So far, 2024 has been a year with a heavy medical focus for members of the British royal family, as two of its most senior figures take time out of the public spotlight to receive treatment for cancer.
Both King Charles III and his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, announced their cancer diagnoses publicly, after undergoing medical procedures in late January.
While the pair have received an outpouring of support, they have also become the focus of online conspiracy theories and speculation, connected with the public demand for information about their treatments and recoveries.
Here, Newsweek looks at a full timeline of King Charles and Princess Kate's cancer journeys, so far.
January 16: Kate Undergoes Surgery
On January 16, the Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery at The London Clinic hospital.
The royal was admitted to the facility in private, where she had surgery before the information was released to the public. By the date of her surgery, speculation about the princess' whereabouts had begun to circulate, as she had not made a public appearance since December 25, 2023.
January 17: Kate and King Announcements Made
Kensington Palace issued a statement announcing that Kate has undergone surgery and is expected to be absent from public duties until at least "after Easter."
The cause of Kate's surgery is not revealed. Though not part of the statement, the palace reportedly briefed journalists that her condition is not believed to be cancerous.
Statement from Kensington Palace Regarding The Princess of Wales
"Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to The London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery. The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.
"The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.
"Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness' progress when there is significant new information to share.
"The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible."
Just over an hour after Kensington Palace notified the public of Kate's condition, Buckingham Palace issued an unexpected statement about King Charles III's health.
Unusually for a monarch, the statement goes into detail about his condition, revealing that he has "sought treatment for an enlarged prostate" and will be admitted to hospital for a "corrective procedure" in the coming days.
Statement from Buckingham Palace Regarding King Charles III
"In common with thousands of men each year, The King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate. His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure. The King's public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."
January 26: King Goes to Hospital
Charles was admitted to The London Clinic, the same hospital that Kate was convalescing in after her surgery, on January 26 to undergo his prostate procedure.
The king was accompanied by Queen Camilla and reportedly, during his stay, spent time visiting his daughter-in-law.
Statement from Buckingham Palace Regarding King Charles III
"The King was this morning admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment. His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness."
January 29: Kate and King Discharged
Kate and Charles were both discharged from The London Clinic on the same day with noticeably different approaches.
Charles exited the hospital through the front doors accompanied by Queen Camilla. He walked to his car unaided and waved to photographers before being driven to Clarence House.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement soon after confirming that he had been discharged and that "forthcoming public engagements" had been "rescheduled" to allow him to recuperate.
Statement from Buckingham Palace Regarding King Charles III
"The King was this afternoon discharged from hospital following planned medical treatment and has rescheduled forthcoming public engagements to allow for a period of private recuperation. His Majesty would like to thank the medical team and all those involved in supporting his hospital visit, and is grateful for all the kind messages he has received in recent days."
Kensington Palace also confirmed Kate's discharge in an official statement; however, it was made after the royal left the hospital for her home in Windsor without fanfare or being seen by photographers.
The palace said that the royal was "making good progress" following her surgery and thanked her medical team and well-wishers.
Statement from Kensington Palace Regarding The Princess of Wales
"The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress.
"The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided.
"The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world."
February 5: King's Cancer Announcement
One week after Charles was discharged from hospital, Buckingham Palace issued another statement about his health, this time telling the public that the monarch was diagnosed with cancer.
The palace revealed that testing done at the time of his prostate procedure found cancer to be present. However, the type of cancer is not disclosed.
They said the royal had been advised to postpone his public-facing duties while undergoing treatment but would continue to "undertake the business of state."
Statement from Buckingham Palace Regarding King Charles III
"During The King's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.
"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.
"The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.
"His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer."
February 7: Prince William Speaks Out
Two days later, Prince William attended his first major public engagement since Kate's surgery and Charles' cancer announcement.
At a charity gala in London, the royal thanked well-wishers for their support of Kate and the king, light-heartedly joking that the past weeks had somewhat of a "medical focus."
Prince William in a Speech Given At The London Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner
"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all. It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus. So I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!"
February 21: King's Audience with Prime Minister
On February 21, King Charles undertook his first in-person meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace since his cancer diagnosis. Unusually, news cameras are permitted to photograph the two men at the beginning of their audience.
Sunak commented on how well the king looked and passed on the nation's well-wishes. Charles joked that his appearance was an illusion achieved with "mirrors" and said that some of the public's well-wishes have brought him to tears.
February 23: King Thanks Nation
On February 23, a video was posted to the royal family's official social media channels featuring the king reading get-well-soon cards sent to him by members of the public. A message posted with the video quotes Charles reflecting on the "comfort and encouragement" of well-wishes at this time.
King Charles III in a Message Posted to Social Media
"All those who have been affected by cancer will know such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement."
February 27: Prince William Cancels Important Engagement
On February 27, Prince William canceled an appearance at the memorial service of his godfather, the late King Constantine II of Greece, at Windsor Castle.
The cancellation was made at the last minute, and the reason given to the media was simply that it was for "personal reasons." This ignited concern, speculation, and ultimately wild conspiracy theories about the health and well-being of Kate and Wales's family life.
At the time, Kensington Palace stated that Kate continued to be doing "well."
March 4: Kate Photographed
On March 4, Kate was photographed by a paparazzo for the first time since her surgery while being driven in a car through Windsor with her mother, Carole Middleton.
The photograph is published by TMZ in the U.S. but, due to privacy concerns, is not reproduced in Britain.
March 10: Kate's Mother's Day Photo
Six days later, Kensington Palace released the first official portrait of Kate since her surgery, surrounded by her three children in Windsor.
The photo, the palace says, was shot by Prince William that same week and has been released to celebrate Mother's Day in Britain.
March 11: Kate's Apology and Sighting
After the photo from Kensington Palace was released, social media users identifed traces of editing throughout the frame. This led several photo agencies to issue "kill" notices to news outlets, telling them to cease reproduction of the image over concerns it violates guidelines.
Kate issued a rare personal apology amidst the spike in social media outrage and speculation caused by the photo manipulation claims.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she said.
Soon after the message was released via social media, Kate was photographed by a press photographer with Prince William leaving Windsor for London where she reportedly attended a private appointment.
The Princess of Wales in a Message Posted to Social Media
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."
March 16: Kate and William Go Shopping
Conspiracy theories about Kate did not die down in the aftermath of the photo scandal, ranging from speculation about her health to her marriage.
On March 16, she and Prince William were photographed by a member of the public while out shopping at a farm shop near their Windsor home. Subsequently, the footage was published by media outlets in Britain and America.
March 22: Kate's Cancer Announcement
On March 22, unconfirmed reports of an imminent royal announcement spread online.
At 6:00 p.m. London time (2:00 p.m. ET) Kensington Palace released a video statement made to camera by Kate herself, in which she reveals that testing done after her surgery back in January found cancer to be present.
After thanking the public for their support during her surgery recovery, she also reveals that she will continue her time away from royal duties as she undergoes a course of "preventative chemotherapy" and focuses on getting well.
Statement from The Princess of Wales
"I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery. It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I've had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.
"In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.
"This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.
"As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.
"We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.
"At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone."
March 23: Kate's Thank You
Kate's statement sparked a wave of international support from world leaders, celebrities and members of the public.
On March 23, a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said that the princess and Prince William are "enormously touched" by messages sent to them. They also expressed gratitude for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time.
Statement From a Kensington Palace Spokesperson
"The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness' message. They are extremely moved by the public's warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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