2024 was Kate Middleton’s ‘annus horribilis’ because of trolls, conspiracies & cancer- here’s how she’s turned it around

WHEN Kate walked into Westminster Abbey to host her annual Together at Christmas carol service, it was a moment for “reflection upon the importance of love and empathy… especially in the most difficult times of our lives”.

Not only has the Princess, who is very spiritual, had serious abdominal surgery but she and her father-in-law King Charles have fought very public battles against cancer.

Not to mention supporting her husband William in his ongoing feud with Prince Harry; facing relentless trolling; being forced to apologise for editing her Mother’s Day photograph; and finding out hospital staff tried to access her medical records.

It certainly has been an ‘annus horribilis’ as the late Queen would have said, or in the words of Prince William, the year has been ‘brutal’.

“Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life,” the future King said in an unusually candid interview last month.

“I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done.

“But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”

But now Kate is looking forward to going back to work and has conducted a number of official engagements including Trooping the Colour, Wimbledon – where she was given a standing ovation – and the Remembrance Day commemorations.

Never have the blows come so hard or so fast. It was on January 16 last year that Kate went into the London Clinic for pre-planned abdominal surgery. 

An hour later it was announced that the King required an operation for an enlarged prostate. He was admitted to the same hospital on January 26.

Over the next 13 days, William juggled the school run, dropping George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six, at Lambrook School, before driving 25 miles from the family home, Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor, to be at his wife’s bedside.

Then, on February 5, the King was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment, causing a shockwave through the Royal family – and the British public – which was still reeling from two senior members of the Firm being out of action.

Initially Kate appeared to be on the mend, joining her husband and their three children for half-term at Anmer Hall, their ten-bedroom estate, on the Sandringham Estate, in Norfolk where the King was also convalescing.

But, on February 27, William mysteriously failed to attend a thanksgiving service to honour his godfather, Greece’s late King Constantine II, despite being due to give a reading and being listed in the order of service.

Immediately, the Internet exploded with wild rumours and conjecture about the state of the Princess’s health, stating that it had been 68 days since the public last saw ‘Kate Middleton’. 

William and Kate were understandably devastated by the social media conspiracy theorists and trolls making sinister – and often slanderous – speculation about her condition under the #WhereIsKateMiddleton.

Some of the wildest allegations by keyboard warriors suggested that she, had been cloned, was hiding away after a bad haircut, or even had a ‘Brazilian butt lift’.

Even the mainstream media weighed in: “Rumours swirl about Kate, Princess of Wales, amid health concerns,” reported The New York Times while Vogue tracked “The Curious Case of Kate Middleton’s Disappearance”.

Superstars such as Kim Kardashian posted about Kate’s “disappearance” while American comedian Stephen Colbert, host of the Late Show on CBS, joked about her absence from the public eye.

But the most offensive was the claim by a journalist on a popular Spanish TV station that she had been in a coma. It gained huge traction, despite being openly denied by Kensington Palace.

The feeding frenzy was ramped up after Kate released a photograph of herself with her three children to celebrate Mother’s Day on March 10. She was forced to issue an apology after six global picture agencies claimed the snap had been “manipulated”.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

Medical record scandal

Ten days later, she faced another blow when it was revealed that three staff members at the London Clinic were under investigation for trying to access her medical notes.

It was not until March 22, when her children broke up from school for the Easter holidays, that Kate released an emotional video statement to silence her critics, revealing that she was having preventative chemotherapy.

Chemo-free reveal

Six months later, on September 9, came her second video, announcing that she had finished her treatment and was doing what she could “to stay cancer free”.

It gave a glimpse into the way that Kate had hunkered down with her family, drawing comfort from the simple pleasures in life and the natural world, playing on the beach near Anmer Hall, having picnics and playing card games.

Naturally Kate has turned to her own parents Michael and Carole Middleton and siblings Pippa and James for support during her treatment.

The most offensive was the claim by a journalist on a popular Spanish TV station that she had been in a coma

Claudia JosephAuthor of Kate: The Making of a Princess

She is extremely family orientated and speaks to them virtually every day.

Kate’s brother, James wrote in an Instagram post, alongside a picture of the two as children: “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.”

Bonding with Charles

But it not just her own family that has proved a tower of strength to the Princess: King Charles III has been an invaluable support to Kate since their operations.

He toddled down the corridor at the London Clinic at least twice to see Kate when they were both in hospital, accompanied by the Queen, and they met for a private – and very unusual – lunch the day after she filmed her video message announcing she had cancer.

Equally, the Duchess of Edinburgh has been a vital support: she and Kate are extremely close and live only 11 miles from each other, Kate at Adelaide Cottage, and Sophie at Bagshot Park.

The couple share a love of sport, are both green-fingered, and even give each other fashion tips – jeans designer Donna Ida once revealed that Sophie bought her £295 black Sadie jumpsuit for herself and then asked for one for Kate.

The final member of Team Kate is her ‘Girl Friday’ Natasha Archer, who was this year promoted to William and Kate’s senior private executive assistant.

She is extremely family orientated and speaks to them virtually every day

Claudia JosephAuthor of Kate: The Making of a Princess

Married to Royal photographer Chris Jackson, Natasha picked her up from the London Clinic after her surgery and has been in the innermost circle of friends and family supporting Kate this year.

Now both friends and family will be celebrating the end of 2024 and looking forward to a better year ahead.