The royal family in five headlines

1928

Emperor Hirohito was formally enthroned in Kyoto in November 1928, following a period of official mourning after the death of his father Emperor Taisho. The enthronement ceremony combined ancient Shinto rituals with modern imperial pageantry. Hirohito's reign, known as the Showa era, would span 63 years and encompass Japan's militarism, wartime defeat, and postwar recovery.

1952

King George VI died peacefully in his sleep at Sandringham House on 6 February 1952 at the age of 56. His daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was on an official tour in Kenya at the time and returned immediately to take the throne as Queen Elizabeth II. George VI had reigned since 1936 following his brother Edward VIII's abdication and had led Britain through the Second World War.

1973

The Sydney Opera House was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973, sixteen years after construction began and ten years behind schedule. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who had resigned from the project in 1966 over a dispute with the New South Wales government, the building cost over fourteen times its original budget. It is now one of the most recognisable buildings in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1997

Princess Diana died in the early hours of August 31, 1997, following a high-speed car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris while being pursued by paparazzi photographers. Her companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul also died in the crash. Her death triggered an extraordinary global outpouring of grief, with hundreds of thousands of mourners leaving flowers outside Buckingham Palace.

2022

Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, aged 96, after 70 years on the throne. She was the longest-reigning British monarch in history. Her son, King Charles III, succeeded her immediately upon her death.