How Royal drama, foreign diplomacy rows and climate change protests dominated headlines in 2019

A pregnant Duchess of Sussex leaving after a visit to the National Theatre in London, her first since becoming its patron

After signing for Cardiff for £15million in January, Sala was en route to his new home when his plane crashed in the English Channel. The body of the 28-year-old Argentine striker was recovered nearly three weeks later after an underwater search found the wreckage. The plane carrying Sala and pilot David Ibbotson crashed near Guernsey on January 21, two days after the player’s transfer was announced. Sala was exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide prior to the crash, a report later revealed, and the body of Ibbotson was never recovered

Police taking care of migrants found following a search which was launched when an empty inflatable boat was found on Dungeness beach in Kent. There was a wave of migrant crossings this year, with around 1,300 making it into the UK across the channel

Broken glass and car parts on the side of the A149 near to the Sandringham Estate where the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road accident while driving. The Duke of Edinburgh voluntarily surrendered his driving licence just weeks after he flipped his Land Rover in Norfolk which sent two women to hospital

A stunning photo of The Milky Way above the Bathing House in Howick, Northumberland

The Duchess of Cornwall standing between the wings of artist Paul Curtis’ mural entitled For All Liverpool’s Liver Birds, in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle

The Prince of Wales meeting Mason during a visit to Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England School on the Bletchingdon Estate Development in Oxfordshire

An Emirates Air Line cable cars silhouetted against the backdrop of a ‘Super Snow Moon’ in Greenwich, London

The Duchess of Cambridge pulling a pint with the Duke of Cambridge during their visit to Belfast Empire Hall for an informal party to celebrate inspirational young people who were making a real difference in Northern Ireland as part of their two day visit to Northern Ireland

Begum was born and raised in Britain to parents from Bangladesh. In 2015, aged 15, she left her home in East London with two teenage friends to live in the Islamic State (IS) ‘caliphate’. In February this year, Begum was found in a Kurdish refugee camp in northern Syria by a newspaper reporter who said she planned to return to the UK. The then Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, stripped Begum of her citizenship as she was deemed a threat to national security. While it would be illegal to leave a person stateless, the Government made the decision on the basis that Begum is eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship through her parents

Workers peeling off stickers left on the Cabinet Office door on Whitehall, London, left by anti-Brexit campaigners after they took part in the People’s Vote March. Brexit continued to dominate the headlines all year, and in a attempt to find a way through the impasse, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for a snap election in December

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall sitting on the John Lennon memorial bench in John Lennon Square in Havana, Cuba, as part of an historic trip which celebrated cultural ties between the UK and the Communist state

A Leonberger rests at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC) for the second day of the Crufts Dog Show

Engine driver Ben Evason completing checks on the front of SR Merchant Navy Pacific no. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental SN Co, as locomotives prepared for service at Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway station at Toddington, where a special heritage steam express train service took race goers to Cheltenham

Riders crossing the finish line during the Kiplingcotes Derby, England’s oldest horse race, that celebrated its 500th anniversary this year

Firefighters tackling a large fire which burned on Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire. Dozens of wildfires spread across the UK in April as Britain experienced the hottest temperatures of the year at the time. A large blaze broke out across Marsden and Saddleworth Moor in West Yorkshire covering 300 hectares of moorland before spreading to hillside in Greater Manchester on Sunday – while firefighters in North Wales tackled a ‘volcano-like’ fire that saw 20 homes evacuated

Julian Assange arriving at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, after the WikiLeaks founder was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police and taken into custody following the Ecuadorian government’s withdrawal of his asylum

Police removing Extinction Rebellion demonstrators from Waterloo Bridge in London. A number of climate change protests throughout the year brought the capital to a stand-still after the environment rose up the political agenda

The Duchess of Cambridge leaving the Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, London

Huge waves slapping against the harbour wall as spectators watched from rocks out into the sea at Porthcawl, Wales, where heavy rain and strong winds caused travel disruption in several parts of the UK as Storm Gareth moved east

A lamb and sheep in a field near Allendale, Northumberland, after temperatures dipped below freezing overnight

Schoolchildren marching through Cambridge city centre to take part in a ‘die-in’ climate change protest where they were campaigning against the use of fossil fuel

The steeple and spire of the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral collapses as the cathedral is engulfed in flames in central Paris. The Notre-Dame cathedral, a symbol of France, with is spire crumbling that caused an extraordinary mobilisation in France and the world

Sri Lankans prepare to bury the coffins carrying remains of victims killed in the Easter Sunday bombings in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 23, 2019. More than 300 people were killed in suicide bomb blasts on churches and hotels. It was the South Asian island nation’s deadliest violence in a decade

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle in Berkshire

The Flying Scotsman steam train crossing the Forth Bridge on its way from Edinburgh to Inverness

A couple jumping over the fire during the Beltane celebrations at Glastonbury Chalice Well, where people gather to observe a modern interpretation of the ancient Celtic pagan fertility rite of Spring

Former Prime Minister Theresa May leaving after making a statement outside at 10 Downing Street in London, where she announced she was standing down as Tory party leader

Danny Baker speaking at his London home after he was fired by BBC Radio 5 Live for about the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs’ son using a picture of a monkey

Jessica Hunter from Windsor celebrating a winning bet in the Gold Cup, during day three of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Cornwall, on the balcony of Buckingham Place watching the flypast after the Trooping the Colour ceremony, as Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her official birthday

A spaniel jumping into a pool at Bristol Dogfest, where hundreds of dogs enjoyed a canine festival dubbed the Glastonbury for dogs, at Ashton Court Estate in Bristol

A newly born Barbary macaque Daisy in the arms of her father Oliver at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling, where father’s went free on June 15 and 16 for Father’s Day

Split Decision, a 4.5 metre, multicoloured, minimalist structure that explores themes of mental health and depression, by sculptor Sam Shendi, which was unveiled on The Liverpool Plinth at Liverpool Parish Church

The Duchess of Cornwall receiving a kiss from veteran Arthur Jones during the Royal British Legion’s Service of Remembrance, at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, in Bayeux, France, as part of commemorations for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings

Sir David Attenborough making a surprise appearance on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage to launch the BBC’s new natural history series Seven Worlds, One Planet

Students from Cambridge University making their way home along Trinity Lane after celebrating the end of the academic year at a May Ball in Trinity College

D-Day veteran John Quinn meets George Sayer, 6, in Bayeaux, France on the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings

Residents who were taken to safety in an inflatable boat by rescue workers in Wainfleet All Saints, in Lincolnshire, where streets and properties were flooded after the town had more than two months of rain in just two days

A medic attending to a member of the Grenadier Guards who collapsed in the heat during the Colonel’s Review, the final rehearsal of the Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s annual birthday parade, on The Mall in London

Stormzy headlines and plays a brilliant set at the Pyramid Stage on day 3 of Glastonbury 2019, Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset

A blimp depicting Boris Johnson which was launched in Parliament Square, London, ahead of a pro-European Union a march organised by March for Change. The march was one of a number organised by Remainers upset with Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal

The Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attending the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day at Billingbear Polo Club, Wokingham, Berkshire

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meeting Beyonce and Jay-Z at the European Premiere of Disney’s The Lion King at the Odeon Leicester Square, London

The Duke of Sussex playing with one year old Noah Nicholson during his visit to Sheffield Children’s Hospital in Clarkson Street, Sheffield, where he officially opened the new wing

Donkeys on Bridlington beach as hot weather hit the UK. The heatwave was so prolonged The Met Office told people to stay out of the sun in the middle of the day as it extended a level-three Amber heatwave alert to cover the South East, the East of England and the East Midlands

Boris Johnson arriving at Conservative party HQ in Westminster, London, after it was announced that he had won the leadership ballot and will become the next Prime Minister

Horse riders taking part in the Riding of the Marches making their way along the town boundaries of Musselburgh in East Lothian, during the annual Musselburgh Festival organised by the Honest Toun’s Association

Leaked documents revealed Sir Kim Darroch, the UK’s ambassador to Washington, called Mr Trump’s administration ‘inept’ – triggering the US President to retort that he was a ‘pompous fool’. Sir Kim later resigned sating the furore over his role made it ‘impossible’ for him to do his job. He said: ‘Since the leak of official documents from this Embassy there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding my position and the duration of my remaining term as ambassador. I want to put an end to that speculation. The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like

England fans celebrate after won their first-ever Cricket World Cup in the most dramatic match the sport has ever seen. Eoin Morgan’s side tied the final with New Zealand on 241 runs each – and then both astonishingly scored 15 runs in the supposedly tie-breaking super-over. Fans held their breath as New Zealand’s batsman Martin Guptill dived in a bid to score a winning 16th run but England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler managed to gather the ball and run him out by just inches

Climate activist Greta Thunberg speaking to the media before she began her voyage to the US from Plymouth on the Malizia II, to attend climate demonstrations and speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. Climate change rocketed up the political agenda in 2019, and a 

Burryman Andrew Taylor, accompanied by Andrew Findlater (left) and Duncan Thompson (right), meeting residents as he paraded through the town of South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, encased in burrs. The meaning of the annual festival has long been forgotten 

Beatles lookalike band ‘Fab Four’ joining Beatles fans as they walked across the Abbey Road crossing in London on the 50th anniversary of the band doing it for their iconic album cover on 8 August 1969

The Duchess of Cambridge with Princess Charlotte who poked out her tongue whilst looking through a window at the prize giving after the King’s Cup regatta at Cowes on the Isle of Wight

Asiatic lions celebrating World Lion Day 2019 at ZSL London Zoo. The annual event celebrates solutions to help save the wild lion population from extinction

People sheltering under umbrellas as they punted along the River Cam in Cambridge, as heavy rain and thunderstorms hit parts of Britain, causing flooding 

A police officer paying his respects at the scene near Ufton Lane, Sulhamstead, Berkshire, where Thames Valley Police officer PC Andrew Harper, 28, died. Mr Harper was called to an £800,000 country house in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, after reports of an alleged burglary. The 28-year-old died from multiple injuries after being hit by a van, four weeks after his wedding

An RAF Chinook helicopter flying in sandbags to help repair the dam at Toddbrook reservoir near the village of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire after it was damaged by heavy rainfall

Queen Elizabeth II inspecting the Balaklava Company, 5 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland at the gates at Balmoral, as she took up summer residence at the castle

Anne Sacoolas, 42, the wife of an American intelligence officer, is claimed to have been driving on the wrong side of the road when she hit 19-year-old Harry Dunn’s motorbike outside RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, on August 27. However the American, who claimed diplomatic immunity and was allowed to return to the US. His family are still fighting for justice

Helen Haslem, head of the lower school greeting Princess Charlotte as she arrived for her first day at school, with her brother Prince George and her parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Boxes of legal documents being wheeled in to the Supreme Court, London, where judges were considering legal challenges to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament. Mr Johnson would later lose the decision. In an eviscerating judgment President Lady Hale said the Prime Minister’s decision to ask the Queen to shut down the Commons for five weeks was ‘unlawful, void and of no effect’

Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow on College Green in Westminster, announcing that the House of Commons would resume business after judges at the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s advice to the Queen to suspend Parliament for five weeks was unlawful

Dominic Cummings, a senior aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, attending the book launch of Winning Against the Odds: My Life in Gambling and Politics by Stuart Wheeler at Carlton House Terrace, in London. Mr Cummings was the key strategist for Mr Johnson, in a year dominated by Brexit

Baby Archie being kissed on the forehead by Archbishop Desmond Tutu while in the hands of his mother the Duchess of Sussex in Cape Town, on day three of their tour of Africa. The tour was seen as a success for the royal couple, who earlier in the year suffered major blows to their popularity. It followed demands for privacy, with the pair refusing to name their son Archie’s godparents, and a pricey £2.5million refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor

The Duke of Sussex sitting alone beneath the Diana Tree in Huambo, Angola, on day five of the royal tour of Africa. The Duke visited the minefield where his late mother, the Princess of Wales, was photographed in 1997, which is now a busy street with schools, shops and houses

Walter, 3, from Kent, standing next to his sister’s Austin J40 pedal car, which she drove in the Settrington Cup during the Goodwood Revival at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, in Chichester

The Duke of Cambridge alongside Joseph Dowden, 6, from Surrey, left, and Oliver Myers, 10, from Leeds, during a visit to the Fire Fighters Charity’s Harcombe House centre in Chudleigh, Devon to hear about the support that it provides to members of the UK’s fire and rescue services and their families

Director of Conservation Housekeeping Christopher Powell cleaning a bell in Westminster Abbey’s bell tower in London. The Westminster Abbey bells and bell chamber were last cleaned a decade ago and took around a week to complete

Tico, the 20 month old reticulated giraffe licking his neck as he settled into his enclosure at Wild Place Project after transferring from an attraction in Copenhagen

Dame Barbara Windsor meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson after she delivered an Alzheimer’s Society open letter to 10 Downing Street in Westminster, London, calling on him to address the ‘devastating state’ of dementia care

The Duke of York (right) with solicitor Paul Tweed (left) as he attended The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in County Antrim. Prince Andrew attempted to distance himself from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview, and was later forced to step down from royal duties in November

The Duke of Sussex walking through a minefield in Dirico, Angola, during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, on day five of the royal tour of Africa

People outside the Peterborough headquarters of tour operator Thomas Cook, which ceased trading after failing in a final bid to secure a rescue package from creditors. 21,000 staff faced an uncertain future after losing their jobs including 9,000 in the UK as the world’s oldest and most famous travel operator officially went bust at 2am. A £100million taxpayer-funded fleet of 40 or more jets headed to Europe, America and Asia to bring 160,000 Britons home from more than 50 destinations

The Duchess of Sussex during a visit to the Auwal Mosque in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, on day two of the Royal couple’s visit to South Africa

The father of a young girl, who wass being treated in the Acorn childrens’ ward, expressing his anger over hospital waiting times to Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his visit to Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, east London

Members of the Royal Southern Yacht Club and the Island Sailing Club during the annual Brambles cricket match between the clubs, which takes place on the Bramble Bank sandbank in the middle of the Solent at low tide

The Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, on the fourth day of the royal visit to Pakistan

A fisherman on Whitley Bay beach in Northumberland at sunrise

Prime Minister Boris Johnson embracing his partner Carrie Symonds at the Conservative Party Conference at the Manchester Convention Centre

Police holding a protester during an Extinction Rebellion (XR) demonstration in Westminster, London

Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in London

Police activity at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, after 39 bodies were found inside a lorry container on the industrial estate

Systematic failures by the London Fire Brigade caused a greater number of deaths in the Grenfell Tower inferno, a damning official report into the tragedy concluded. The report found that fire chiefs’ slavish adherence to the controversial ‘stay put’ policy prevented residents from escaping. The report also accused LFB commissioner Dany Cotton, pictured, of ‘remarkable insensitivity’ after she gave testimony insisting she would have done nothing differently.

Forensic personnel searching at the cordoned off area on London Bridge in central London, after terrorist Usman Khan wearing a fake suicide vest went on a knife rampage killing Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, and injuring others

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage looking out from a window on the Kestrel crabbing boat in Grimsby fish dock during General Election campaigning

A sailor (right) from the Royal Navy performing the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London, for the second time in its 357-year history

Jack Merritt, 25, of Cottenham, Cambridgeshire and (right) Saskia Jones, 23, of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, were the two victims who died following the terrorist attack near to London Bridge

The Prince of Wales during his visit to Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the Bay of Islands, on the fourth day of the royal visit to New Zealand

Graduate Grace Millane died on December 2 last year, her 22nd birthday, after going home with the murderer who she met on Tinder while on a dream post-graduate backpacking holiday, travelling in Auckland, New Zealand. In November this year her killer was found guilty. Her death shocked many in New Zealand, which prides itself on welcoming tourists and where many people travel abroad as well. Hundreds of people attended candlelight vigils after she died, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about New Zealanders feeling “hurt and shame” that she was killed in their country

Jodie Chesney, pictured with her dog and before her school prom in photos released by her family. The 17-year-old was an innocent victim who was knifed in an unprovoked ‘drug feud’ attack in a park in Harold Hill, east London in March. Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, 19, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named, were convicted of the killing following a lengthy trial in November. Police admitted they may never know the true motive for the stabbing, but prosecutors believe Ong-a-Kwie wanted to get revenge for being knifed by a rival a few months earlier

Prime Minister Boris Johnson greeted by staff as he arrives back at 10 Downing Street, London, after meeting Queen Elizabeth II and accepting her invitation to form a new government

Queen Elizabeth II with Melania Trump during the reception in Buckingham Palace, London, as Nato leaders gather to mark 70 years of the alliance

British model Lilly Cole joins Extinction Rebellion Climate Crisis Hunger Strikers on their 22nd day during the 9th of a national awareness campaign timed to coincide with the British general Election on December 9, 2019 in London, England. Named the 12 Days of Crisis, the various actions are intended to highlight the vulnerabilities and the immediate threats of the climate and ecological crisis to humans way of life