What a year 2012 has been for the royal family. It was meant to be the year in which our attention was focused on the queen celebrating the Jubilee but the celebrations were comprehensively overshadowed by a never-ending tide of extraordinary events and scandals: Pippa's party pals pointing guns, Kate and Harry in nude photo scandals and then an extraordinary tragedy when a nurse caring for the Duchess of Cambridge was tricked by pranking radio DJs took her own life. On balance, however, the royals have come out on top, with Kate's pregnancy meaning that several more years of fantastic PR and photo-ops await, while, constitutionally, the line is secure thanks to a change in the rules of succession meaning a boy or girl can inherit the throne. Relive a remarkable royal year with this Daily Beast gallery.
