldest heir to the throne since 1714. The Prince was given a cake by school children in India.

14. William and Kate return to Westminster Abbey to mark Queen’s 60th Coronation
On June 5, the Royals gathered at Westminster Abbey for a service to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. The event held significance to Prince William and Kate as it was the first time they had officially returned to the Abbey since their wedding day in 2011 and the couple were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child.

13. Prince William leaves the RAF
In September, Prince William confirmed he would be leaving the RAF after serving military service for over seven years. The Duke of Cambridge made the decision to leave so he could give more support to his grandmother The Queen with official duties as he prepares to become King one day.

12. Edward and Sophie celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary
The Earl and Countess of Wessex celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary on June 19. The couple, who have two children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, have enjoyed a strong marriage and Sophie is known to be very close to her mother-in-law, The Queen.

11. The Queen’s joy at Ascot
During the annual horse-racing week Royal Ascot, the Queen was visibly overjoyed when her horse Estimate won the Gold Cup. Her Majesty, watching from the Royal Box, clapped her hands and was emotional as the horse passed the finishing line.

Join us tomorrow for part two of Royal Central’s Top 20 Royal Moments of 2013 as we countdown from 10-1!
[Photo credit: L I S S Y via photopin cc, photo credit: Mikepaws via photopin cc, photo credit: Defence Images via photopin cc, photo credit: Mikepaws via photopin cc, photo credit: UK in France via photopin cc, Twitter/Walking with the Wounded, Instagram/Clarence House, BBC Live Stream. ]
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