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17 huge moments that defined the royal family in 2017

It's been QUITE the year for the royal family. There's been no end of birthdays, weddings, engagements, anniversaries, and all kinds of other festivities. 

SEE ALSO: Why Prince Harry and Prince William are truly the millennial royals

Here are 17 major moments that defined one helluva year for the royals. 

1. Princess Diana's letters confirmed what we already knew

This year began with a bit of a blast from the past: a revelation from Princess Diana's letters, written when Prince Harry was just a boy. The letters—sent to a former Buckingham Palace steward—revealed that Prince Harry was  "constantly in trouble at school," which is not remotely surprising.

Image: cheffins

2. The Queen made history (again)

In January this year, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch in history to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee, marking 65 years since she took the crown. Congrats! 

Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. The Queen hung out with a super cute elephant 

A 7-year-old Asian Elephant named Donna didn't just meet the Queen this year. She got the ~royal treatment~ when she was hand-fed a banana by Her Majesty. The Queen happened to be opening a new centre for elephant care at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, near London, when she made Donna's acquaintance. Wow, Donna's basically a princess now. 

Image: David Rose - WPA Pool/Getty Images

4. Prince Harry opened up in a big way

In a podcast interview, Prince Harry spoke candidly about seeking counselling after being near "complete breakdown" while living with the grief of losing his mum, Princess Diana.

"My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help?" he said. 

And here's what tomorrow's @Telegraph front page looks like with that exclusive Prince Harry interview with @bryony_gordon pic.twitter.com/LQUf6gbJad

— Danny Boyle (@DannyBoyle87) April 16, 2017

"Some of the best people or easiest people to speak to is a shrink or whoever — the Americans call them shrinks —someone you have never met before," said the prince. "You sit down on the sofa and say 'listen, I don't actually need your advice. Can you just listen'. And you just let it all rip." 

5. Prince William FaceTimed Lady Gaga

It's not every day that Pop Royalty teams up with British Royalty. But, that's what happened back in April! As part of the royals' Heads Together campaign to end mental health stigma, Prince William FaceTimed Lady Gaga to encourage people to speak more openly about mental health. William and Gaga talked about the importance of opening up about mental health; a cause they've both been heavily involved in this year.

"It's OK to have this conversation. It's really important to have this conversation," said Prince William. "You won't be judged. It's so important to break open that fear and that taboo which is only gonna lead to more problems down the line."

6. The princes opened up about losing their mum 

The royal family has a reputation for being fiercely private about personal matters. But, this year, Prince Harry and Prince William sat around a table with the Duchess of Cambridge and talked about the impact of Princess Diana's death on their mental health. And, this chat happened to be broadcast via Facebook Live as part of their Heads Together campaign. 

"We've never really talked about losing a mum at such a young age," Harry says to William in the film. "When you speak to other people's families, you think, wow I don't want them to have to go through the same thing."

7. Princess Charlotte celebrated her 2nd birthday🎈

When Kensington Palace releases a new photo of the royal kiddies, the nations' hearts basically explode. To mark Princess Charlotte's 2nd birthday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a truly adorable photo of their daughter. SUPER CUTE. 

The Duke and Duchess are delighted to share a new photograph of Princess Charlotte to mark her second birthday tomorrow 🎈 pic.twitter.com/0Xftc3EFPz

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 1, 2017

8. George and Charlotte went to their auntie's wedding

'Twas the wedding of the year! Pippa Middleton—a.k.a. Kate's little sister—married hedge fund manager James Matthews at St. Mark's Church in Englefield, Berkshire, in May. And, yes, the royal little 'uns were decked out in their wedding garb, looking cuter than ever! 

Image: Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Princess Charlotte was a flower girl! 

Image: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

9. Prince George got bored at the Queen's birthday parade

When your great-granny turns 91, there's no end to the celebrations. And, 3-year-old Prince George looked positively tired of all the Queen's birthday celebrations this summer. 

As the royals congregated for the Trooping the Colour, the annual Queen's Birthday Parade, in June, little George was demonstrably less enthused than his mum, dad, and sister. Oh dear. 

Prince George ponders his future #TroopingtheColour pic.twitter.com/IeGzvgaXUg

— @PeterDGPHunt (@PeterDGPHunt) June 17, 2017

10. William and Harry shared memories of their mum 

2017 was also a year of reflection for the princes. In a documentary marking 20 years since Princess Diana's death, William and Harry revealed how much fun their mum was. "Our mother was a total kid through and through," said Prince Harry in the documentary. Harry also shared some advice his mum gave him: "You can be as naughty as you want, just don't get caught." 

"She would come and watch us play football and smuggle sweets into our socks," added Harry. He recalled walking back from football matches with five packets of Starburst in his socks and his entire shirt bulging with sweets. 

11. A third royal baby was announced! 

Just when you thought no one could ever topple Charlotte and George from their thrones of cuteness, the royal family came along and proved us wrong! 

In September, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge dropped their very happy bombshell. Royal baby number 3 will be arriving in May 2018. Get ready, ppl!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child pic.twitter.com/DZCheAj1RM

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 4, 2017

12. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle held hands in public 

Hand-holding isn't usually anything to write home about. But, when it's the first time Prince Harry holds hands with his girlfriend in public, it's a pretty huge deal. The couple appeared in public for the first time at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada, in September. 

Image: Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation

13. Prince Harry proved that sharing is caring

What do you do when a toddler you've never met before helps herself to your snacks? Well, if you're Prince Harry, then you go ahead and share. At the Invictus Games, the prince found himself sitting next to a very cheeky toddler, who decided to munch away on his popcorn. 

Great shot as toddler steals Prince Harry's popcorn. 2 yo Emily is daughter of @InvictusToronto supporter @leglessBDH pic.twitter.com/E55jEb7mNB

— Ben (@benenglanditv) September 27, 2017

14. The Queen and Prince Philip celebrated 70 years of marriage

Our beloved queen celebrated a massive matrimonial milestone this year—her platinum wedding anniversary. 20 November 2017 marked 70 years since the couple tied the knot back in 1947. To mark to special occasion, the couple released new portraits snapped by British photographer Matt Holyoak. 

To celebrate the 70th Wedding Anniversary of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, new photographs are being released worldwide. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/zQBFjQTx3L

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 19, 2017

15. Harry and Meghan got engaged (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Just days after the Queen's special wedding anniversary, another wedding was announced. This time, her grandson Prince Harry's. On 27 Nov. Prince Charles made the announcement that his son Prince Harry had got engaged to Suits actor Meghan Markle. We later learned that Harry actually popped the question while the pair were cooking a roast chicken. Which is pretty much the most British thing ever. Awwwww. 

Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage

16. George and Charlotte rocked colour co-ordinated outfits 

The Cambridge family took a leaf out of the Kardashians' holiday book this year. For their Christmas card, the entire family sported colour co-ordinated outfits. Fetch! 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pleased to share a new photograph of their family. The image features on Their Royal Highnesses' Christmas card this year. The photograph shows The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their two children at Kensington Palace. It was taken earlier this year by @chrisjacksongetty Their Royal Highnesses have also announced this morning that Princess Charlotte will attend the Willcocks Nursery School in London from January 2018. The Willcocks Nursery School has said: "We are delighted that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen the Willcocks Nursery School for Princess Charlotte. We look forward to welcoming Charlotte to our nursery in January."

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Dec 18, 2017 at 3:25am PST

17. Harry and Meghan released their official engagement portraits!

Christmas came early for all of us this year when the royal couple of the moment released their official engagement photos. And, they looked every inch the Hollywood couple. Swoon!

Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have chosen to release this official portrait photograph to mark their engagement. The photograph was taken by photographer @alexilubomirski earlier this week at Frogmore House, Windsor.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Dec 21, 2017 at 3:59am PST

Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have chosen to release this official portrait photograph to mark their engagement. The photograph was taken by photographer @alexilubomirski earlier this week at Frogmore House, Windsor.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Dec 21, 2017 at 3:59am PST

What a year!!!

WATCH: Prince Harry and 'Suits' actress Meghan Markle are officially engaged