内容摘要：Faithful hold up their helmets to be blessed during the IX Pilgrimage of the Blessing of Helmets that draws tens of thousands at the Roman Catholic holy shrine of Fatima, in Fatima, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Faithful hold up their helmets to be blessed during the IX Pilgrimage of the Blessing of Helmets that draws tens of thousands at the Roman Catholic holy shrine of Fatima, in Fatima, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

AP photo editor Patrick Sison curated this photo gallery,Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s

with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.LONDON (AP) — Britain’s royal family is always in the public eye, their every move documented by reporters and captured for posterity by photographers. But even for a group of people who live their lives under a microscope, 2024 was something unique.Britain’s King Charles III, second right, with Queen Camilla, right, is joined by Prince George, left, Prince William, Prince Louis Princess Charlotte and Kate Princess of Wales on the Balcony at Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Color ceremony, in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Britain’s King Charles III, second right, with Queen Camilla, right, is joined by Prince George, left, Prince William, Prince Louis Princess Charlotte and Kate Princess of Wales on the Balcony at Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Color ceremony, in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)In a year marked by illness and recovery that sidelined both

for extended periods, the eyes of the public and the telephoto lenses of the press corps probed every appearance for clues about what was to come.

King Charles III smiles as he attends the inaugural King’s Foundation charity awards at St James’s Palace in London, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, with British pop icon Rod Stewart, left, and former footballer David Beckham in the background. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth,Pool). He appeared days later at the Republican National Convention with a bandage covering his injury, an iconic image that further galvanized his supporters and became a symbol of his defiance.

The current president, Joe Biden,of the race weeks before the Democratic convention, bowing to unrelenting pressure from his party following a disastrous debate performance. He was

atop the ticket by Vice President, the first woman of color to be nominated for president by a major party.