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London (CNN) — This week saw members of Britain’s royal family return to public engagements as the two-week royal mourning period following the Duke of Edinburgh’s death draws to a close.
Back in 2002, when the Queen, accompanied by Philip, appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for her golden jubilee, it was widely seen as a turning point for her monarchy. Delight was written across her face as she looked out on a sea of adoring fans, cheering and waving flags and umbrellas.
That response — almost two decades ago — was what the organizers had hoped for. But it wasn’t guaranteed. Nobody quite knew if it would materialize after the years of bad press following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. Cheers turned to screams of excitement as Princes Charles, William and Harry, then aged 53, 19 and 17, respectively, stepped forward behind the Queen as the future faces of the monarchy. It felt like the monarchy had not only bounced back but was here to stay.
Aides will be hoping to replicate that sentiment next year when Elizabeth marks another milestone — her platinum jubilee — by becoming the first-ever British sovereign to celebrate 70 years on the throne. Over a four-day bank holiday weekend in June 2022, an “extensive programme of public events will mix traditional pageantry with cutting edge technological displays,” according to a UK government statement.
It will also be another opportunity to display how the family has rebranded after revelations about the royals from Oprah Winfrey’s interview with the Sussexes and allegations stemming from Prince Andrew’s relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Despite being in her 90s, Elizabeth has kept a demanding schedule of engagements, making the most of video calls to continue her duties throughout the pandemic. Even before the virus upended everything in the UK last March, she had conducted 296 engagements between 2019 and 2020.
But because she can’t do it all by herself, she drafts in several generations of the family to complete the more than 3,000 engagements the royal family undertake both at home and abroad each year.
Those family figureheads helping fulfill public duties have been swapped around more than anyone ever imagined in recent years. Philip is now gone, but so too are Harry and Andrew, for very different reasons.
There is still the core team of working royals, comprising the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of…
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