What a year for the Brits! The highs, lows and lower-lows of 2022 in Britain

This year could have been described by her late majesty as 'annus horribilis' take two. The British could really do with forgetting 2022 and moving on to 2023. Despite the lows, there were a few highs to look back on. What did it mean to be British in 2022?

Andrew has been in a messy lawsuit accusing the royal of sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre. Media, including the Independent, reported that this 'settlement' was in the region of £10 million. He made a rather ambiguous statement saying, “he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.” The public weren't happy to think the amount likely came from taxpayers' pockets.

Boris journeyed to the Nato headquarters in Brussels. The EU and the G7 group held unprecedented emergency summits in Brussels, showing unity and support for Ukraine, with leaders pledging military and humanitarian assistance. Boris didn’t quite get the memo for the photo opportunity and was seen trying his hardest to find someone to talk to. More eyes rolled at the British PM.

Will and Kate’s tour of the Caribbean in March was a disaster as they were met with protests, photographed holding hands with children through fences and bringing up the past of the monarchy and its British Empire colonial history. 2022 was not a good year for racism accusations in the royal family.

The British government agreed a controversial plan that would see the Home secretary under Boris Johnson have asylum seekers shipped off to Rwanda.

The Queen's Jubilee was a marvel. Not only did the monarch serve 70 years on the throne, but the parties thrown, including parades, lunches, and a concert were a great success. Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch, saw the monarchy from past to present to future.

On July 19th, a temperature of was 40.3 degrees Celsius recorded. There were fires and water shortages as Britain experienced heat like never before. In 2022, climate change has been the focus of the world’s media like never before.

The England women’s team did what the men couldn’t do and won a major competition. They beat Germany 2-1 in the final and were an inspiration to young ladies everywhere.

Plagued by scandal for his whole tenure as PM, Boris finally resigned in July after the mishandling of the pandemic and Partygate finally pushed his party over the edge. 57 Ministers resigned including one Rishi Sunak. Finally some stability? Think again.

Liz Truss was voted by the conservatives to take the top spot. The second female prime minister took over and had a particularly rollercoaster ride in the role.

Queen Elizabeth sadly passed away on 8th September 2022 at age 96. The national mourned the loss of a great lady and monarch.

Some of the most incredible photos from 2022 come from the people who flocked to London to pay their respects to Her Late Majesty, lying in state in Westminster. An unimaginable amount of people came, creating one of the world’s biggest spectacles: the queue of all queues.

Charles was automatically proclaimed King upon his mother's death. The people now have King Charles III.

Liz Truss decided to produce a mini budget which would overturn the entire economic system of the UK within 24 hours. The pound crashed as Truss continued to defend her actions, insisting that not taxing the rich was the best policy. Nationwide rage ensued.

The popular tabloid the Daily Star held a live feed publicity stunt, pitting a lettuce against the Prime Minister to see who would last longer in their position. The lettuce won.

Just over a month had passed before the British people had a Queen and Liz Truss. Now they had a King and Rishi Sunak. King Charles appointed his first Prime Minister after Liz Truss' resignation and Rishi Sunak now held the top spot.

There was no second referendum for Scotland after Scotlands appeal to the supreme court failed. Something tells me this isn’t the last we’ve heard of a Scottish referendum.

Then we had bird flu. 3.1 million birds were culled and eggs were rationed. There was a panic to stop before it could infect more birds, including turkeys.

For an already bruised royal family, Lady Hussey's actions at a gala in Buckingham palace damaged the monarchy even further. Lady Susan Hussey (a close friend of the royals) had asked Charity boss, Ngozi Fulani, where she was 'really from'. This resulted in nationwide anger and further racism accusations. Susan Hussey resigned from her role and apologised to Ms Fulani, but it could be fair to say the damage was already done.

First in 2020 with Priti Patel and now Sir Gavin Williamson resigned after Sunday Times revealed aggressive messages sent to civil servants. Williamson, who was a backbencher at the time, accused Wendy Morton of using the death of the monarch to "punish" senior MPs who were out of favour with Liz Truss's government. Dominic Raab has also been accused and an investigation is underway.

England once again crashed out in penalties in the World Cup in Qatar. The nation was disappointed with the performance of Harry Kane who failed to hit the target when presented with a golden penalty chance to stay in the competition. It wasn’t to be and the England team were sent packing in the quarter finals.

We finish the year with inflation at its highest level for 40 years. Prompting strikes in all sectors as the public grow weary of rocketing prices and poor working conditions. Nurses, train drivers, post office workers and civil servants are on strike. The country has had enough of 2022.