Published: 10:04, 29 December 2024 | Updated: 10:12, 29 December 2024
The royal family faced a difficult and upsetting year as both the King and Princess of Wales revealed they had been diagnosed with cancer.
The health blows faced by Charles and Kate torpedoed any plans for a run-of-the-mill year as the King looked to settle in amid the aftermath of the late Queen’s death and his accession in 2022 and the hectic demands of the coronation in 2023.
But the year ended on a more positive note, with Charles going on a tour of Australia and Samoa and Kate enjoying a Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey with the Prince of Wales and her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Photographers from the PA news agency were on hand throughout the year to capture the highs and the lows.
The King reads cards and messages, sent by well-wishers, following his cancer diagnosis (Jonathan Brady/PA)The Princess of Wales recorded a message announcing she was having treatment for cancer (Yui Mok/PA)Camilla, who took on more responsibilities as her husband recovered, received a message of support for the Princess of Wales from well-wishers during a visit to to Shrewsbury in March (Chris Jackson/PA)The King, who began to return to public duties after some time recovering, greeted artist Jonathan Yeo at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of Charles (Aaron Chown/PA)In June, the Prince and Princess of Wales were seen with their children, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour (Gareth Fuller/PA)Official duties for the King included an audience with Sir Keir Starmer at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the leader of the Labour Party to become Prime Minister (Yui Mok/PA)The King and Queen also attended the State Opening of Parliament in July, which took place on Camilla’s birthday (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)Kate was warmly greeted as she and daughter Princess Charlotte attended Wimbledon in the summer (Mike Egerton/PA)The Princess of Wales appeared in a deeply personal video with her family in September as she confirmed she would return to public duties following the completion of her chemotherapy course (Will Warr/Kensington Palace/PA)Many other members of the royal family increased their public duties as the King and Kate were treated for cancer, including the Duchess of Edinburgh, who during a visit to Chad in central Africa met refugees crossing the border from Sudan to escape the civil war (Stefan Rousseau/PA)Sarah, Duchess of York, also had some time in the spotlight as she poured a pint while on a visit to the set of Coronation Street in Manchester. The day also included a visit to the Prevent Breast Cancer headquarters in Manchester with Corrie star Sally Dynevor (Danny Lawson/PA)Charles and Camilla may have hoped to escape the cold and rain of a UK autumn with a tour to Australia and Samoa in October, but they still needed umbrellas when they met members of the Apia rugby team rugby (Aaron Chown/PA)In November, the Princess of Wales carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements for the first time since the start of the year as she joined William at the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, and then watched on from a balcony at commemoration services for the war dead on Remembrance Sunday (Chris J Ratcliffe/PA)The King stands in silence during the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London (Aaron Chown/PA)The Prince of Wales met US President-elect Donald Trump in Paris after they attended the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in December (Aaron Chown/PA)The year ended on a brighter note for the royal family as Prince Louis and the Princess of Wales joined the rest of their family for the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in London (Aaron Chown/PA)
