If last year taught us anything, it was just how unpredictable life can be, even for the royals, whose schedules and annual events normally run like clockwork. So this year my predictions come with the strong caveat that nothing is guaranteed!

© Getty Princess Kate is still adjusting to her new normal

But here are four things I think we should look out for in 2025:

A new normal

While the Princess of Wales resumed some public-facing engagements at the end of 2024, there is no sign that she will return to a “normal” working pattern of outings just yet.

After an incredibly challenging year, I’m told she is continuing to focus on her recovery and as she has shared herself, part of that entails following medical advice to do things that bring her joy.

© Getty Images The Princess of Wales is putting her health and her family first

Spending quality time with her three young children and playing an active part in their school life is certainly key to this, so I’m not expecting to see Catherine carrying out several engagements a week as she has done in the past.

I think there are two factors at play here – one is the fact that she does need to put her health first so she can in turn support her family, a bit like putting on your own oxygen mask first before helping others on a flight.

The other is that she and William are very aware that this time of relative normality in their family life is finite. At some point in the future the pressure and responsibility of being King and Queen will change things for them forever, so I think they are keen to make the most of the here and now while their children are still young.

As for the King and Queen, they have kept calm and carried on, despite the monarch’s ongoing cancer management and Camilla’s own bout of ill-health late in 2024.

I think we will continue to see them carrying out key duties and focusing on the areas they are most passionate about with time away from the spotlight factored in to allow Charles to receive and recover from his treatment.

© Getty The King and Queen have both suffered from ill health this year

Overseas travel

Overseas tours were naturally thin on the ground last year, given the royal family’s double health drama.

But after a successful, if gruelling, visit to Australia and Samoa, Palace sources were optimistic about the monarch’s plans for continued international travel in 2025.

He and the Queen are set to visit Italy in the Spring, taking up a visit the Prince and Princess of Wales had been due to undertake last year but were forced to cancel because of Catherine’s illness.

© Getty The King and Queen visited Sydney in October

The King is also reportedly considering a visit to the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, which marks 80 years since its liberation by Allied forces on January 27.

Meanwhile Prince William is likely to make some short overseas visits in the coming months and may be joined by Catherine on a foreign trip later in the year.

© Getty Prince William speaks during a panel discussion at Earthshot+ in Cape Town

Intriguingly, father and son could potentially both attend the COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil this November.

Prince William is understood to be “looking forward to playing a role” at the conference, which will fall around the same time as his fifth annual Earthshot Prize Ceremony.

The King has addressed several COP summits and I gather aides are exploring the possibility of him attending this one too.

William steps up

The fact that William will travel to COP30, following in his father’s footsteps, further underlines the narrative of his evolution as a global statesman.

I think this will be a continuing theme throughout 2025 as he takes on more of the responsibility of representing the UK overseas as Prince of Wales.

 Getty The Prince of Wales met with Donald Trump in Paris

Like Charles before him, William needs to build and cement relationships with other world leaders and you only have to look at his recent meeting with President-elect Donald Trump to see how he is already cutting his teeth as a soft diplomat for the UK.

Last year we also saw him standing shoulder to shoulder with 25 prime ministers, presidents and monarchs at the commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy.

He looked remarkably comfortable in the position and is clearly coming into his stride on the international stage.

Major anniversaries

Speaking of commemorations, the big one for 2025 will be the 80th anniversary of VE Day, when World War Two officially ended in Europe. I would expect the royal family to be front and centre for this very special reflection on the past on May 8.

Then on 15 August there will be commemorations to mark 80 years since VJ Day, when fighting ended in the Far East, bringing an end to six years of war.

© Pool Charles met veterans for the 75th anniversary of D-Day

It will be the last significant milestone which surviving veterans will be able to take part in themselves, much like they did a last year’s D-Day commemorations.

A happier milestone the royals will also celebrate next year falls on April 9, when the King and Queen mark 20 years of marriage.

While the course of true love certainly didn’t run smoothly for Charles and Camilla, the past two decades of married life have proved just how well suited they are and how happy they have made one another.