Kate Middleton, King Charles Made Health Announcements 1 Year Ago: Everything That’s Happened Since

January 17, 2025 marks exactly one year since Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace announced King Charles and his daughter-in-law Princess Kate Middleton’s respective hospitalizations.

At the time, details about their respective conditions were extremely limited. It was later revealed that both Charles, 76, and Middleton, 43, had received treatment for respective cancer diagnoses.

Kensington Palace announced on January 17, 2024 that the Princess of Wales had undergone “planned abdominal surgery” the day prior. It came a week after the royal’s 42nd birthday on January 9.

“Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for planned abdominal surgery,” the statement said.

“The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for 10 to 14 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,” it added.

Later that same day, Buckingham Palace said the then 75-year-old king would receive treatment for an enlarged prostate.

“His Majesty’s condition is benign, and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure,” the statement said.

On February 5, Buckingham Palace announced that “a form of cancer” had been found during Charles’ corrective procedure in January 2024.

Though the palace has never disclosed what type of cancer the King had, Charles was vocal about how he was feeling as he continued to attend royal engagements in the months following his diagnosis.

During a meeting with former U.K Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on February 21, Charles said reading messages of support from the public had “reduced me to tears.”

Meanwhile, Middleton’s absence from royal duties led to feverish global speculation on her whereabouts, with some social media users sharing false conspiracy theories.

“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates,” a spokesperson for the Princess of Wales told Us Weekly in a statement on February 29. “That guidance stands.”

Finally, on March 22, Middleton released a video in which she confirmed that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” she said in the video.

Middleton said it had been “an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family” and added that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment.

In the months following the video, Middleton’s public appearances were scarce, though she did appear at Wimbledon with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, in July.

In September, the royal shared another video message where she said she had completed chemotherapy treatment.

“Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” she said.

During this period, Prince William, 42, appeared at various public engagements solo. During an appearance in Cape Town, South Africa, in September, the Prince of Wales said it had been “the hardest year in my life.”

William, of course, is the eldest son of Charles and the late Princess Diana and heir to the British throne. He has been married to Middleton since April 2011.

The princess shared more positive news earlier this month, when she announced she was in remission while visiting the hospital where she underwent treatment on January 14.

Meanwhile, Charles is scheduled to undertake a variety of public engagements in his native UK and around the world this year. Details of his cancer treatment are not known.

When asked about his well-being at a royal engagement in December, the king joked that he was “still alive,” as shown in video footage shared by the Daily Mail at the time.