Kate Middleton: A timeline of the princess’s year so far, from cancer diagnosis to royal return

The Princess of Wales is making a steady return to royal duties following what has been one of the most tumultuous years of her life.

In March, Kate confirmed she had been diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer. What followed was a nine-month battle as she underwent “preventative chemotherapy”. She endured intense online speculation in the weeks leading up to the public announcement and has largely stayed out of the spotlight since.

Her diagnosis came in the same year as the King was also diagnosed with cancer. Her husband Prince William has spoken candidly about the royal family’s major health scares, saying 2024 has “probably been the hardest year in my life” and a “dreadful” experience.

The princess made appearances at both the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday and the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.

Though she has made a small number of appearances this year, the weekend marks the first time she has carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements since the start of the year.

Here is a full timeline of Kate’s health journey in 2024 so far:

The Princess’s tough year began in January when she was secretly admitted to The London Clinic for abdominal surgery.

Kensington Palace revealed the princess had “planned abdominal surgery” and estimated that she would spend the next 10 to 14 days in hospital.

It was said she would be stepping back from her duties until Easter to recover. The Prince of Wales also stepped back from his work to support his wife and young children.

The princess was said to be “doing well” in the immediate aftermath of the operation. Specifics about the nature of the operation were, and remain, private.

The princess was discharged.

Prince William returned to duty.

Buckingham Palace announced King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer. The Palace clarified that while undisclosed in its form, the monarch does not have prostate cancer, although the disease was found during his prostate procedure.

The king stepped back from his public-facing duties as he began his treatment.

The Prince of Wales thanked well-wishers for their support amid the family’s health troubles. At this point, it was believed that the Princess of Wales was merely recovering from her abdominal surgery.

The princess was photographed by paparazzi for the first time since her operation. She was being driven near Windsor Castle by her mother, Carole Middleton.

A day later, a claim that the princess would undertake the Colonel’s Review ahead of the Trooping the Colour in June was removed from the army’s website.

Kensington Palace shared a picture of the princess with her three children to celebrate Mother’s Day. It was accompanied by the following message: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.”

On the same day, the picture was removed by major photo agencies after it emerged that it had been manipulated.

The princess personally apologised for the “confusion” caused by the photograph, and described herself as an “amateur photographer” who does occasionally “experiment” with editing.

A picture of a woman claimed to be the Princess of Wales near a Windsor farm shop was published by The Sun.

A breach report was filed with the UK privacy and data protection watchdog following claims that a staff member at the London Clinic attempted to access Kate’s private medical information.

Kensington Palace released a video of the princess announcing she had been diagnosed with cancer. She asked the public for privacy as she began a course of preventative chemotherapy.

Kate said: “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.”

Prince William returned to work again after a brief Easter break, which he spent with his family. His engagements included a visit to a London food waste charity, Surplus to Supper, in Sunbury-on-Thames and a London youth centre.

The Prince of Wales provided a welcome update on his wife’s health and said she is “doing well”.

Kate announced her return to public life at Trooping the Colour and said in a statement that while she was progressing, she was “not out of the woods yet”.

The Princess of Wales made a welcome return to public life at Trooping the Colour, appearing with her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Kate made a second public appearance at Wimbledon and received a standing ovation as she presented the Men’s Final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz.

The Prince and Princess of Wales appeared in a joint video to congratulate Team GB on their performance at the Paris Olympics.

The royal family, including the princess, began their summer break at the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was believed to be the furthest Kate has travelled since her cancer diagnosis.

It was reported the princess could make her next public appearance on Remembrance Sunday and host her annual Christmas carol concert.

Kensington Palace released a video of the Wales family reflecting on the past nine months, and the princess revealed that she has finally finished her cancer treatment.

She added to others with cancer: “To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand.”

The princess returned to work at Windsor Castle, turning her focus to her Early Years work.

The Court Circular read: “The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this afternoon held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle.”

The meeting likely concerned the Shaping Us campaign that aims to raise the profile of the importance of early childhood development and the impact it can have later in life.

This marked the princess’s third royal engagement of the year and her first work engagement.

Kate met aides to begin planning her annual Christmas carol service.

The Princess was mentioned in the Court Circular after holding a meeting at Windsor Castle about the event, with aides and members of her Royal Foundation.

The service will be held at Westminster Abbey for the fourth year running and will be broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve.

Kate met and embraced an aspiring photographer with a rare and aggressive form of cancer after inviting the teenager to take pictures at investitures at Windsor Castle.

The princess made a surprise visit with William to meet the bereaved families of the Southport stabbing victims.

The unannounced trip to Merseyside was William and Kate’s first joint official outing since the princess’s course of chemotherapy cancer treatment ended in the summer.

Kate attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall alongside the King and her husband, the Prince of Wales.

During the Festival, William and Kate, both wearing poppies, applauded a performance by Sir Tom Jones – who sang I Won’t Crumble With You If You Fall with the central band of the Royal Air Force – and joined other members of the royal family in standing to clap for Second World War veterans.

The princess appeared at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.

She watched the ceremony from the Foreign Office balcony alongside Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh in what was the first time she carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements since the start of the year.

Kate appeared emotional as she listened intently during the ceremony, wearing a black coat with three poppies pinned to it.