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Queen Elizabeth II has steered the Royal Family through some very stormy patches in the last 15 months. At the beginning of 2019 Prince Philip’s car crash brought in what many would dub the “second annus horribilis” for Her Majesty.With tensions rising throughout the year between Prince Harry and Prince William, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex eventually announced their desire to leave the Royal Family.

January 2020 brought the tense Sandringham Summit in which the Queen, Charles and William thrashed out Harry’s exit plans.

Prince Andrew, widely regarded as Her Majesty’s favourite son, also faced intense scrutiny over his friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, and his “car-crash” BBC interview led to the Queen and Charles asking him to step down from royal duties.

Now with the coronavirus pandemic still a worldwide emergency, the Royal Family have had to change their personal and working lives alongside the rest of the nation.

However, royal correspondent Camilla Tominey explains that with the Queen’s leadership, the Royal Family has survived and thrived.

Writing for The Telegraph this week, Ms Tominey said: “I’m starting to wonder whether the monarchy will ever be the same again after this – and I mean that in a good way. 

“For the Royal Family, there may be a silver lining to the very dark cloud that has been hanging over us since March.

“The Queen’s mantra has always been: ‘I have to be seen to be believed.’

“But in the absence of any official engagements, the royals have had to dispense with decades of tradition and go digital.

“Against all the odds, it’s worked. 

“William and Kate have embraced Zoom, along with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal and the Countess of Wessex.

“Even the Queen has allowed audio of her private discussions to be broadcast in a bid to remain as visible as possible while forced to self-isolate at Windsor Castle.

“As a result of these efforts, the royals appear to have saved themselves from their own internal crisis.” 

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Ms Tominey admits the the monarchy “appeared decidedly unstable” at the beginning of this year.

However, she goes on: “But since the COVID-19 outbreak, it has emerged calm, regal and at the forefront of leading the country out of this unprecedented national emergency.”

Her Majesty herself has been at the head of public engagement, with three national addresses in recent weeks.

The Queen made a televised speech in April, just after the nation went on lockdown, and followed this with another televised address to mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day this month.

These special addresses came after only four other occasions during the Queen’s reign that she has spoken like this to the nation.

Her Majesty also decided to make an Easter speech this year, too – the first time she has ever done so.

Ms Tominey continues: “The Queen’s  ‘We will meet again’ and VE Day addresses have only served to remind the public how much they love HM.”

The author also describes how the Royal Family’s reaction to the worldwide crisis has overshadowed news about Harry and Meghan’s royal exit.

She writes: “An unintentional yet convenient consequence of all this has been that it has overshadowed Harry and Meghan’s Stateside relaunch. 

“Before all this happened, there were fears the royals might not be able to compete – but in fact, it now feels as if it is the Sussexes who are struggling to command the column inches they used to.”

Harry and Meghan are now in Los Angeles with their son Archie, and released some adorable footage to mark American Mothers’ Day this month. 

Although the Royal Family are as busy as ever with their virtual workloads, some major royal events have had to be cancelled this summer, including Trooping the Colour and the Garter ceremony. 

Buckingham Palace has also had to cancel its annual summer opening season – from which the Crown may lose up £18million.

However, Ms Tominey concludes: “But compared to those who had to be furloughed or worse, the Royals have not only survived, but thrived.”

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