5 Tragedies That Have Plagued The Royal Family In 2024 So Far
2024 has been a big year for the British royal family, but not necessarily in a good way. They have faced many difficulties and tragedies in just the first six months of the year. The years prior had already been filled with more downs than ups, such as the splintering of the family when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left their royal positions. Additional strife was caused by Harry and Meghan divulging the truth of their experiences with the royals, especially when Harry shared startling revelations in his memoir "Spare."
The royal family also experienced loss in the form of the deaths of Prince Philip in 2021 and Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. King Charles III ascended to the throne following his mother's passing, and the year after his May 2023 coronation has been somewhat tragic. A lot of it has to do with the health of the royals, but as is standard with public figures, rumors and speculation have also played a part in the trouble.
The year started out with dual surgeries
On January 17, 2024, it was announced that both King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales, needed surgeries. The press release on Charles was forthcoming about what he was dealing with. Per the BBC, it read, "In common with thousands of men each year, the King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate." His procedure was going to be the following week, and he would need some time to recover.
While Kate Middleton's surgery was announced that same day, it had already occurred the day before. The Kensington Palace press release described it as a "planned abdominal surgery" but didn't give details on the specifics, except that she would be recovering and unable to work as usual into the spring.
Both the king and the princess were discharged from their hospital stays on January 29. However, their health woes continued.
Three royals announced cancer diagnoses
Multiple members of the British royal family shared cancer diagnoses in 2024. Sarah Ferguson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. She had a mastectomy, which led to cancerous moles being discovered and the duchess being diagnosed with malignant melanoma. She announced her melanoma diagnosis in January 2024. The statement from her representative read, "The Duchess wants to thank the entire medical team which has supported her, particularly her dermatologist whose vigilance ensured the illness was detected when it was" (via People).
Shortly after, in February 2024, Buckingham Palace announced King Charles III's cancer diagnosis. They confirmed it wasn't prostate cancer but did not specify what kind it was. The timeline of Charles' cancer crisis includes conflicting reports, with some claiming he wasn't doing well at all and others saying the opposite. He has yet to return to full-time work as of June 2024, but he had his first public-facing engagement after his diagnosis in April 2024.
In March 2024, Catherine, Princess of Wales, shared a video on her and William, Prince of Wales' official Instagram account, announcing her own cancer diagnosis. After her surgery, tests showed she had had cancer, despite her and her doctors initially thinking otherwise. She continued, "My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I'm now in the early stages of that treatment." Leading up to Kate Middleton's major health announcement, the internet went wild, speculating about why Kate hadn't been seen.
Kate Middleton conspiracy theories raged
Catherine, Princess of Wales, was not while recovering from her surgery, and many were curious as to her whereabouts. At the time, the world didn't know about Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis and her final public appearance had been Christmas Day 2023. Conspiracy theories spread, and the spark that really set the internet ablaze was an edited family photo shared on U.K. Mother's Day. The Associated Press and other news outlets stopped using the picture because it was digitally altered too much.
Kate confessed to editing the picture, and that only got people talking more. Was a Kate body double hired to take her place? Did Kate leave because William, Prince of Wales, cheated with Rose Hanbury? Some celebrities even gave their two cents on the Kate conspiracy theories. Once Kate shared the truth about what was happening, the snarky celebrities apologized. Hanbury's lawyers name-dropped one such celebrity — Stephen Colbert — since he mentioned the cheating rumors on his show. Per a statement shared with In Touch, her lawyers said, "We have written on our client's behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organisations to confirm that the allegation is false."
How did the conspiracy theories about Kate get so out of control? Disinformation researcher Melissa Ryan told Wired, "They were dishonest, and then they put out at least one doctored photo. So of course, at that point, they're gonna lose all credibility."
Princess Anne got injured presumably from a horse
Another tragedy to hit the British royal family in the first half of 2024 was Princess Anne's injury and hospitalization on June 23. She got a concussion and some other small injuries, which her doctors believed were due to her being hit by a horse's head or legs. The disclosure that Anne had some memory loss from the incident was concerning, but thankfully, she was able to return home on June 28.
Anne will have to wait for her doctors' go-ahead to continue her royal engagements, so the royals will have to make do without Anne for a while. From 2021 through 2023, Anne has attended the most royal engagements of anyone in the family and is something of a star for the amount of work she does. In 2023, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Telegraph how Anne is well-liked. He added, "The public see Anne as someone who is grounded. I think the institution does need her very much."
Anne being out of commission means the royals are stretched even thinner than before King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales, stepped back for their own health.
Drama is still present with the Sussexes
The rift between the British royal family and the Sussexes is not smoothed over. Reportedly, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle learned of Catherine, Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis through her social media post, and they were snubbed and not invited to a big event.
In a February 2024 "Good Morning America" interview, Harry said after King Charles III told him about his cancer diagnosis, "I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could." Harry added, "Look, I love my family," and expressed gratitude about being able to see Charles then. However, Harry didn't see his brother William, Prince of Wales, during that trip. When Harry was in the U.K. again in May 2024 for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary event, he was unable to see his father. A representative for Harry told Page Six it was due to Charles' busy schedule, but other sources weren't so sure.
The royal feud is still straining relationships. However, things could be turning around — for Charles and Harry, at least. On July 1, 2024, it was reported Charles might want to visit Harry, Meghan, and their children Archie and Lilibet in California. A source told New Idea, "This feud has gone on for far too long, and Charles is anxious to sort it out — but he knows it has to be on Harry and Meghan's home turf, particularly if he wants to see the grandchildren."