Kate Middleton and King Charles' Health Announcements, 1 Year Later: What's Changed and What Lies Ahead

A year ago today, the palace made two unexpected announcements in quick succession: Kate Middleton had been hospitalized a day earlier for “planned abdominal surgery,” while King Charles was scheduled to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate next week.

The first health statement on 17 January 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 planned abdominal surgery,” a statement about the princess said. “The operation was a success 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 public duties before Easter.”

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

Just hours later, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would undergo treatment for a benignly enlarged prostate.

King Charles at Sandringham on January 7, 2024.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Full timeline of Kate Middleton’s abdominal surgery and cancer diagnosis

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

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

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

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Like Princess Kate, King Charles also sought treatment at a London clinic. The ruler visited his daughter-in-law before his own operation, and they were dismissed within a few days of each other. While King Charles publicly left the private clinic and left with his wife, Queen Camilla, the Princess of Wales left discreetly and was not seen.

Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the opening of Evelina London's new children's surgery unit

Kate Middleton at Evelina London on December 5, 2023.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Full timeline of Kate Middleton’s abdominal surgery and cancer diagnosis

On February 5, Buckingham Palace shared the shocking news that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer and had begun treatment.

“During the King’s recent hospital procedure for a benign prostate enlargement, a separate matter of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests identified a form of cancer,” the palace said in a statement.

“His Majesty has today begun a schedule of regular treatments, during which time doctors have advised him to postpone public duties. During this period, His Majesty will continue to carry out state business and official paperwork as usual,” it continued, referring to the monarch’s immediate plans.

The king continued to operate behind the scenes and said the outpouring of support “brought me to tears most of the time” in a conversation with then-prime minister Rishi Sunak in late February 2024.

Britain's King Charles III (right) talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace, central London, on February 21, 2024 for their first personal audience since the king was diagnosed with cancer.

JONATHAN BRADY/POOL/AFP via Getty

Speculation has escalated around Princess Kate in the weeks since it was announced she was back from hospital but out of the spotlight, with royal watchers expressing hope she is doing well. On 22 March 2024, the Princess of Wales announced that she was being treated for cancer and that the condition was discovered after abdominal surgery.

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“This has of course come as a huge shock and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and resolve this privately for the benefit of our young family,” Princess Kate said in a self-written speech filmed in Windsor Gardens.

“As you can imagine, this took time. It took me time to recover from major surgery to start treatment. But most importantly, we took time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that was appropriate. for them and to reassure them that I’ll be fine,” she said, referring to her children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis.

2024 was a year unlike any other for the royal family, with the king continuing his advanced duties with an emotional visit to a cancer hospital at the end of April. Princess Kate kept a low profile and made her first appearance this year alongside her father-in-law and family at Trooping the Color in June.

The Princess of Wales announced in September that she was “relieved” to have finished chemotherapy, and palace aides signaled around Christmas that the king’s treatment would be extended until 2025.

“His treatment is going in a positive direction and as the condition is under control, the treatment cycle will continue next year,” palace sources said in late December. A UK and overseas tour is planned, similar to his late 2024 schedule.

APIA, SAMOA - OCTOBER 26: King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they board a Royal Australian Air Force jet over Faleolo International Airport after visiting Siumu Village for a farewell ceremony on October 26, 2024 in Apia, Samoa. This will mark the official end of Their Majesties' state visit to Samoa. The King's visit to Australia is his first as a monarch, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa will be his first visit as head of the Commonwealth.

King Charles and Queen Camilla leave Apia, Samoa on October 26, 2024.

Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty

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

“It’s been terrible. This has probably been the hardest year of my life,” the 42-year-old Prince of Wales said at one point in the fall. “So trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really hard,” he continued, praising Kate and her father, King Charles, for how they’ve dealt with their cancer journeys.

“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my dad, because he dealt with the things that they did. But from a personal family point of view, it was, yeah, it was brutal,” William said.

British King Charles III, British Queen Camilla. Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales. Britain's Prince Louis of Wales and Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, arrived to attend the royal family's traditional Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham

Queen Camilla and King Charles lead the royal family on Christmas Day at Sandringham, December 25, 2024.

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty

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 receiving treatment at the hospital.

The Princess of Wales later said she was in remission and looking forward to a “full 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 in early December and hinted at hopes that Kate could join him on international trips in the new year.

“I’m hoping that Catherine will be working a bit more next year so we may have some more trips,” William said in November.

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