The Royal Family's Most Tragic Moments Of 2024

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Britain's royal family has been rocked by tragedy in recent years — most notably, the death of long-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, preceded by that of her husband, Prince Philip, the previous year. Yet 2024 has proven to be a particularly difficult year for the House of Windsor, characterized by multiple royals hit by illnesses that have left their long-term fates in question.

During a visit to South Africa in November 2024, Prince William weighed in on his own annus horribilis (to borrow the phrase famously used by his grandmother to describe the awful onslaught of events that beset the family in 1992). "It's been dreadful. It's probably been the hardest year in my life," the Prince of Wales told journalists, as reported by BBC News. "So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult." 

William may be bearing the weight of an array of sorrowful situations, yet things are even more dire for some of his closest family members. To find out more, keep reading for a rundown of the royal family's most tragic moments of 2024.

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For Princess Catherine, 2024 began with an announcement that she had been hospitalized for what was described in a statement from Kensington Palace as "planned abdominal surgery." According to the statement, the surgery was successful, and she would remain in the hospital between 10 and 14 days. At that point, she was expected to return home and continue to recuperate. "Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter," the statement added, also declaring that she would be keeping all information about her medical condition private and that no updates would be issued unless there was "significant new information" to relay to the public. 

News that the Princess of Wales wouldn't be seen publicly for months raised eyebrows and rang alarm bells. Fears were generated that palace spokespeople were not telling the whole story — particularly since the last time she'd been seen had been weeks earlier, attending a Christmas Day church service. As a result, conspiracy theories began flourishing online, offering alternative reasons for her prolonged absence. 

Some of these were outlandish, ranging from rumors that she had undergone a Brazilian butt lift to another that Buckingham Palace was covering up her murder to another that she'd fled her husband. There were also more plausible rumors that her medical problems were worse than what had been announced. Sadly, the latter would be confirmed just a few months later.

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While rumors about Princess Catherine's whereabouts continued to swirl, Sarah Ferguson had her own medical news to announce. In January 2024, a rep for the ex-wife of Prince Andrew issued a statement, obtained by People. "Following her diagnosis with an early form of breast cancer this summer, Sarah, Duchess of York has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma," the statement read, noting that some suspicious-looking moles were discovered when Ferguson underwent reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy. Those moles were removed and analyzed, and one was cancerous. 

"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," the statement continued. However, the statement also acknowledged that receiving a cancer diagnosis within months of a previous diagnosis was far from an ideal scenario. "Clearly, another diagnosis so soon after treatment for breast cancer has been distressing," the statement added, "but the Duchess remains in good spirits."

Thankfully, a friend of Ferguson told the Daily Mail that her prognosis looked good going forward, as the skin cancer hadn't spread. Ferguson's daughter, Princess Beatrice, shared a positive update while appearing on British TV show "This Morning." "She's had a bumpy health scare last year but, no, all clear now," Beatrice said, as reported by USA Today. "At 64 she's thriving."

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Immediately upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles stepped into the role for which he'd been preparing his entire life. In May 2023, he was coronated in an elaborate ceremony full of ancient rituals and royal tradition. Charles was still settling into his new role as king when, in early 2024, he entered a London hospital to receive treatment for an enlarged prostate; Buckingham Palace reps assured the public this was no big deal, and certainly nothing for anyone to worry about. "His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," read a statement from the palace, as reported by The Guardian.

At some point during that procedure, doctors observed something that caused alarm. "Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer," announced a Buckingham Palace statement. According to the palace, Charles immediately began receiving treatment for his cancer. The specific type of the disease was not, and has yet to be, publicly divulged. "His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," the statement added. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual."

Since then, Charles has been undergoing weekly treatments; in October 2024, however, he took a brief break while he took a trip to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Samoa — but resumed treatment as soon as he returned.

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As rumors about Princess Catherine intensified during her absence, she emerged in March 2024 with some news — a few weeks earlier than the palace's previously announced timeline indicating she wouldn't return to public duties until Easter. The news she shared, however, was grim. In a video she posted on Instagram, the Princess of Wales revealed that she'd been diagnosed with cancer; like the announcement of her father-in-law, the type of cancer remained unspecified.

Speaking to the camera, she revealed that her surgery was initially deemed a success, and that no cancer had been detected. "However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present," she said. "My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment." According to Catherine, her diagnosis "came as a huge shock," but insisted she was feeling stronger by the day, and focused on healing.

In September, she returned to her royal duties, participating in a meeting at Buckingham Palace, after having completed chemo and receiving a clean bill of health. "Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus," she said in a statement, as reported by ABC News. "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."

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As Prince William coped with his father and wife simultaneously battling cancer, his fraught and fractious relationship with little brother Prince Harry did not improve — not surprising, given the numerous damaging allegations the Duke of Sussex made about William in his poison-pen memoir, "Spare." In fact, royal rumors swirled about how the siblings' once-tight relationship had deteriorated even further than it already had. 

That was evident in an April 2024 report from Us Weekly, alleging another reason why William was ticked off at Harry. "William is a bit envious of [his brother's] freedoms," a source told the magazine, claiming the future king was jealous that Harry's work with his Invictus Games had garnered worldwide acclaim. "That international limelight really sets Harry's work apart from other members of the royal family," the source added. "I do think that William was surprised how much this had been such a success and how much money was being thrown into it and how many governments were getting involved," U.K. journalist Robert Jobson said in an ABC News special, "Prince Harry's Mission: Life, Family and Invictus Games," via Us Weekly. Meanwhile, another Us Weekly report from that time claimed the brothers had not spoken in months, but that hopes were high that Harry's then-upcoming trip to the U.K. could lead to a thaw. 

William softened his stance later in the year by mentioning his brother by name in his documentary, "Prince William: We Can End Homelessness." According to Closer, the name-drop was engineered by Princess Catherine, who urged her husband to do it as a way of extending the proverbial olive branch in hopes of placing the brothers one step closer to healing their royal rift.

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Princess Anne has endured more than her fair share of tragedy, and the Princess Royal — renowned for being the hardest-working member of Britain's royal family — experienced a bit of a rough patch in the summer of 2024. In June, Buckingham Palace issued a statement revealing that her lifelong love of horses had — not for the first time — resulted in physical damage. "The Princess Royal has sustained minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate yesterday evening," read the statement. Other than the expectation she would fully recover, the statement didn't detail what had caused her injuries. BBC News reported that the one-time Olympic equestrian was "suspected" to have been kicked by one of her horses.

While that was hardly the first time that Anne had sustained a horse-related injury, the princess — who was 73 at the time — reportedly suffered a concussion. That brought about memory loss, although doctors believed that would only be a temporary symptom. However, Anne spent five nights hospitalized, with several of her royal engagements (including a scheduled trip to Canada) delayed. "Concussions are always potentially dangerous in terms of long-term symptoms if they become more severe," brain injury therapist Natalie McKenzie told The Independent.

As predicted, she made a full recovery. About a month after her hospitalization, Anne resumed her duties, attending the Riding for the Disabled Association National Championships.

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Shortly before Princess Catherine revealed her cancer diagnosis, old rumors of royal infidelity resurfaced. In March 2024 — just days before she made her announcement— In Touch reported that revived 2019 rumors of Prince William's affair with British aristocrat Rose Hanbury (a.k.a. the Marchioness of Cholmondeley) had been greatly disturbing to the Princess of Wales. "You can't blame her for being at her wits end with the rumors about Rose and William completely haunting her," a source said. William responded by siccing his lawyers on the tabloid, sending a letter threatening legal action. "The use of a legal letter by William as a future king is very much a move of last resort," royal expert Duncan Larcombe told The Daily Beast.

The hurtful rumor picked up steam when late-night host Stephen Colbert referenced the matter during a monologue on "The Late Show." This time, it was Hanbury's attorneys who responded, issuing a statement to Business Insider claiming "the rumors are completely false." That was followed by another statement from her lawyers, this time to Vanity Fair, calling out Colbert and the network that airs his show. "The rumor appears to have entered into the mainstream media recently as a result of another joke made about it on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,'" read the statement. "We have written on our client's behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organizations to confirm that the allegation is false." In light of Catherine's revelation of her cancer diagnosis, Colbert subsequently apologized. 

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When Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96, plans for her royal send-off had long been in place. So were plans for the coronation of King Charles III. Arrangements for his funeral were also in place, but the king's 2024 cancer diagnosis raised fears that a solemn ceremony may happen far sooner than anyone had imagined.

That came to light when a new book divulged plans for "Operation London Bridge," the code name for a multi-faceted plan to be unleashed upon Charles' demise. Author Robert Hardman offered details in his book, "Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story." "The King's own valedictory arrangements have now, officially, been upgraded to Operation London Bridge, mirroring those of Elizabeth II," said Hardman. As The Independent reported, a source told Hardman that after the unexpected death of Princess Diana had caught the royals flatfooted, arrangements were made that would deal with various potential outcomes involving the royal family. "You need a plan for everything, sadly, we all remember the death of a member of the family who died in Paris without a plan," said the source.

As Hardman's book makes clear, the arrangements for Charles' death are entirely necessary, especially given the potential severity of the king's illness. However, having those plans made public certainly couldn't have comforted the ailing monarch.

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Before 2024, Thomas Kingston was a little-known member of the royals' extended family, and husband to Lady Gabriella. Gabriella is the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent; Prince Michael is first cousin to both the late queen (through his father, Prince George), and her husband, Prince Philip (through his mother). 

In February of that year, an announcement revealed that Kingston had died at age 45. "The King and The Queen have been informed of Thomas's death and join Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and all those who knew him in grieving a much-loved member of the family," read a statement from Buckingham Palace, via People. As details emerged, the true tragedy of Kingston's death became clear with the revelation that he'd died from a massive head injury and that a gun had been found near his body. An inquest was ordered to determine whether some new medication he'd been taking had contributed to his state of mind at the time of his death, set to take place in December 2024; according to BBC News, the family's attorney, Martin Porter, described Kingston's death as "unexpected" and "impulsive," insisting, "There was no pre-planning — on the contrary there was planning for the future."

Given the murky circumstances involving Kingston's death, his funeral was held privately. Prince William was the only senior member of the royal family to attend.

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Just two months after King Charles' announcement of his cancer diagnosis, reports began circulating on the internet claiming that the king had died. That news originated in Russia and began to be taken seriously when the report appeared on a Telegram channel utilized by Vedomosti, a reputable Russian newspaper. The Guardian stated that report featured a photo of Charles decked out in his full military regalia, accompanied by a caption: "British King Charles III has died." The news was then picked up by other Russian outlets, and soon made its way to Ukraine, where Charles' passing was reported on television. News of Charles' death eventually arrived in Tajikistan, where it was reported by a major media outlet in the country. 

As the news came to be even more widely disseminated, red flags began being raised when it became apparent that there was no mention of this monumental news in British media. The Russian outlets reporting the news started backtracking; according to The Guardian, a "top Russian media editor" added a disclaimer to a report on the king's death by writing, "I can't tell if it's true or not."

Eventually, the report was proven to be a hoax. Russia's state news agency, Tass, shared a definitive statement, reading, "King Charles III continues to perform his official duties and attend private engagements."

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Responses to the 2024 election of Donald Trump have certainly been all over the map, but one person who is reportedly not happy to see the former "Celebrity Apprentice" star back in the Oval Office is Prince Harry. That's not surprising; as the Scottish Daily Express reported, Trump had previously dissed the prince. "He betrayed the queen," Trump said of Harry. "That's unforgivable."

As royal expert Richard Eden wrote in the Daily Mail, Harry and wife Meghan Markle's recent purchase of a home in Portugal in early 2023 seemed curious at the time, but now appeared to be a strategic move in case the Duke and Duchess of Sussex if Trump were to order Harry deported. In his book, "Spare," Harry admitted to having taken a variety of drugs in the past, including marijuana, cocaine, and psychedelic mushrooms — which would have given the U.S. Department of Homeland Security grounds to deny his visa application. If it's discovered that Harry lied on that application by concealing the drug use he wrote about in his book, he could be deported. 

Given Harry and Meghan's relationship with the royals, returning to Britain would seem out of the question. However, explained Eden, buying a place in Portugal could have allowed their eligibility for a "golden visa," which would grant them the ability to live in any of the nearly 30 countries within the European Union's Schengen Area — thus giving them options if Trump deports Harry.