2024 in review: Health front of mind for royal family

2024 has been another significant year for the royal family, with the health of King Charles and Princess Kate taking centre stage.

1News takes a look back on their year.

In February, Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles had been diagnosed with a form of cancer after he underwent an operation for an enlarged prostate.

The diagnosis meant the King would step away from public duties while he underwent treatment and wouldn't reappear until April. It saw Queen Camilla and Prince William perform many of his usual duties.

News of the King's diagnosis was splashed across newspapers, receiving worldwide coverage.

On revealing his diagnosis, the King said he shared the news to prevent speculation and hoped it would "public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer".

He was widely praised for this decision, which appeared to have raised awareness of those battling cancer.

According to the Associated Press, the charity Cancer Research UK recorded a 33% increase in website visits.

The King returned to public duties in late April after a period of "treatment and recuperation".

He marked the milestone by visiting a cancer treatment centre.

Online conspiracy theories swirled in March regarding the whereabouts of Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

The princess had not been seen in public since Christmas 2023, having undergone abdominal surgery in mid-January.

Kensington Palace tried to dissuade any speculation and conspiracies, insisting she was "doing well". Despite this, social media users and even some celebrities continued to make jokes about where she was and share conspiracies about what may have happened.

There was also a minor kerfuffle over a "manipulated image" the family shared on social media, which was pulled by several major news organisations.

On March 23, however, that paled into insignificance when the princess revealed in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

The princess stayed out of the public eye for most of her treatment and returned to a much lighter schedule at the end of 2024, having completed chemotherapy.

In October, the King and Queen made their first trip to Australia while on the throne. It was the first visit by a reigning monarch in 23 years.

Over just four full days, the King and Queen made more than 30 official engagements.

It was largely considered to be a successful trip, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing it as "historic".

"Their majesties met a range of extraordinary Australians who demonstrated the best of our great country," he said.

The tour also saw some controversy, with republican protests following the royals.

During a parliamentary ceremony, independent senator Lidia Thorpe heckled the King.

The Indigenous senator told him she did not accept his sovereignty.

"Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.

"Give us a treaty, we want a treaty in this country. It's not your land, you’re not my king, you’re not our king."

She was censured for the outburst but remained unapologetic.

"If you want to condemn me for being a truth teller, then go for it," she said. "I'm proud that I stood up against the king coloniser; shame that he didn't take the opportunity to apologise.

"So I'll do it again. I'll keep doing it."

Following the trip, the King travelled to Samoa to attend the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where he met with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

In May, the first portrait of King Charles since he ascended to the throne was unveiled, and it split public opinion.

The eye-popping painting, by artist Jonathan Yeo, depicts the King with his hands clasped at the hilt of his sword and with a butterfly above his right shoulder. He wears a red Welsh Guards uniform and has a background of similar hues.

The painting drew mixed reactions online, with people either loving or hating the extensive use of red.

At the time, 1News spoke to artist Melissa Gilbert, who praised the work – and gave her take on what it could mean.

"Construction-wise, it's really well done – It kind of hints back to the history of colonial paintings of the powerful and rich," she said.

While the royals and New Zealand didn't cross paths much in 2024, an interaction between the King and the Black Ferns may have created one of the most wholesome moments of the year.

The team was received at Buckingham Palace before their test against England in September.

During the meeting, several players felt slightly unsure of what to do when they met the King. Winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga took a bold approach and asked King Charles if it was okay if some of the team hugged him, to which he obliged.

"A hug?" Why not," he said.

After being embraced by the players, the King thanked them for the "healing" and "warm" hugs.

He said he also wished he could visit New Zealand but could not due to his ongoing cancer treatment.

"I'm extremely sorry I can't come to New Zealand in late October because of doctor's orders, but I hope I get another excuse before too long," the King said. "In the meantime, give my love to New Zealand."

For much of 2024, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, managed to stay scandal-free after he was cut off by the king for his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The world hadn't heard much from the prince, that is, until December when his name once again made headlines over his ties to an alleged Chinese spy.

The latest episode comes after businessman Yang Tengbo was barred from the UK over allegations he was working on behalf of the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that is used to influence foreign entities.

He denied the claims he is a spy.

Documents presented at a court case detailed how close the prince and Yang were, with Andrew inviting the businessman to his birthday party.

One letter from a senior adviser to Andrew told Yang he should "never underestimate the strength" of his relationship with the royal.

"Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on."