【Risa Sakamoto Archives】

2017 was the year the UK reallywanted to find out who this Meghan Markle person was.

The Risa Sakamoto ArchivesSuitsactress is the top person that the UK searched for this year, and her name is the top trending term. Funnily enough, her new fiancé, Prince Harry, didn't even crack any of the top 10 lists.

And no prizes for guessing what event caused that sudden spike in search interest? We'll give you a clue. It was on 27 Nov 2017 and involved a diamond ring.

Here are the other topics the UK was searching for in 2017.

Top Trending1) Meghan Markle2) iPhone 83) Hurricane Irma4) Fidget spinner5) Manchester bombing6) Grenfell Tower7) 13 Reasons Why8) Tara Palmer Tomkinson9) Shannon Matthews10) iPhone X

It might also be surprising that there was so much more search interest in iPhone 8 than iPhone X. But we spent most of the year assuming that there would just be an "iPhone 8", and the name "iPhone X" wasn't unveiled until later, so maybe this is why the iPhone 8 is the stronger search term.

Hurricane Irma, fidget spinners, and controversial Netflix series 13 Reasons Whywere also in the top searches globally.

Tara Palmer Tomkinson, a socialite who died in February, and Shannon Matthew, the victim in a fake kidnap plot which was the subject of BBC drama The Moorside, complete the list of search trends.

Those names also appear in the top searches for people.

1) Meghan Markle2) Tara Palmer Tomkinson3) Shannon Matthews4) Charlie Gard5) Jack Maynard6) Donald Trump7) Chester Bennington8) Bruce Forsyth9) Harvey Weinstein10) Jodie Whittaker

The top "how to..." searches are interesting too.

1) How to make slime?2) How to buy Bitcoin?3) How to stay young?4) How to watch Mayweather vs McGregor?5) How to watch Joshua vs Klitschko?6) How to mine Bitcoins?7) How to make Yorkshire pudding?8) How to make a fidget spinner?9) How to vote in the general election?10) How to lose belly fat fast?

The first two entries in the 'how to' list above -- slime and Bitcoin -- are topics that have captured the internet's imagination globally in 2017. YouTubers flooded us with tutorials on how to make the colourful, gloopy slime, and your entire extended family is now talking about Bitcoin as its value surges -- even if they don't understand it. Mashablecan help you out with some of these questions! Here's how to make slime and how to buy Bitcoin.

Politics only just barely made the "how to" list, with June's General Election coming in at the number 9 spot. But the "What Is...?" searches show that the UK still needs help understanding our civics.

Here's what topped the 'What Is…?' list

1) What is a hung parliament?2) What is an exit poll?3) What is the Confederations Cup?4) What is Bitcoin?5) What is the Antikythera mechanism?6) What is a pangolin?7) What is a general election?8) What is waterboarding?9) What is the DUP?10) What is Pink's real name?

The UK General Election results is the likely reason behind the first two questions on the list above. Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives ended up doing a deal with Northern Ireland's DUP after no party earned a decisive majority. And as for question 5 -- the Antikythera mechanism is known as the world's oldest computer. (Don't worry, I had to Google it, too.)

Check out the other top topics that grabbed Brits' interest in 2017

News Events1) Hurricane Irma2) Manchester bombing3) Grenfell Tower4) North Korea5) London Bridge attack6) General election7) Harvey Weinstein8) Catalan independence9) Las Vegas shooting10) Kevin Spacey

Sporting Events1) Wimbledon2) Grand National3) World Cup 2018 draw4) Mayweather vs. McGregor5) ICC Champions Trophy6) Tour De France7) Confederations Cup8) Joshua vs. Klitschko9) FA Cup Final10) Champions League Final

Recipes1) Chilli con carne2) Spaghetti bolognese3) Beef bourguignon4) Beef stroganoff5) Hot cross buns6) Dauphinoise potatoes7) Omelette8) Millionaire shortbread9) Bechamel sauce10) Chicken thighs

TV Shows1) 13 Reasons Why2) I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!3) Celebrity Big Brother4) Game of Thrones5) Peaky Blinders6) Three Girls7) Strictly Come Dancing8) Taboo9) Little Boy Blue10) Love Island

UK Number 1 Singles1) Ed Sheeran - Shape of You2) Harry Styles - Sign of the Times3) Dua Lipa - New Rules4) Post Malone - rockstar ft. 21 Savage5) Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do6) Clean Bandit - Symphony feat. Zara Larsson7) Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee - Despacito ft. Justin Bieber8) Calvin Harris - Feels ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Big Sean9) Sam Smith - Too Good At Goodbyes10) Camila Cabello - Havana ft. Young Thug

Best of luck in all your 2018 Googling!