Wearing Princess Diana earrings and a royal blue Alexander McQueen coat, Kate’s megawatt smile, as she held her children’s hands and waved to the Sandringham crowd on Christmas Day, betrayed no hint that anything was amiss. .
Buoyed by the joyful success of her star-studded carol service days earlier at Westminster Abbey, she looked set for a bumper year ahead, with talk of a glamorous trip to Italy.
But as everyone now knows, that veneer of good health and happiness was illusory.
Kate’s attendance at St Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk was to be her last formal public appearance for six months.
Kate’s attendance at St Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk was to be her last formal public appearance for six months.
His absence (173 very long days until yesterday’s Trooping the Color) has left a gaping hole in the nation’s heart.
Kate was last seen at a royal event attending church in Sandringham on December 25, 2023.
His absence – a very long 173 days until yesterday’s Trooping the Color – has left a gaping hole in the nation’s heart.
As always, it is often only when we miss someone that we truly realize how much we value them.
After December 25, there was not a single whisper from the Princess for 23 days. Maybe that wasn’t surprising. January is a quiet month on the royal calendar. But then, a shocking, unexpected announcement on a frigid Wednesday afternoon changed everything.
The princess, Kensington Palace announced, had undergone “planned abdominal surgery” the day before, January 16, exactly one week after her 42nd birthday.
The procedure had been successful and his condition was thought to be non-cancerous, but attendants said he would remain in hospital for up to 14 days.
Ninety minutes later, Buckingham Palace announced more explosive news: King Charles would be treated at the same London hospital for an enlarged prostate. Suddenly, the core of the monarchy moved from the palaces to the refined rooms of the London Clinic. Royal engagements were replaced by visits to patients and ceremonial robes were exchanged for medical gowns.
After 12 nights, the king and princess were discharged on January 29. While Charles waved to his well-wishers as he walked out the front door with Camilla, Kate discreetly stepped out to be taken to her home in Windsor.
The London Clinic, where the Princess of Wales was treated after undergoing abdominal surgery, first opened its doors in 1932. Above: Police outside the hospital when Kate was receiving treatment.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in Norfolk in 2022
And so began his “recovery” period, with his assistants making it clear that his return to public duties would not be until after Easter and would depend on medical advice.
Amid this chaos of royal health concerns, Buckingham Palace made another dramatic announcement on February 5: Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.
Suddenly, the slimmed-down monarchy looked quite threadbare, putting William – among others – even more in the spotlight. Throughout February, the Prince combined caring for his wife and three young children with his royal duties.
Unbeknownst to the public, it was later this month that Kate began “preventive chemotherapy” treatment, and “post-op tests” detected cancer. She remained out of public view.
Although the British media respected his privacy, the American gossip website TMZ published a photograph on March 4. It showed the princess wearing sunglasses in the passenger seat of an Audi driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, near Windsor Castle. Inevitably, misinformed online gossip emerged, with the hashtag #whereiskatemiddleton trending.
As the unseemly chat continued, the official message about Kate’s condition became confusing when, on March 5, the Ministry of Defense was forced to backtrack on claims that she would attend the Trooping the Color practice parade in June.
Readers will need little reminding of what happened the following Sunday, Mother’s Day. In an apparent effort to reassure the public and quash vile internet rumors, the Palace posted a photo of a beaming Kate with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. William was said to have taken it a few days earlier at his home in Windsor.
Within minutes of becoming public, several apparent anomalies were detected. Why were the hands blurred? Wasn’t there something strange about the zipper of a jacket?
The Associated Press news agency issued a “takedown notice,” saying the image had been manipulated, a decision followed by three other major news agencies.
In response, an unprecedented mea culpa was shared on Kensington Palace’s social media platforms. Kate apologized for the confusion and said: “Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time.”
Sitting on a bench in Windsor, surrounded by spring flowers, the Princess of Wales has taken the extraordinary step of revealing to the world that she has cancer.
In response, an unprecedented mea culpa was shared on Kensington Palace’s social media platforms. Kate apologized for the confusion and said: “Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time.”
The Princess of Wales arrives at the National Shaping Us Symposium at the Design Museum on November 15
That same afternoon, the princess was photographed leaving Windsor in a car with William, who was looking at his phone as she turned to the window. Sources later revealed that she was ‘shocked’ by the furore surrounding the Mother’s Day photo and found the episode deeply disturbing.
Nobly, while his wife continued medical treatment, William carried on alone with his official engagements. Grim proof that for royalty, whatever the situation, the show must go on.
On March 18, TMZ and The Sun newspaper released video showing Kate and William leaving the Windsor farm shop two days earlier. Although a royal source said the fact that she seemed “happy and relaxed” should squash wild online conspiracy theories about her health, the video only fanned the flames.
Things got worse the next day when it was revealed that the London Clinic had launched an investigation into allegations that at least one member of staff breached Kate’s confidential medical records when he was caught trying to peek at her notes.
Four days later, on March 22, the Princess broke her silence. In a deeply emotional and brave video, Kate spoke of her “huge shock” at being diagnosed with cancer which was discovered in post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery.
Sitting alone on a bench in Windsor, her voice breaking, she spoke movingly about her condition, adding that she and William had done their best to “process and manage this privately” for the sake of their three young children.
There were universal messages of goodwill and cancer experts praised Kate and said her words would help other families fighting the disease.
Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the opening of Evelina London’s new children’s day surgery unit on December 5
Palace sources explained that the princess would continue with her private routine and that William would return to his official engagements after his children returned to school on April 17.
The Easter deadline, originally scheduled as the time when the princess could return to work after her operation, came and went, as the Welsh spent the Easter weekend at their Anmer Hall home in Norfolk.
On April 18, William returned to his public duties and chatted quietly with volunteers at a food distribution charity in Surrey. But his emotions became clear when they gave him two cards wishing his wife and his father the best.
Five days later, Kate was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, a unique honor for a member of the Royal Family, awarded by the King in recognition of her public service.
On the same day, another family photo was released, this time seamlessly, to celebrate Prince Louis’ sixth birthday: an adorable photo of the boy taken by Kate.
William continued with his commitments, telling staff during a visit to the school that his wife “would have loved” to accompany him. But as the days grew longer, the key dates on the royal calendar grew closer and closer. The nation was longing for good news about Kate.
In a huge boost for family and country, King Charles returned to work on April 30.
But not even her May 20 visit to Camilla at the Chelsea Flower Show, which is normally attended en masse by the Royal Family, could distract the world’s attention from the Princess’ long absence from public life.
Now, however, it is only fitting that this absence ends with his attendance at Trooping the Colour, an event at the heart of the nation’s history, displaying the British Army regimental flags (Colours) which traditionally provided a rallying point on the battlefield. .
Kate has endured her own battles and everyone prays that she emerges victorious.
