From the Queen's 90th birthday to the Cambridges' visit to Canada, it has been an extraordinarily action-packed year - even by the Royal family's standards.
The nation helped the monarch celebrate her landmark birthday in April, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge descended on India, and Prince Harry struck up a romance with US actress Meghan Markle.
Now, the man responsible for capturing these unforgettable moments has revealed what it's really like being behind the scenes with the royal family - and the events of this year that he will never forget.
1. George with bubbles, Victoria, Canada (September 29)
Prince George, three, is entranced by bubbles as he attends a children's party held for military families in Victoria, during the Cambridges' tour of Canada in September
Royal photographer Chris Jackson, who is engaged to the Duchess of Cambridge's stylist Natasha Archer, says that seeing a 'fascinated' Prince George playing with bubbles, and watching Kate try her hand at cricket, were highlights.
'Great royal years sometimes just sneak up on you,' says Chris, who has worked for Getty Images for more than ten years.
In September the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited Canada with their young family. Chris says the children’s party for Military families at Government House was 'really one of the highlights' of the trip.
'It’s always great fun photographing little Prince George and Princess Charlotte for the lovely, natural and engaging pictures,' Chris says. 'This was definitely one of my favourite moments from the morning, George playing with bubbles. I just love the look of awe and fascination on his face!
'This engagement was a rare opportunity for the family to take some time [away] from the more formal engagements of the royal tour and relax with the family in a fun environment which led to some great images.'
2. The Queen at the Prince’s Trust Headquarters, London (March 8)
Chris took this photograph of the Queen in an IT room at the Prince’s Trust Headquarters in London in March - admitting that he 'normally has no control' over where the Queen stands
Chris says he loves 'the colours and the Queen's happy expression' in this simple photograph taken at the Prince’s Trust Headquarters in London in March.
'I noticed the great light and blue background in an IT room on a recce of the venue,' he says. 'I was fortunate when the Queen wore this outfit and was kind enough to stand in the right spot.
'Working on royal engagements with the Queen it’s important to anticipate the light, where she will stand, who she will talk to and try and determine in advance anything that could make an interesting image because, of course, you normally have no control over the situation!'
3. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge try their hand at archery, Thimpu, Bhutan (April 14)
'Health and safety seemed to be out of the window': William and Kate partook in a spot of archery during their stay in Bhutan and Chris says their efforts 'provided much hilarity'
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stopped over in the remote Himalayan Mountain Kingdom of Bhutan during a week-long tour of the region in April - and Chris found himself on a 'hair-raising flight' to meet the royals in the capital Thimpu.
'School children had lined the streets for miles to greet the Duke and Duchess,' he recalls. 'After a hectic time in India, it was great to finally be there.'
The pair were invited to partake in a spot of archery, Bhutan's national sport, during their first morning there.
'Health and safety seemed to be out of the window as arrows whizzed past the gathered media with astounding accuracy,' Chris says. 'Both the Duke and Duchess were game enough to give it a go and their efforts provided much hilarity!'
4. Prince Harry with garlands, Okhari, Nepal (March 22)
Harry visits the Himalayan village of Okhari on day four of his visit to Nepal in March
Prince Harry made a whistlestop visit to Nepal in March following 2015's devastating earthquakes which claimed 8,000 lives and displaced tens of thousands of people.
The royal got the chance to take in some of the beauty of the country and spend time with its famed Gurkhas.
'For Harry, I think it was very special to be able to get away and learn more about this culture and country that had only recently been devastated by an earthquake,' Chris says. 'Everywhere the Prince went there was a great response and garlands galore!'
5. Princess Charlotte and the Duchess of Cambridge, Victoria, Canada (September 29)
Chris says Princess Charlotte appeared somewhat 'overwhelmed' by the balloons and clowns at the children's party in Victoria, but she soon calmed down after Kate gave her a rattle
'I couldn’t resist this picture of the Duchess of Cambridge with little Princess Charlotte, again from the party for Military families in Canada,' says Chris.
'I think at times poor little Charlotte was overwhelmed by the balloons, clowns and multitude of young children running around.
'When she was given a rattle by Mum though and enjoyed a bit of a dance' I was finally able to get a bit of a smile and a lovely natural picture.'
6. Prince Harry with the UK Swimming Team at the Invictus Games, Orlando, Florida (May 11)
Prince Harry celebrates with UK Armed Forces Team Captain David Wiseman and the 4 x 50m Relay team who won gold during the third Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida, in May
Prince Harry’s third - and hugely successful - event for wounded Warriors, the Invictus Games, was hosted in Orlando, Florida in May of this year.
'As a "behind-the-scenes" photographer, I witnessed a passion and commitment that stands, as in London 2014, as a testament to how hard Prince Harry and the team worked to get this idea off the ground,' says Chris.
'Documenting much of Prince Harry’s and the competitor’s involvement in the Games, I was in a privileged position to witness first-hand the emotion that these sports generated and for me this was really summed up in one image, as the Prince celebrated a win in the 4x50m UK Armed Forces swimming team Gold.''Harry didn’t stick to a schedule and would drop in on different events as and when, cheering for all sides and meeting competitors from around the world. Often he would sit at the back of the arenas, with the person in front not even knowing he was there!
Chris adds: 'Whilst the Prince was clearly supportive of all sides, he couldn’t resist diving in for a celebration with the Captain of the UK Armed Forces Team David Wiseman.'
7. Duchess of Cambridge playing Cricket in Mumbai, India (April 10)
Kate takes aim during a cricket match in Mumbai. Chris says there was an atmosphere of 'huge excitement' on the day, with the match providing a 'great start' to the two week tour
This photo was taken on the first day of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s highly anticipated tour of India and Bhutan.
'In this photo, the Duchess has hit an (almost!) perfectly executed shot from a ball bowled by cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar and watched from behind the stumps by India's Dilip at Mumbai's iconic recreation ground, the Oval Maidan. 'There was huge excitement from the media for this particular tour, the first big one of the year and whilst the children were at home, a big press pack had arrived in Mumbai to cover the event,' Chris recalls.
'Wearing a dress by Mumbai Designer Anita Dongre it created a compelling image and was a great start to a hot and hectic tour.'
8. Prince William collaring an elephant, Lewa, Kenya (March 24)
Prince William lends a hand to rangers lifting the head of Kenya bull elephant Matt, who was tranquilised from a helicopter co-piloted by the Duke in March in Lewa, Kenya
'In March I spent a day with the Duke of Cambridge, Royal Patron of Tusk and President of United for Wildlife in the stunning Lewa reserve in Northern Kenya,' says Chris.
'He is a passionate conservationist and was clearly excited to put this into practice as he helped rangers lift the head of a Kenyan bull elephant Matt (tranquilised from a helicopter co-piloted by the Duke) to allow the fitting of a new radio tracking collar.
'These collars enable staff to track the elephants from an app and ensure they are safe from poachers and are also able to manage human / wildlife ‘bio-boundaries’.
'The Duke’s commitment to anti-poaching initiatives has been clear this year and only a few weeks ago I headed to the International Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Hanoi where the Duke made an impassioned speech about the state of this abhorrent business.'
9. Charles and Camilla in Osijek, Croatia (March 15)
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall pose with traditional Croation Dancers in the town square on March 15, 2016 in Osijek, Croatia
'In March I made a chilly visit to Croatia with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall,' says Chris.
'I love this image showing them posed with a group of Croatian Dancers in the Town Square of Osijek.''Their tours are always great fun and they have a fantastic sense of humour.
On a visit to the Cultural Heritage Festival, the royals stood among local folklore group HKUD Osijek 1862.
The group, wearing traditional costumes, performed a dance to the tune of musical instruments called tamburice. The colourful scene even made it onto Charles and Camilla's Christmas card this year.
10. Gun salute for the Queen’s 90th Birthday, Windsor (May 15)
The Queen is 'unruffled' during a deafening gun salute to mark her 90th birthday at Windsor, while the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Eugenie and Prince Philip cover up their ears
This has been the year of Queen Elizbeth’s 90th Birthday Celebrations; as well as a memorable walk-about in Windsor on her actual birthday, a huge equestrian-themed Gala at Windsor Castle was organised in May as a centrepiece to this important milestone.
'I love this moment,' Chris says. 'As a thunderous artillery salute caused many members of the Royal Party to put their fingers in their ears but left the monarch unruffled!'
11. Prince Harry in the Village of Surama, Guyana (December 3)
'Prince Harry brought his own charm': Chris praises Harry's spirit during his two-week visit to the Caribbean (pictured in Surama Village in the Guyana Hinterland, December 3)
Chris has recently returned from an 'epic' two-week visit to the Caribbean with Prince Harry on behalf of the Queen.
'Despite the inevitable formal style of Royal events, Prince Harry of course brought his own charm to proceedings,' says Chris. 'Crowds turned out in force to greet him from St Kitts to Nevis, Grenada, St Lucia, Antigua and many more.
'One of the highlights of this trip was a visit to the Hinterland of Guyana, a vast expanse of untouched Amazonian rainforest that makes up much of this incredibly poor country.
'There was much excitement as Prince Harry arrived in Surama Village, the same place his father, Prince Charles, had visited 16 years before. Harry was presented with a traditional headdress by the local villagers whilst watching performances.
'With no phone reception, it was only by luck that we managed to find a small eco-lodge with limited WiFi to transmit the images back to the UK before the day continued with a number of conservation-related visits to other areas of the spectacular landscape.'
