Timeline of Kate Middleton’s cancer fight: Princess of Wales’ health battle after shock surgery two months ago to heartbreaking diagnosis and chemotherapy
The Princess of Wales has revealed that she has been diagnosed cancer and underwent ‘preventive’ chemotherapy after major abdominal surgery.
Kate’s absence from public life during her recovery had led to wild theories about her well-being, despite being photographed four times in less than three weeks.
Today’s announcement revealed her diagnosis – and meit comes later King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer last month.
Here, MailOnline looks back at the past few months of royal news that led to the dramatic news that Kensington Palace released today.
December 25, 2023: Kate attends a Christmas Day service at Sandringham in Norfolk, which was her most recent public appearance at a royal event. She arrived with her husband Prince William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as other members of the royal family.
January 16, 2024: Kate is admitted to the London Clinic for a planned abdominal operation, although this news is not announced until the next day.
January 17th: Kensington Palace reveals Kate is being treated in hospital after successful surgery. Royal aides say she is expected to remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days before returning home to continue her recovery. At the time of the surgery, Kate’s condition was not thought to be cancerous – and no tests had confirmed the presence of cancer.
January 17th: Buckingham Palace announces just 90 minutes later that King Charles will be treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate.
December 25, 2023: Kate was last seen with her family at church in Sandringham
21st of January: Prince Andrew’s former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, reveals she was diagnosed with skin cancer six months after being treated for breast cancer.
January 26: King Charles goes to the London Clinic for his prostate treatment.
January 29: Kate and Charles are both discharged from the London Clinic on the same day. Charles waves to well-wishers as he leaves with Camilla. The photo does not show Kate leaving, but Kensington Palace says she has returned to Windsor.
February 5: Buckingham Palace reveals Charles has cancer.
March 10: Kensington Palace releases the first photo of Kate since her abdominal surgery
February 7: Prince Harry arrives in Britain from California to visit his father before leaving the next day.
February 27: William withdraws from a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece in Windsor due to a ‘personal matter.’
Later that day, Buckingham Palace said separately that Thomas Kingston, the son-in-law of Prince Michael of Kent, had died aged 45.
End of February: Kensington Palace said on March 22 that Kate would begin a course of “preventive chemotherapy” at “the end of February,” but has not confirmed the exact date. It is also clear that post-operative tests showed cancer was present, although again no exact date is given.
4th of March: A photo published in the US shows Kate in Windsor as a front-seat passenger in a car driven by her mother, Carole Middleton.
March 11: Prince William and Kate leave Windsor together while riding in a car
10th of March: Kensington Palace releases a photo of Kate and her children on the occasion of Mother’s Day.
11 March: Irregularities are noticed in the Mother’s Day photo, leading the Princess to admit to ‘editing’ the image and to apologize for any ‘confusion’ that has occurred. Kate is later seen being driven out of Windsor in a car with William.
18th of March: A video has been published by TMZ and The Sun of William and Kate leaving the Windsor Farm Shop after a visit on March 16.
March 22nd: The princess reveals in a video message that she has cancer.