Health announcements from Kate Middleton and King Charles, 1 year later

A year ago today, the palace published two unexpected announcements in quick succession: Kate Middleton had been hospitalized the day before for “planned abdominal surgery,” while King Charles had to undergo treatment for enlarged prostate the following week.

The first health-related statement, on January 17, 2024, came from Kensington Palace on behalf of Prince William and Princess Kate.

“Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for a planned abdominal operation,” the statement said. statement said about the princess. “The operation was successful and she is expected to remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to duty public before Easter.”

Princess Kate had recently celebrated her 42nd birthday and had quietly settled into London Clinic for the procedure. Royal watchers were shocked to learn that she would reduce her royal duties “until after Easter”, a hiatus that would last more than two months, until March 31.

A few hours later, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would undergo treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

“Like thousands of men every year, the king requested treatment for an enlarged prostate,” the palace said on January 17. “His Majesty’s condition is mild and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure.”

“The king’s public engagements will be postponed for a short recovery period,” the statement added.

It was understood the king, now 76, wanted to share his diagnosis to encourage men who may have symptoms to get checked out. A royal source told PEOPLE at the time that the king would be able to fulfill his constitutional requirements and duties during the medical respite.

Like Princess Kate, King Charles also sought treatment at the London Clinic. The sovereign visited her daughter-in-law before his own intervention, and they came out within days of each other. While King Charles made a public outing from the private clinic and left with his wife, Queen Camillethe Princess of Wales left quietly and was not seen.

On February 5, Buckingham Palace announced the shocking news that King Charles was diagnosed with cancer and had started treatment.

“During the King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostatic enlargement, another area of ​​concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests identified a form of cancer,” the palace statement said.

“Her Majesty today began a program of regular treatment, during which doctors have advised her to postpone her public-facing duties. Throughout this period, Her Majesty will continue to attend to the affairs of state and administrative formalities as usual,” the press release continued. referring to the immediate plans of the monarch.

The king continued to work as best he could behind the scenes and said the outpouring of support “reduced to my tears most of the time” during a conversation with the then Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, in late February 2024.

Speculation has intensified around Princess Kate in the weeks since it was announced that she was returning home from hospital but away from the spotlight, and royal watchers expressed hope that she was OK. On March 22, 2024, the Princess of Wales declared that she was receive treatment for cancer and that the disease was detected after abdominal surgery.

“This has of course been a huge shock, and William and I have done everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Princess Kate said in the statement. self-written speechfilmed in Windsor Garden.

“As you can imagine, it took a while. It took me a while to recover from major surgery in order to begin my treatment. But, more importantly, it took us a while to get through everything to explain to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that’s appropriate for them and to reassure them that everything will be okay,” she said, referring to her children. Prince George11, Princess Charlotte9, and Prince Louis.

2024 has been a year like no other for the royal family, and the king returned to his forward-looking duties at the end of April with a emotional tour of a cancer hospital. Princess Kate kept a low profile and made her first appearance of the year alongside her father-in-law and his family at The parade of color in June.

The Princess of Wales shared in September, with “relief”, that she had completed chemotherapy treatmentand palace aides reported around Christmas that the king’s treatment extend until 2025.

“His treatment is moving in a positive direction and, as a managed illness, the treatment cycle will continue until next year,” palace sources said in late December. Trips are planned in the United Kingdom and abroad, like its program at the end of 2024.

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In a remarkably candid interview while in South Africa for his Earthshot environmental prize, Prince William said it had been a “brutal” year, but that he was “proud” of his wife and his father.

“It’s been terrible. It’s probably been the hardest year of my life,” the Prince of Wales, 42, said in part in the fall. “So trying to overcome everything else and keep everything on track has been very difficult,” he continued, and praised Kate and her father, King Charles, for how they faced their cancer journey.

“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my dad, for handling the things that they did. But from a personal family standpoint, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal,” William said.

On January 14, Princess Kate made her first solo royal engagement in over a year with a surprise stop at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. It was also revealed that she was treated in hospital.

The Princess of Wales then declared that she was in remission and I look forward to “a busy year ahead.”

Last year, Prince William stepped up his role as heir to the throne. He recently represented his father the king at the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris at the beginning of December and hints at hope that Kate could join him on international trips in the new year.

“I’m hoping Catherine will do a little more next year, so maybe we’ll have some more trips planned,” William said in November.