AP – On Friday, the Princess of Wales said she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer – an announcement that comes amid what hasn’t been a good year for Britain’s royals so far.
First came the “royal health shock” headlines when palace officials announced that King Charles III and Kate both had health troubles.
An absence of information about Kate’s health and whereabouts then fuelled an increasingly frenzied rumour mill that made its way from the fringes of social media to front pages around the world.
Distrust of the monarchy only intensified after Kate admitted that she edited an official family photo, and palace officials have struggled to regain control of the narrative as conjecture and conspiracy theories persist.
Here is a timeline of recent events relating to the royal family:
December 25, 2023: Kate attends Christmas service at Sandringham, the royal estate on the eastern English coast, alongside Prince William, their children and other members of the royal family. This is the princess’ last public appearance.
January 16, 2024: Kate, 42, is admitted to the London Clinic and undergoes abdominal surgery. The news isn’t announced until the next day.
January 17: Kensington Palace reveals that Kate is recovering from a planned operation.
Officials said her condition isn’t cancer-related but did not specify what surgery it was, only saying it was successful.
They say she will remain in the private hospital for 10-14 days and be away from public view until after Easter. Buckingham Palace announces on the same day that King Charles will be treated for a benign enlarged prostate.
January 21: Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Duchess of York, said she has malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
January 26: King Charles is admitted to a London hospital for a three-day stay for his prostate treatment.
January 29: Kate and Charles are both discharged from the hospital. Charles is photographed leaving the hospital with Camilla and waving at well-wishers. Kate is not pictured leaving the hospital, but officials say she is “making good progress” and will continue her recovery at home.
February 5: Buckingham Palace announces that Charles has cancer and will receive treatment. Officials did not say what form of cancer the king has.
February 7: Prince Harry arrives in the United Kingdom from California to visit his father. He departed the next day.
February 27: William pulled out of a memorial service for his godfather, the late King Constantine of Greece, at the last minute, due to a “personal matter.” The palace declined to elaborate but said Kate continues to do well.
Later on the same day, Buckingham Palace said the son-in-law of Prince Michael of Kent Thomas Kingston has died at the age of 45. Prince Michael is a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
March 1: An inquest hears that Thomas Kingston died from a “traumatic head wound” on February 25. A gun was found near his body at his parents’ home.
March 4: A photo reportedly showing Kate riding in a car with her mother Carole Middleton in Windsor circulates on social media.
It is published by some international news outlets but not in any of Britain’s newspapers.
March 6: People magazine cites a royal spokesman as saying that William’s “focus is on his work and not on social media”.
March 10: Kensington Palace releases a photo of Kate surrounded by her three children to mark Mother’s Day in Britain. The photo, the first official one since the princess underwent surgery, was retracted hours later by The Associated Press and other news agencies over concerns it had been digitally manipulated.
March 11: Amid a new round of speculation about her health sparked by the edited family photo, Kate issues an apology on social media for the “confusion” caused.
She said she “occasionally experiments with editing” like many amateur photographers.
March 16: The Sun newspaper publishes a video reportedly showing a smiling and relaxed Kate shopping with William at a farm shop near their Windsor home.
March 20: The Information Commissioner’s Office said it is investigating a report that at least one member of staff at the London Clinic tried to snoop on Kate’s medical records while she was a patient at the hospital.
March 22: In a video address, Kate announces she is undergoing treatment for cancer, including preventive chemotherapy.
She said she is well and getting stronger every day, but needs to focus on her recovery. – Sylvia Hui
