From Meghan Markle to Brexit: Laura Craik on the biggest events of 2017

JANUARY

Donald Trump became leader of the free world

On 20 January, the erstwhile reality TV star became the 45th President of the United States.

The last time we looked, he was still there. And so was his Twitter account. And so was Tel Aviv. For now.

We marched for women’s rights

Hundreds of thousands protested peacefully in London (below) as part of a series of Women’s Marches that took place worldwide. It was the largest single-day protest in US history: in London, it saw women, men, children and the LGBTQ community come together in an event highlighting women’s, reproductive and LGBTQ rights, racial equality, immigration and healthcare reform.

A new human organ was discovered

How’s your mesentery doing? You didn’t know you had one? Neither did God. Well, He probably did, but nobody else. In January scientists discovered the 79th organ that connects the intestines to the abdominal cavity. It’s emesentery, my dear Watson. Soz.

Boxing classes became the new cycle classes

In London, it was all about getting ready to rumble, not ride.

FEBRUARY

The Oscars were talked about for all the wrong reasons

It’s easy to do. I mean, they sound quite similar. La La Land, Moonlight… okay, they don’t. In February, poor Faye Dunaway took the global flack for PricewaterhouseCooper’s monumental error of handing the wrong envelope to her co-presenter, Warren Beatty, in what was the biggest flub in awards-show history. Better luck next year, guys.

Kaia Gerber started modelling

And swiftly became the most in-demand face of the autumn/winter season.

Everyone became a David Hockney expert

If you didn’t have a convoluted opinion about ‘the Hockney’, you were no one, as record numbers piled into Tate Britain to view the largest-ever exhibition (right) of works by Britain’s greatest living artist. February’s hot ticket was the fastest-selling exhibition in the museum’s history.

MARCH

Brexit happened. Or started to

If we have to mention it, then let’s get it out of the way, fast. On 29 March, the Government invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union, beginning the long, tortuous, divisive, depressing process of leaving the EU.

The internet lost its s*** over Marion

March was brightened up considerably when a video clip went viral of four-year-old Marion and her toddler brother, James, bursting in on their father, Professor Robert Kelly’s, live broadcast on BBC News. The family (top) became instant celebrities. Always remember to lock the study door, people. And always remember that the woman who crawls in on all fours trying to retrieve the kids isn’t necessarily their nanny, just because she looks East Asian.

APRIL

Fashion began to embrace diversity

There were more black, Asian, Hispanic and Indian models on the catwalk at the international fashion weeks this year (though still not enough), while The Fashion Spot reviewed 187 autumn/winter fashion advertising campaigns and found that of the 457 models cast, more than 30 per cent were non-white. No pats on the back are due until that number rises, but it’s a start. Helmut Lang, Sisley and Marc Jacobs featured trans models on their catwalk or in their campaigns, and there were also more instances of more mature, 50+ models fronting campaigns. Meanwhile, the highest-earning model of 2017 wasn’t Gisele, but plus-size beauty Ashley Graham (right).

MAY

It was close. Verrrry close

But after French voters returned to the polls for a run-off, Emmanuel Macron pipped Marine Le Pen to the post as the new President of France, earning 66.1 per cent of the vote and becoming the youngest head of state since Napoleon. Of more interest to the world was the age of his wife, Brigitte (both right), who is 24 years older than him. Having met when Macron was 15, their enduring relationship proves that where love is concerned, age ain’t nothing but a number.

JUNE

Our city endured unspeakable tragedy and rallied to help

Grenfell: not forgotten. Never forgotten. The final death toll stands at 71 but there is nothing final about the grief and loss experienced by the families and friends of the victims. There are no adequate words to express the horror that unfolded on the night of 14 June; the actions of the west London — and wider — community in its aftermath are easier to describe. Boundless? Selfless? Generous? Ongoing? All these things and more.

Ariana Grande became an unlikely heroine

Twenty-two people lost their lives and 59 were injured after a suicide bomber exploded his belt at Grande’s concert in Manchester on 22 May. In June, the singer (below) returned to host a benefit gig that saw Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Coldplay perform to a crowd of 50,000. Highlights included a surprise performance by Liam Gallagher, and Grande’s mother, Joan, walking through the audience telling people, ‘Don’t be afraid’. The day after the One Love concert, the British Red Cross reported that it had received more than £10m in donations.

JULY

Wimbledon won us over

Twenty-eight tons of strawberries, 10,000 litres of cream and 320,000 glasses of Pimm’s were quaffed at Wimbledon — oh, and some tennis was played, too, which those not too busy rubbernecking Bradley Cooper, Eddie Redmayne, Sienna Miller, Anna Wintour, the Beckhams and the Middleton sisters even managed to watch for a while. Defending champion Andy Murray (inset) went out in the quarter-finals, leaving the way clear for Roger Federer to win for a record-breaking eighth time.

AUGUST

GBBO finally resurfaced on Channel 4.

Despite initial gnashing and wailing, the nation survived this painful transition and even managed to concede that new presenter Noel Fielding was ‘not bad, actually’. Though clearly no Mary Berry.

Sir Mo Farah bossed it

He stormed to his third world 10,000m gold, took home 5,000m silver, and won the final race of his career — not to mention receiving a knighthood from the Queen.

The fashion industry became more #woke

Whether it was model Adwoa Aboah’s pioneering platform Gurls Talk or Halima Aden becoming the first hijab-wearing model on the Milan catwalk, the most fashionable thing in fashion this year was a cause. Here’s hoping 2018 proves that fashion can affect more significant change than that merely confined to skirt length.