It has been a year of major medical developments for the British royals. Not only was the 75-year-old King Charles III diagnosed with cancer early in 2024, but so was his 42-year-old daughter-in-law, Princess Kate.
The royal mother of three, stepped out of the public eye in January to undergo abdominal surgery which was later linked to a cancer diagnosis, necessitating a course of “preventive chemotherapy.”
During this time, Kate has remained mainly behind palace walls, making positive progress, but still undergoing the challenging treatment.
Here, Newsweek takes a look at Kate’s cancer journey so far, six months after her chemotherapy treatment began.
After a two-week period with no news or sightings of Kate into the new year, on January 17, a statement from Kensington Palace announced that the princess had been admitted to The London Clinic a day earlier for “planned abdominal surgery.”
The palace said that the surgery was “successful,” but noted that she would not be expected to return to public life until after Easter.
At the time, the palace did not reveal the reason for the surgery, but briefed that Kate’s condition was “non-cancerous.”
After Kate returned home to Windsor following her surgery, Kensington Palace declined to provide a running commentary on her recovery, which led to a spike in speculation and conspiracy theories.
On March 22, this noise was silenced when Kate issued a video statement explaining her condition in her own words.
She announced that though doctors had previously stated her condition was “non-cancerous,” following her surgery, cancer had been detected and she was recommended a course of “preventive chemotherapy.”
