Annus horribilis

During yesterdays celebrations this expression was mentioned and I looked to see what it was about:-


1992
12 March, Mauritius, the last Commonwealth realm in Africa, abolished its Monarchy.

19 March, it was announced that Prince Andrew, Duke of York would separate from his wife Sarah, Duchess of York.

23 April, Anne, Princess Royal divorced her husband Captain Mark Phillips.

8 June, Diana, Princess of Wales’s tell-all book Diana, Her True Story was published after being serialised in The Sunday Times. Written by Andrew Morton, it revealed for the first time the unhappy truths of the Princess's marriage – particularly, the affair between Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles – starting the "War of the Waleses".

20 August, scandalous pictures of the Duchess of York being kissed on her feet by her friend, John Bryan, were published in Daily Mirror.

24 August, intimate conversations between the Princess of Wales and James Gilbey from a tape recording of their phone calls were published in The Sun, causing "Squidgygate".

13 November, the affair between the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles was confirmed by a transcript of a recording of their phone calls published in the Daily Mirror, causing "Camillagate".

20 November, just four days before the Guildhall speech, Windsor Castle – one of the main royal residences – caught fire and was seriously damaged. Huge public outcry was aroused against the prospect that the cost of repairs might be on government expenses.

26 November, after lengthy discussions and under enormous public pressure, it was announced that the Queen would start to pay income tax and capital gains tax in 1993. This became the first time for a British monarch to pay income tax since 1931.

9 December, John Major, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announced to the House of Commons that the Prince and Princess of Wales had decided to separate.