It was Christmas last year, and the newly crowned King and Queen had just enjoyed what I am told were a ‘lovely’ few days at Sandringham with their nearest and dearest.
Afterwards they escaped to Birkhall, the private Scottish residence adjoining Balmoral they truly see as their ‘together home’, for a few weeks of relaxation ahead of what looked to be another busy year.
Then, out of blue, the blows began to come thick and fast.
First there was the King’s diagnosis of a benign prostate condition, followed by the announcement that the Princess of Wales would be in the same London hospital undergoing major abdominal surgery.
Days later Charles, 76, was given the shocking news that doctors had, by accident, discovered an unconnected form of cancer, along with the bombshell that his 42-year-old daughter-in-law herself needed to undergo preventative chemotherapy.
‘The family hadn’t even got through the first month of the year and their lives were already turned upside down,’ a source says.
Today I can reveal exclusive new details of the year that rocked the monarchy – from those at the heart of events.
But despite the trials and tribulations of the past 12 months, many in royal circles believe it has ultimately, left family members with a clearer sense of purpose than ever.
King Charles and Camilla in Sandringham for Christmas last year
While Charles was immediately reassured by his doctors that his cancer had been caught early and was, in their opinion, ‘very treatable’, the disease is, we all know, viciously unpredictable.
It was also, frankly, an unwelcome proposition for both the family and the nation, coming as it did less than 18 months after the sad passing of his adored mother, Queen Elizabeth.
‘In truth, no one really knew what the coming days would bring. It was a very uncertain time,’ a source admits.
As the news quickly made its way down from Scotland, inside Buckingham Palace a tiny group of ashen-faced courtiers gathered with an air of concerned purpose.
Their role was to devise a plan to support the King, and reassure an anxious nation.
The project, I can reveal, was codenamed ‘Operation Delphinium’ – the King’s favourite flower.
‘I’m not sure even His Majesty knows [that’s what it was called],’ says one insider with knowledge of the ‘circle of trust’.
They were, however, firmly led by the King himself, who made clear from day one that he wanted to buck centuries of royal tradition and be as open as possible about his condition. His grandfather George VI wasn’t even told by his own doctors that he was dying of lung cancer.
Charles was left ‘genuinely shaken’ by Catherine’s surgery and cancer diagnosis, which she announced in a video in March this year
‘The King hoped that if he could be honest, it may help others in the same position,’ another source adds.
‘He was determined that something positive should come from such a setback in terms of raising awareness and support for families who go through a similar experience. All patients are different, of course. But he wanted people to know it is possible to keep living a full and active life even while undergoing treatment.’
Fast-forward 11 months and we have a monarch who has not only just completed a gruelling 11-day, 30,000-mile round-trip to Australia and Samoa, but hasn’t missed a single state duty due to his illness.
Even the Princess of Wales – whose diagnosis and subsequent treatment, particularly at a relatively young age, were an even greater shock – recently announced she has completed her course of preventative chemotherapy and is beginning a slow and measured return to royal duties.
‘I don’t think anyone sitting there in January, wondering how on earth they were going to steer the good ship with wave after wave crashing over the bow, would have imagined such an optimistic outcome. And yet here we all are,’ another insider says.
‘It’s frankly staggering the family has come through so much, with such tremendous dignity and resilience.’
While no assumptions can be made, the future is certainly looking encouraging enough for both the King and William – and possibly even Catherine – to be planning foreign tours next year.
Indeed, it will be a very full programme in His Majesty’s case, with trips to Italy and the site of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz pencilled in this spring, as well as early talks of a visit to Brazil for the COP climate summit in the autumn, plus several shorter visits for William.
The King’s shared experience of cancer has naturally deepened his affection for Catherine
There are no immediate plans for a state visit by the incoming American President (nor will the King travel there next month, not least because, by convention, foreign heads of state do not attend presidential inaugurations). An official meeting either here or there is more likely to happen, I understand, in 2026 – which sees events to mark the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
However, diplomats are acutely aware of the regard with which President Trump holds the British royal family and are keen to exploit this, with tea at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle should he wish to drop by the next time he is in Europe.
That the royal household is, once again, a hive of activity is something that fills the 76-year-old monarch with ‘joy’, reveals a source. ‘Despite what he has gone through, the King has never had a moment of self-pity. His main feeling was one of frustration that all their plans were having to be ripped up before the first month of the year was out.
‘Even when tweaks were made to his diary, it wasn’t because he was too sick, but simply because doctors advised that he needed to be careful in case his diminished immunity made him more vulnerable.
‘He had to take a little time out at the start and had some more rest times built into his programme because of his treatment cycles, but that’s it. It’s pretty remarkable when you think about it.’
But that doesn’t mean it has been easy.
As someone who has seen King Charles close up throughout the year, he has looked tired and noticeably red-eyed at times.
I’m told that’s down to the side effects of the treatments he’s been having (details of which have not been confirmed by the palace) which although ‘very much at the lower end of the scale of what sadly a lot of patients have to endure’, have still been gruelling.
He has, of course, had the best possible care and has received visits in the privacy of his London home, Clarence House, which have enabled him to recover in relative privacy, with his wife by his side. She does not sit in for those sessions but is often ’round and about’, waiting for her husband to finish.
Queen Camilla has, naturally, been a tower of strength, but I am told she was ‘a little frightened’ at the start.
‘He’s the love of her life, her partner, her husband of almost 20 years. Of course she was scared,’ a friend tells me.
‘Frankly it’s a lonely enough job when there’s two of you. So you can imagine what it’s like when there’s just one of you out on the road.
‘But she was determined to do her bit for his sake, to pick up the elements of the programme she was able to, while balancing her most significant role as spouse, support and chief cheerleader for him.’ Unusually, and picking up on her husband’s cues, Camilla, 77, made a point of visiting him in hospital almost daily when he had to stay there, usually for meal times to ‘keep his spirits up’. ‘She makes him laugh like no one else,’ they add.
The Queen has had her own family to rely on, of course. She is hugely close to her children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes (sister Annabel Elliot and ex-husband Andrew are also in the cheerleading squad) and their bond has only been strengthened this year.
It’s why Tom and Laura and their families will be making their Sandringham debut next week.
Earlier this week doting ‘GaGa’ (as Camilla is known) treated the grandchildren to a visit to Operation Mincemeat in London’s West End – even borrowing a minibus to take them all – and enjoyed a gourmet lunch at Tom’s private 50th birthday celebration.
‘It makes me feel very old having a 50-year-old-son,’ she groaned.
It’s also a sign that Camilla is very much on the road to recovery after her own health issues in recent weeks, namely the nasty bout of pneumonia she has been battling since November.
She told friends recently that she had been ‘knocked for six’ by ‘post-viral fatigue syndrome’, which has lasted far longer than her doctors thought it would and left her sapped of energy.
‘I’ve never felt worse,’ she told one. ‘I can’t wait to see the back of 2024.’
The same friend adds: ‘Truthfully, I think she is also just a bit worn down from what has been an emotionally and physically challenging year. It’s been tough.’
Still, I can reveal that Her Majesty has now happily started the careful process of searching for another Battersea rescue dog to replace her beloved Beth, who died last month. She will almost certainly get another Jack Russell.
The King, who also adored Beth, is quietly excited about the new addition to their family too and can’t wait to take them out walking with him in the Highlands.
Her Majesty has now happily started the careful process of searching for another Battersea rescue dog to replace her beloved Beth, who died last month
Of course he’s not only had to worry about his own health and that of his wife’s.
I’m told Charles was left ‘genuinely shaken’ by Catherine’s surgery and cancer diagnosis.
His relationship with his elder son has not been without its issues over the years, and their shared experience of cancer has naturally deepened his affection for Catherine.
The King is also incredibly close to his sister, Princess Anne, and was ‘deeply worried’ when she was hospitalised in June with severe concussion after being found unconscious at her Gatcombe Park home, having apparently being kicked by a horse.
Although the princess was stoically back at work within two weeks, I am told that the incident was ‘really very significant – to put it mildly’ and she still has absolutely no recollection of what happened.
‘No one was ever able to get to the bottom of it – it’s a total mystery. It was a worrying time,’ a source says.
As for his younger son, Harry, little has changed.
Aside from his deeply upsetting attacks on his family over the years, I am told the issue of Harry’s legal action against the Home Office over the withdrawal of his security, which is still dragging through the UK courts, is a major ‘roadblock’ to any reconciliation between the two.
‘It was particularly upsetting for the King to see it briefed in various quarters that Harry believed his father could click his fingers and change everything. That’s a wilful misunderstanding of how things work, particularly when it comes to His Majesty’s own government,’ a source says.
Sad to say, the King genuinely fears any conversation with the prince could be used against him in this, or any one of his multiple ongoing court cases.
Trust between father and son is going to be very hard to rebuild, meaning there is still no imminent prospect, sadly, of Charles being able to develop any meaningful relationship with his two other grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.
Still, there are those in royal circles who feel the family’s ‘annus horribilis MK II’ year (a play on Queen Elizabeth’s moving 1992 speech which touched on her children’s marriage breakdowns and the Windsor Castle fire) has proved a great success.
‘Believe it or not, we do enter next year with bursts of sunlight on the horizon on all fronts’, one source insists.
The King, it must be stressed, is still a man ‘living with cancer’.
Ostensibly this sounds worrying, but I understand while treatments continue weekly, they are now designed to ensure he has ‘the best possible’ chance of beating the disease altogether.
‘Not all cancers have a binary outcome,’ a source tells me. ‘The doctors are incredibly positive where things currently stand – beyond even their most optimistic of hopes. However, treatment will continue into the start of next year.’
Another insider goes so far as to say they believe the King and Queen seem happier at the end of this unimaginably difficult year than they did at the last.
‘They’ve come through the worst and both are stronger for it.’
For now there’s a rerun of Christmas at Sandringham (even without the Duke of York, it’s one of the biggest and most blended in years) followed by, yes, a trip back up to their beloved Birkhall early next year.
No one can say with absolute certainty that the good ship royal is entirely back on course as we head into 2025. Cancer is too unpredictable for that.
But it’s certainly sailing, face forward, in the right direction – with the King still very much at the helm.
