Princess of Wales: AN EXTRA SPECIAL TIME

After getting through a year from hell, how will the Prince and Princess of Wales celebrate this Christmas and New Year?

- ANNA MATHESON

It’s safe to say that 2024 wasn’t a great year for the Royal Family, but it was particularly tough for the Princess of Wales. After undergoing abdominal surgery in January, Kate, 42, disappeared from royal duties before dropping a bombshell; she had cancer and needed chemotherapy.

The worrying news came nearly two months after King Charles also disclosed he was battling cancer. ‘It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family,’ Kate said in a video message to the nation.

But as the year comes to an end, the path ahead finally looks brighter for the mum of three. In September, Kate – who has never disclosed what type of cancer she had – revealed she’d finished treatment. Speaking in an unusually candid video message, Kate explained her experience of cancer was ‘complex, scary and unpredictable’. She added, ‘With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you’ve never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything.’

Family celebrations

It's no wonder then that Kate may see the Christmas period as a chance to celebrate the end of her annus horribilis.

Her appearance at her hugely popular Together at Christmas carol concert in early December was a major return to public life. And over Christmas, it's expected the Wales family will decamp to Norfolk.

Last year, the couple and their children delighted onlookers with smiles on their way into the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate.