The royal family’s ‘brutal’ 2024 as the Windsors faced major health challenges

A double cancer diagnosis for the King and the Princess of Wales marked a difficult, challenging 2024 for the royal family.

It was, in the words of the Prince of Wales, a “brutal” time.

Kate shared heartfelt updates on her cancer journey, as both the princess and the monarch underwent treatment for the disease.

Charles was back on public duties in the spring with the Queen often urging him to take it easy.

The princess has made a gradual return, while the King carried out a major long haul tour to Australia and hosted two state visits.

Kate’s festive annual carol concert was a highlight, but there was controversy as the year came to a close thanks to the Duke of York’s close links to an alleged Chinese spy.

January started badly for Andrew with hundreds of pages of court documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal unsealed in the US.

Allegations the duke sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was 17, which he denies, were given a fresh airing in the legal papers, amid growing pressure on the Metropolitan Police to investigate.

Then the royal family was hit by a double health scare when Kate underwent abdominal surgery and it was announced on the same day that the King was to be treated in hospital for a benign, enlarged prostate.

Kate spent 13 nights in hospital and was expected to take the next three months to recuperate.

Charles visited his daughter-in-law’s bedside as he was admitted to the same clinic for his procedure, and a three-night stay.

William stepped back from official duties to juggle caring for his children and his wife, and Kensington Palace said Kate’s operation was not-cancer related.

Just days later, there was a further blow to the royal family when Sarah, Duchess of York was revealed to have skin cancer, with her malignant melanoma diagnosis coming less than a year after she had breast cancer.

The Windsors’ health problems were only just beginning.

On February 5, Buckingham Palace announced to the nation the King had cancer – not prostate cancer but another undisclosed form.

The Duke of Sussex made a transatlantic dash to see his father, but in the end met him for around 30 minutes, and had no reunion with William.

Charles, who had already begun treatment, cancelled all face-to-face public duties, and William returned to work, restarting his official engagements, with the Princess Royal and the Queen also holding the fort.

Camilla, on a visit to Salisbury, said the King was doing “extremely well under the circumstances”.

Harry gave an interview to Good Morning America and suggested the King’s illness could lead to a reconciliation with his father, saying: “I love my family.”

Charles went on to resume his weekly audiences with the then-prime minister, and told Rishi Sunak the public’s “wonderful” get well messages had “reduced me to tears most of the time”.

William pulled out of attending his godfather King Constantine of Greece’s memorial service in Windsor at the last minute due to an undisclosed personal matter, fuelling speculation about Kate’s health.

There was devastating news at the end of February when the Palace announced the sudden death of Thomas Kingston, the 45-year-old husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston.

Mr Kingston took his own life, in what his family said was an impulsive action provoked by an adverse reaction to depression drugs and sleeping tablets, an inquest later found.

There were concerns about the “threadbare” working monarchy, with Anne carrying on with her many engagements, the ailing Duke of Kent also out on public duties and the Queen heading off on a week’s break.

Rumours began to intensify on social media about Kate, with no sighting of the princess for more than two months.

But soon after, she was papped, wearing dark sunglasses, being driven in a car by her mother near Windsor.

Sarah, Duchess of York was given good news, when she learned her skin cancer had not spread.

Conspiracy theories about Kate’s whereabouts abounded online and speculation grew worse when Kensington Palace released a Mother’s Day photograph of the princess and her three children, and photo agencies “killed” the image when it turned out to have been digitally altered.

Kate made a public apology and confessed to having edited the photograph, and she was seen soon after smiling as she visited a farm shop in Windsor with William – but the rumours continued.

The princess was also at the centre of an alleged royal data breach, when unauthorised staff at the London Clinic, where she had her surgery, allegedly tried to access her confidential medical records.

Then just days later on March 22, the princess revealed in a shock video message that she was undergoing chemotherapy after post-operative test showed she had cancer.

She described the development as a “huge shock”, but vowed “I am going to be OK” and asked for time, space and privacy.

Well-wishes flooded in from around the world and the King was said to be “so proud” of his “beloved daughter-in-law” for her courage in speaking out about her diagnosis.

On Easter Sunday, the King made his most significant public appearance since his diagnosis.

He attended church with Camilla in Windsor and conducted a walkabout to greet the crowds.

The Netflix drama Scoop, featuring Holiday actor Rufus Sewell as the Duke of York, Gillian Anderson as interviewer Emily Maitlis and Billie Piper as producer Sam McAlister, was released, delving into the story behind the infamous Newsnight interview about Andrew’s friendship with Epstein.

William returned to official engagements after Easter after spending quality time with his family.

At food distribution charity Surplus to Supper, based in Sunbury-on-Thames, he promised a volunteer he would “take care” of Kate.

The Waleses celebrated Louis’ sixth birthday, released a new picture – stressing it was unedited – straight to social media in a change in tactic to avoid a repeat of the Mother’s Day photo furore.

The King, meanwhile, returned to public duties, with his medical team “very encouraged” by the progress he had made.

Charles and Camilla visited University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London, with the King becoming patron of Cancer Research UK, and he spoke of his “shock” at his diagnosis, telling fellow patients “I’m well”.

The Duchess of Edinburgh became first British royal to visit Ukraine since the start of war with Russia.

Princess Charlotte’s ninth birthday was celebrated with an image taken by Kate showing the smiling princess pictured next to a pink clematis.

Charles received a hug from niece Zara Tindall as he braved the rain to visit the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

And Harry returned to the UK to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games with a service at St Paul’s Cathedral, but there was no reunion with the King or the William.

He followed it with a three-day quasi-royal tour to Nigeria with the Duchess of Sussex to champion mental health for young people affected by conflicts and to promote the Invictus Games.

The same month, their charity the Archewell Foundation was temporarily listed as “delinquent” in California following an apparent issue with the receipt of the renewal fees.

William made his first trip to the Scilly Isles since becoming the Duke of Cornwall, and bought pasties and played volleyball on the beach.

Just days later, Charles officially handed over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps – Harry’s former regiment – to William during a rare joint engagement, which saw William flying off in a Apache helicopter.

And the first completed portrait of the King since his coronation – by Jonathan Yeo – depicted the monarch bathed in red with, at Charles’s suggestion, a butterfly at his shoulder, symbolising his metamorphosis from prince to King.

Some commentators described it as like a poster for a horror movie, and others said it appeared as if the King was “burning in hell”, while Camilla praised its likeness to the King.

The announcement of a surprise summer election, set for July 4, meant the royal family postponed engagements “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign”.

Football fan George joined William as he presented the FA Cup to winners Manchester United at Wembley.

D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations went ahead with Charles and Camilla travelling to Portsmouth and Normandy where they appeared visibly moved during poignant services in remembrance of the fallen.

But the event turned into a major blunder for then-PM Mr Sunak, when he was heavily criticised for returning early and missing an international ceremony, attended by heir to the throne William, to record a television interview.

Harry stayed away from the Duke of Westminster’s wedding in Chester, where William was acting as an usher, as the brothers’ long-running estrangement showed no signs of abating.

A new photo and written message to the nation came from Kate ahead of a brief return to the public spotlight at Trooping the Colour – her first official engagement of the year and since her diagnosis.

The princess in her candid words revealed she was “making good progress” but had “good days and bad days”, was “not out of the woods yet” and was facing a few more months of treatment.

She was pictured in the grounds of the Windsor Castle estate, standing in a tranquil setting against a weeping willow tree near a lake.

At Trooping, the princess rode in closed carriage with her children and took to the balcony. Charles participated this year from a carriage, rather than on horseback.

At the traditional Order of the Garter, William, Charles and Camilla, in their robes, walked down from Windsor Castle’s state apartments to St George’s Chapel.

George and Charlotte joined William at a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley Stadium at the end of June to celebrate their father’s 42nd birthday, taking a backstage selfie with the US pop singer.

There was a further health blow for the royal family in late June when Anne was rushed to hospital after being struck by a horse while out walking on her Gatcombe Park estate.

She suffered concussion and mild head injuries, and spent five nights in hospital.

Yet, the show carried on, with the King and Queen hosting the Japanese state visit, but with political elements such as Downing Street meetings removed because of the forthcoming election.

Charles in his banquet speech made cultural reference to Hello Kitty and Pokemon, telling guests: “The Pokemon phrase, gotta catch ’em all, may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, aspirational.”

Camilla wore the King’s new Family Order – the diamond-encased miniature portrait of her husband set on a silk ribbon – on her banquet gown for the first time.

Charles played a central role post-election, inviting Sir Keir Starmer to form a new government as he became the third Prime Minister of Charles’ reign and the first Labour one.

The King sympathised with his new PM, telling him you must be “utterly exhausted and nearly on your knees”.

Charles took a trip to Cardiff to celebrate 25 years of Welsh devolution as he addressed the Senedd.

Kate attended the Wimbledon men’s final with Charlotte – her second public engagement since her diagnosis – and presented the trophy to Carlos Alcaraz.

The same day, George went to Berlin with William for the England’s men’s football team’s Euro 2024 final.

Charles urged the squad to “hold your heads high” after their defeat to Spain, while William said “we’re all still so proud of you”.

Kensington Palace released a photo of Charlotte and Prince Louis, wearing England shirts bearing their names, watching the game at home.

Meanwhile, the King wrote privately to Donald Trump after the former US president survived an assassination attempt.

The room behind Buckingham Palace’s famous balcony opened to the public for the summer and Charles and Camilla made an official visit to Jersey and Guernsey.

It was a busy month for Charles. The King carried out his duty and delivered the second King’s Speech of his reign at the State Opening of Parliament.

At his side was the Queen, who was celebrating her 77th birthday the same day.

A new black and white photo of George, looking grown up in an open-necked white shirt and dark blazer and wearing a friendship bracelet on his left wrist, marked his 11th birthday.

A National Audi Office report revealed the ongoing £369 million renovations of Buckingham Palace had been well managed but structural damage and the discovery of asbestos, which led to cost increases, “could have been foreseen”.

In other royal finances, soaring Crown Estate profits meant the monarchy will receive a boost of more than £45 million, with a 53% jump in its official annual income to more than £130 million.

Harry said his determination to fight the tabloids was a “central piece” in destroying his relationship with his family, with the “rift” in part due to his mission, in ITV’s Tabloids On Trial documentary.

He also said it would be “still dangerous” for Meghan to return to the UK.

Meghan, in an interview with CBS Sunday, said she had not “really scraped the surface” in talking about her suicidal thoughts.

Later in the month, the couple undertook a four day quasi-royal trip to Colombia, where Meghan said her three-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet had “absolutely found her voice” during a talk on gender equality.

The first £1 coins featuring the King entered circulation.

And Charles reportedly axed his private funding of Andrew’s security team, with the change due in the autumn.

The King suspended his traditional Balmoral break to made a solo trip to meet survivors of the fatal Southport knife attack and their relatives in Merseyside, expressing his sympathy as he viewed the floral tributes.

The next day, he met bereaved families during a private audience at Clarence House.

Both William and Harry attended the funeral of their uncle Lord Fellowes in Norfolk, but they sat apart and were not seen interacting.

William grew a summer beard, but kept it, debuting his new look on public duties, and later revealing a previous beard left Charlotte in floods of tears.

The King reached the second anniversary of his accession to the throne and the death of his mother the late Queen, with royal sources saying his health was “heading in a very positive trajectory”.

Kate issued a deeply personal video update on her cancer journey, saying she had finished her chemotherapy but her “path to healing and full recovery is long”, she was taking each day at it came, and hoping to return to a light programme of public duties.

Her words were narrated over stylised footage showing the Waleses and their children enjoying the outdoors, walking through woods and the couple cuddling as they held hands.

The King found himself in the middle of a scrum when he accepted a hug from New Zealand women’s rugby player Ayesha Leti-I’iga and her team-mates at a Palace reception

Charles also marked the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament with an address to the chamber.

Harry’s US visa application remained private despite him admitting taking drugs in his memoir, after a ruling from an American judge.

And he turned 40 in September, and in a rare step, William and Kate’s Kensington Palace social media account wished him a happy birthday in a message on X.

The duke also carried out a run of solo engagements in New York, and returned to the UK for the WellChild awards ceremony.

The Palace announced Beatrice was pregnant with her second child.

Kate was pictured hugging aspiring teenage photographer Liz Hatton, who had a rare and aggressive form of cancer, after inviting her to take pictures at William’s Windsor Castle investiture.

Harry travelled solo to South Africa and Lesotho for his charity Sentebale, reuniting around a bonfire with his close friend Prince Seeiso, who described him as “my younger brother Mohale, the warrior”.

Sarah, Duchess of York, visited the set of Coronation Street with actress Sally Dynevor, and poured a pint in the Rovers Return, as she raised awareness of breast cancer.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visited the late Queen’s home in Malta, recreating a picture of Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Villa Guardamangia.

And Kate made a surprise visit with William to meet the bereaved families of the Southport stabbing victims in Merseyside.

She told emergency responders: “I can’t underestimate how grateful they all are for the support you provided on the day.”

On a trip to Chad, Sophie was moved to tears after she met refugees fleeing to escape the civil war in Sudan and heard their “devastating” experiences of sexual violence.

The King paused his cancer treatment and set off on a historic tour to Australia – his first as the country’s King.

There was controversy when Charles was berated by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe who accused him of “genocide” against her nation’s indigenous people and declared: “You are not my king” during his welcome at Parliament House, Canberra.

But thousands flocked to the famous Sydney Opera House to see the monarch and Camilla.

The King and Queen flipped sausages on a Sydney barbecue, met an alpaca wearing a bow tie, and the King shared a hug with Uncle James Michael Welsh, a survivor of Australia’s stolen generation when First Nations children were taken away from their parents for assimilation into white society.

Charles stumbled slightly during one four-minute speech and said over the microphone: “God almighty. They’ve got two pages of this bloody thing”.

In Samoa, the King showed off his own take on local fashion during welcoming ceremonies.

He swapped his trademark tailored suit for a short-sleeved white jacket and trousers he designed himself as he was honoured with a new title, sipped a symbolic drink and was presented with a pig for feasting on the opening day of his state visit to the Pacific nation, before attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The King and Queen also stopped off in India for a break in a luxury spa on their way home.

In an ITV documentary about William’s Homewards initiative, the prince said he used the school run to talk to his children about homelessness when they spot rough sleepers.

William travelled to Cape Town for his Earthshot Prize Awards, where he played a game of touch rugby with youngsters, and sported a second-hand double-breasted Prince of Wales check jacket sourced from a vintage store at the ceremony.

In interviews, he admitted he did not like the added responsibility that came with being heir to the throne, and described the past 12 months, with his wife and father’s health challenges, as “brutal” and probably “the hardest year of my life”.

Meanwhile, an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Sunday Times into William and the King’s Duchies found the estates have struck rental agreements worth millions of pounds with the armed forces, the NHS and state schools.

Charles’s Duchy of Lancaster agreed a deal to store ambulances in a warehouse on its land at a cost of more than £11 million to the NHS over 15 years.

Camilla caught a seasonal bug and missed a run of engagements including Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph.

She ended up with pneumonia and post viral fatigue, and amid it all, her dog and faithful companion Beth had to be put down.

In an ITV documentary on her domestic violence campaigning, Camilla vowed to “keep trying” to end the crime until she is “able to no more”.

Kate made appearances over the Remembrance weekend in honour of the nation’s war dead, including at the Cenotaph, where Sophie placed a comforting hand on Kate’s back in a show of support.

Charles marked his 76th birthday with a visit to a food distribution hub.

On the evening before, he celebrated the UK’s film and television industry at a star-studded Buckingham Palace reception, followed by a night out at the Gladiator II premiere with stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal.

William and Kate paid tribute to photographer Liz Hatton, who died aged 17, at the end of November.

The princess joined the King and William in welcoming the Emir of Qatar to the UK at a state visit at the start of December, another step in her journey back to her public role.

The princess looked relaxed as she greeted the Gulf state leader and attended the Horse Guards Parade welcome.

She missed the state banquet, but there for the first time were David and Victoria Beckham, raising speculation the former England captain was in line for a knighthood.

Kate brought Christmas cheer with her annual carol concert in Westminster Abbey, where she gathered with William and their children, other royals, and stars such as Paloma Faith and Richard E Grant.

Louis left a touching message to his Middleton grandparents on a “kindness tree”, writing: “Thank you to granny and grandpa because they have played games with me.”

Kate spoke to Faith of “challenging times” and how she “didn’t know” what this year would bring.

In Paris, William met US president-elect Donald Trump after the Notre Dame reopening, with Mr Trump later saying the prince was “very handsome” and “some people look better in person”, and how the King “is fighting very hard” against cancer.

Harry and Meghan’s e-Christmas card gave a glimpse of Lilibet, pictured from behind, with long, flowing ginger hair, and Archie next to her.

The duke earlier in the month dismissed rumours that his marriage to the duchess was in trouble when he appeared at The New York Times Dealbook Summit, saying: “We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So it’s just like, what?”

And the Sussexes’ Polo series hit Netflix, but attracted a flurry of negative reviews.

The year ended as it began with Andrew back in the headlines, when it emerged he had been a “close confidante” of alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who paid visits to Buckingham Palace but was later banned from entering the UK on national security grounds.

The duke and ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York took the decision to stay away from the King’s traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham in a bid to avoid further embarrassment for the royal family.